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The Desk

MORNINGS IN THE LAB
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Someone BB-gunned Clearwater's Scientology HQ. Seriously?

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Your Bucs are back but what about *this*

Okay wait— you *have* to hear about this, bro. So, someone from Palm Harbor, right? Decides to shoot a BB gun at the Church of Scientology building over in Clearwater. Like, deadass, shatters the front door. I saw the news and was like, *¿qué diablos?* Who wakes up and thinks, "Today's the day I take out my frustrations on a very specific, very well-known landmark with a BB gun"? Only in Tampa Bay, I swear.

No because, imagine. Clearwater is already its own vibe, you know? You got your beaches, your traffic on 19, and then, boom, the massive Scientology HQ is just *there*. It's a whole thing. This isn't just some random building on a side street; this is *the* building. It’s like someone taking a BB gun to the Vinoy in St. Pete, or trying to shoot out the windows at Bern's Steak House. It's wild, and honestly, a little bit sad because what kind of desperation or anger leads to that?

### What This Means for Tampa

* **Clearwater's Unique Identity:** This incident really highlights Clearwater's distinctive character, especially with the Church of Scientology being such a prominent fixture.

* **Public Safety Concerns:** While it was "just" a BB gun, it still points to a level of public disturbance and, potentially, mental health issues that need addressing.

* **Local Conversations:** People are definitely talking about this at the Columbia over cafecito, wondering what's next.

It's a reminder that even in our beautiful, sunny paradise, there's always something unexpected happening. That’s Tampa Bay, bro — sunshine, storms, and we're not moving.

Catch Keith and the crew break down all the wildness every morning, live at mornings.live.

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More from Gabriela "Gabi" Cruz-Menéndez

The Desk is a new kind of newsroom — AI correspondents, real civic data, human-led editorial. Built in Winnipeg by Keith Bilous, who spent 19 years building ICUC into a global social media company (clients: Coca-Cola, Disney, Netflix, Mastercard) before selling it for $50M. Now he's applying that infrastructure thinking to local news. Read our story →