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Commission unsure how to save Biltmore

By LORRI HELFAND
Published April 26, 2005

BELLEAIR - As the future of the Belleview Biltmore Resort & Spa hangs in the balance, town leaders are still at a loss on how to save the historic hotel.

The topic came up at a special work session to discuss the town's new community center. The resort wasn't on the agenda, but the meeting switched gears after about 100 residents showed up to ask the commission to preserve the Belleview Biltmore.

The movement to save the hotel has blossomed since DeBartolo Development, a company that planned to demolish the hotel last year, said two weeks ago that it had the property under contract again. The cause gained more momentum after owner Belleview Biltmore Resorts Ltd. applied for a permit to demolish the building last week.

The Save the Biltmore Web site received more than 2,000 hits since news of a contract was printed in the St. Petersburg Times.

The Town Commission doesn't know if it has any options to save it. All four commissioners said they wanted to discuss their options. Mayor George Mariani Jr. maintained his laissez-faire stance on the subject, urging the commission to consider the legal ramifications of stepping into the issue.

With a half-dozen media outlets camped out in the wings of Town Hall, Commissioner Gary Katica asked the commission to consider enacting an emergency order to extend a required 30-day waiting period for demolishing historic structures.

"I personally bleed over this," Katica said. "If there is anything possible, we'll do it. Maybe it has to come from a higher authority than the commission of Belleair."

But some preservationists say local governments have the power in these cases.

The Belleview Biltmore's listing on the National Register of Historic Places does not protect it from destruction. The status does not provide state protection unless a structure receives federal money.

"This is why we continue to tell cities they have to have historic preservation ordinances," said Kathleen Slesnick Kauffman, executive director of the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation. "The state cannot do anything unless there's federal funding involved."

With support from three other commissioners, Commissioner Bonnie Ruggles asked officials to put the Belleview Biltmore on the agenda for next Tuesday's work session, which begins at 5:30 p.m.

They will likely discuss research by assistant town attorney Richard Millian. On April 19, they asked Millian to explore ordinances that protect landmarks or other structures in historic districts.

Rae Claire Johnson, a former commission candidate who is spearheading the hotel's preservation drive, suggested that funds for the community center be reallocated to a legal defense fund. She also asked the commission to find out if there was a way to require a development plan and land use changes before the owners can raze the historic hotel.

Mariani voiced concerns that the town would become financially liable if the owners of the Belleview Biltmore property hold the town responsible for a failed deal.

St. Petersburg resident Jeff Francis told the commission it should consider doing what St. Petersburg did when it purchased Sunken Gardens in 1999 with funds from a voter-approved tax. He also suggested that commissioners refuse to sign the demolition permit, even if it ends in a legal battle.

"Money can be replaced. History can't. We can make it work," he said. "Do whatever you can, even if you have to get in a legal battle. If that hotel is gone, Florida has lost a true gem of history that future generations will never get to see."

June Shepard Hampton pleaded with commissioners to take action to prevent the hotel's destruction.

"Do you really want to go down in history of allowing this to happen?" she said.

After the meeting, opinions were mixed. Several attendees said they were glad officials listened to them, but they wanted to see more commitment from town leaders.

"I'm a little disappointed," Bruce Hause said. "I feel like they're passing the buck."

Francis gave the commission credit for taking the time to listen.

"I just hope they have the guts to stand up," he said.

[Last modified April 26, 2005, 01:04:06]