(Belleair, Florida) On January 17, about 175 citizens packed the town hall in Belleair, Florida. They were there to express their support to preserve the legendary hotel, “the Queen of the Gulf;” the Belleview Biltmore Hotel. A

Over 30 people spoke before the town council and urged them to save the hotel, explaining that it was important and precious to Pinellas County and Florida history.

Heeding the concerns and voices of these residents and many more than called and emailed their support of the Biltmore, the demolition permit for the destruction of the Biltmore was denied.

Currently, the Belleview Biltmore will continue standing where it has resided for the past 116 years. Miami investors, who bought the hotel, its golf course and its Cabana Club on Sand Key in 2010 for about $8 million, had filed the demolition request. Town manager Micah Maxwell told the town leaders that the application is deficient, and will be returned to the company with recommendations on resubmission at a later date.

According to lead Save the Biltmore preservationist, Diane Hein, efforts to save this historic monument are still underway. Diane stated that “we are continuing to look for investors to buy the hotel. Once it is purchased we will continue to promote it through our web site, Facebook, memberships, online gift shop and my Biltmore Updates.” As of now, it seems the town of Belleair is not interested in purchasing the Belleview Biltmore. Despite being one of the richest zip codes in America, none of its residents have shown any willingness to pool together to buy the hotel. When asked why the state of Florida and/or the governor has yet to get involved to preserve the Biltmore, government officials stated that this is a local Belleair issue with their local laws. Pinellas County agreed.

That doesn’t deter the spirit of the Save the Biltmore preservationists. On Thursday, February 2^nd there was a ‘Friends of the Belleview Biltmore Fundraiser’ at the Belleair Garden Club. Each guest received a copy of Bonnie-Sue Brandvik’s new novel, Pearls: Spirits of the Belleview Biltmore that was included with the $20 admission. For more updates and information from Diane Heine, you can visit the website www.savethebiltmore.com .