Facebook still buzzing about viral 'bunkbed motel' linked to Scientology

Clearwater, Florida — For weeks, social media users in Pinellas County have been seeing videos showing bunkbeds in an empty Clearwater motel popping into their feeds, and many are saying it's linked to the Church of Scientology.

Marc Jason is a media personality in the county and hosts the Pinellas Podcast on Facebook. Three weeks ago, he interviewed “Shawn aka wip” on his show after Shawn sent him videos of the motel with bunkbeds lining the rooms, but no occupants.

10 Tampa Bay News set out to try to confirm where the motel is, who owns it and what might be done with it, after we were unable to reach the podcast and the man who took the video.

Through research, we confirmed the motel is on Frontage Road right next to U.S. 19 and just south of Gulf to Bay Boulevard. The social media buzz, with more than a million views of the podcast’s clips and counting, comes as a group trying to prevent Scientology development downtown got another boost this week.

“Save the Garden” is trying to stop the city from selling a street to the church so it can build a large entertainment and theater complex.

Wednesday night, we spotted a Scientologist working security at the motel, which Google Maps shows used to be a Quality Inn, and asked him if he knew what it's turning into.

"I’m not sure what it's going to be,” he said without giving his name. “That's all I really got."

We couldn't spot any bunkbeds because the drapes were closed, but confirmed the same setup at another hotel nearby. Property records show one is owned by a known scientologist, Bill Witter, the other by a developer who's partnered with Scientology for years, Guy Bonneville. Neither returned a call asking for clarity.

But before we went to the motel, we talked to organizers with Save the Garden (STG) who are trying to stop a potential future sale of South Garden Avenue by the city to the church to build L. Ron Hubbard Hall. Scientology leaders withdrew an offer last year, but it’s expected they’ll resubmit a new proposal. Wednesday afternoon, STG announced they have enough signatures on a petition to let voters decide later this year, but hope the council will do it instead.

“Or we continue gathering a few more signatures and then submit it for review by the city clerk, full steam ahead, and bypass our council,” organizer Kelly Myer said. “It's a wonderful thing to see this much unity across our city for this effort.”

They hope it doesn't come to that.

“I would say to the council, ‘the citizens have spoken,’” fellow organizer Jill Gibbs said. “Will you listen?”

We did talk to some in the business community who worry that the citizen petition applies to everyone, not just the church, to require a public vote on some land deals with a right-of-way conveyance. They say it could stifle the kind of rebirth so many are looking for in downtown.

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