The Passionate Preservationist

Local preservation activist and Preserve the ‘Burg founding member Peter Belmont received a key to the City of St. Petersburg on Thursday, August 18, 2022 at St. Petersburg City Hall. The key to the City is the highest civilian honor and honors Belmont for his lifelong leadership and successful, decades-long resume of local historic and environmental preservation efforts.

Peter Belmont has dedicated more than 40 years of his life to advocating for the preservation of St. Petersburg’s historic and natural resources. A tireless activist, his efforts have left a lasting imprint on the city. In this blog, we’ll share more about the man who founded Preserve the ‘Burg. 

Preserve the 'Burg is often asked if something could have been done to prevent a building demolition or how does one find out if a building is to be demolished. Cities can require notice and opportunities to review demolition applications. Many cities have a comprehensive process in place to do so but St. Petersburg only provides notice and review in a small number of circumstances. Read on to find out what demolition review is about and how St. Pete can do better!

Preserve the ‘Burg often gets questions about what can the City offer for help with preservation concerns and where to go within the City to get answers to preservation questions. The City has a small historic preservation staff, a historic preservation commission and a myriad of online resources for those seeking help and answers to their questions. We know it’s not always easy to understand what to look for or who to ask - even the historic preservation info on the city’s website is a bit counter-intuitive to find (historic preservation is not listed under city departments). Read on and hopefully you will have your answer for the what’s what and the who’s who and learn about how to find the fun stuff!