Digest

Dateline Florida

By TIMES WIRES
Published June 21, 2007

Biltmore dodges wrecking ball

It's official. Two years after being threatened with the wrecking ball, the Belleview Biltmore Resort & Spa was sold Wednesday to a group that plans to save it. The buyer is Legg Mason Real Estate Investors, based in Los Angeles. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. About 60 people, including representatives of the buyer and seller, celebrated at the Biltmore on Wednesday. "I couldn't be happier, " preservationist Rae Claire Johnson said. Officials and others close to the deal say Legg Mason plans to restore the 110-year-old Biltmore, removing the unpopular pagoda entrance, redoing the pool and adding underground parking. The resort is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Her story was just too wiggy for detectives

Apparently it takes more than a wig to fool Pinellas sheriff's detectives. When they came to her house with an arrest warrant Tuesday, Barbara Zinn, 38, of St. Petersburg, who was accused of failing to appear on a retail theft charge, refused to open the door until detectives threatened to force it open, a report says. She finally opened the door wearing a wig, identifying herself as Opheila Zinn, claiming Barbara Zinn was out of town. Detectives didn't buy the story, or the wig. She was arrested on charges of failing to appear and resisting, delaying or obstructing a police officer.

Sidewalk surfers look to carve up downtown

Tampa police are bracing for a throng of skateboarders to hit the city today, which has been dubbed "Go Skateboarding Day" through a national underground movement on MySpace and skate park Web sites. Local boarders are asked to meet at 11:30 a.m. at "Bro Bowl" at Perry Harvey Sr. Park, skate through downtown and stop at Kennedy Boulevard and Ashley Drive, where they'll be dared to ride a giant handrail. Last year, more than 200 skateboarders rolled through downtown causing traffic tie-ups, police said. Fifteen riders were arrested last year.

Correction

The Monterey Pop Festival movie will be shown at 6:45 p.m. and again at 9:30 p.m Friday at Beach Theatre. A regional edition story on Wednesday stated a different day. The number to contact the theater is (727) 360-6697.

[Last modified June 21, 2007, 01:02:26]