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Tracey McManus - Clearwater and Scientology Reporter

Clearwater and Scientology Reporter

I cover a range of topics in Pinellas County and the city of Clearwater. My beat also focuses on the Church of Scientology and its control of vast tracts of property in downtown Clearwater. Before joining the Times in 2015, I spent five years as a reporter for The Augusta Chronicle in Georgia. I've wanted to be a journalist since I was old enough to read the newspapers that my dad kept stacked near the kitchen table every day. I was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., but grew up in south Florida and graduated from the University of Florida in 2010 with degrees in journalism and Spanish. When not on deadline, I'm usually out walking my one-eyed Pit Bull named Winky.

  1. Randy McKinney, of Clearwater, holds "I Voted" stickers moments after casting his ballot at the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections Office during early voting on Monday, Oct. 19, 2020, in Clearwater. The 2024 Clearwater election is on Tuesday, March 19 and polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  2. City Council member Kathleen Beckman, left, and lawyer Bruce Rector, right, have each raised six figure sums for their campaigns for mayor, according to campaign finance records. In these images, they are seen canvassing neighborhoods earlier this year.
  3. A plane takes off at night from Clearwater Airpark on Feb. 29.
  4. Daniel Holuba stands outside the Clearwater Main Library in handcuffs after being arrested for trespass after warning following his refusal to leave a City Council meeting on Thursday, March 7, 2024.
  5. In this image from a Ring doorbell camera video, a person is seen stealing City Council member Mark Bunker's campaign sign on Palmetto Street and heading back to a white pickup truck after midnight on Feb. 11 in Clearwater. Police used the video to find and question two Scientologists who admitted to the act.
  6. An aerial drone view of the scene where a small plane crashed into the Bayside Waters mobile home park in Clearwater on Feb. 1. The pilot of a plane said he could not see the runway at the Clearwater Airpark despite the runway lights being turned to their “highest intensity,” according to a preliminary report released Tuesday.
  7. People congregate under an oak tree before Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Cheap Trick perform June 28, 2023, at the inaugural concert at The Sound at Coachman Park in Clearwater.
  8. Pilot Patrick Keenan maneuvers his Cessna 182 on final approach to Clearwater Airpark on Thursday.
  9. The entrance to Tarpon Springs City Hall, where commissioners struggled to find consensus Tuesday on appointing a new colleague.
  10. Drivers negotiate Drew Street between Highland Avenue and Betty Lane on April 5, 2023, in Clearwater. A state project to reconfigure 2 miles of Drew from four lanes to two, and add a center turn lane, has become an issue in the March 19 city election.
  11. The entrance to City Hall in Safety Harbor, where officials have joined two lawsuits challenging a new law that requires municipal officials to file more extensive financial disclosure forms.
  12. The candidates for Seat 2 on the Clearwater City Council are, from left: Mark Bunker, Ryan Cotton and Mike Mastruserio.
  13. The candidates for Seat 3 on the Clearwater City Council are, from left: Jared Leone, Mike Mannino and Javante Scott.
  14. Clearwater City Council member Kathleen Beckman, left, and lawyer Bruce Rector are canvassing neighborhoods in their campaigns for mayor as they work to speak with voters one on one.
  15. Firefighters are seen near the smoldering remains of a mobile home Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024 in Clearwater. Witnesses believe a small plane crashed into the home causing a fire.
  16. A revised rendering shows one tower with 400 apartments on the former City Hall site on Osceola Avenue. The developers' original plan called for two towers with 600 units.
  17. From left, vacant buildings at 809, 807 and 805 Park St. are seen on May 23, 2023, in Clearwater. They are among at least 200 mostly vacant properties controlled by Church of Scientology parishioners in downtown and the nearby North Marina area.
  18. A revised rendering shows one tower with 400 apartments on the former City Hall site on Osceola Avenue. The developers' original plan called for two towers with 600 units.
  19. A sign points the way for voters at Cypress Meadows Community Church on March 15, 2022, in Clearwater, where the 2024 ballot contains a referendum on the city's election system.
  20. Drivers negotiate Drew Street between Highland Avenue and Betty Lane on April 5, 2023, in Clearwater. A proposed project by the Florida Department of Transportation would add a center turn lane on parts of the road.
  21. Clearwater City Council member Kathleen Beckman speaks to residents during a council meeting at the Clearwater Main Library on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023.
  22. Lead service technician Thomas Lanni, 34, loads an abandoned tarpaulin into a beach rake while cleaning sugar sand near Pier 60 on Clearwater Beach during his predawn shift on Friday, Mar 24, 2023. Pay raises for nearly 1,500 city of Clearwater employees will take effect Jan. 19, 2024.
  23. Clearwater resident Bee Collins reaches for an "I voted" sticker as she submits a ballot at the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections Office on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022, in Largo. The city of Clearwater will hold its 2024 municipal election on March 19, with eight candidates vying for three seats on the City Council.