A bastion of St. Pete history has received one the city’s most prestigious honors, as Preserve the ‘Burg founder Peter Belmont was presented with a key to the City of St. Petersburg by Mayor Ken Welch last week. Belmont has been a stalwart for the recognition and preservation of the things that make St. Pete and the surrounding communities so special, and the presentation from Welch and the City Council serves as a marker of years of dedicated service.

The key to the city is the highest civilian honor the city provides, and it serves as a recognition of Belmont’s “lifelong leadership and successful resume of local historic and environmental preservation efforts.” The ceremony took place over video stream during last Thursday’s City Council meeting, as council member, Preserve the Burg leadership, and other citizens expressed their gratitude for Belmont’s work.

In their announcement celebrating the honor, Preserve the ‘Burg cited Belmont’s nearly four decades of influence and activism, which helped ensure the preservation of such iconic St. Pete landmarks and neighborhoods such as the Vinoy Hotel, Detroit Hotel, Historic Roser Park, Crislip Arcade, Jennie Hall Pool, the Old Northeast and Kenwood neighborhoods, and many more.

“Peter forced the creation of the city’s historic preservation ordinance as part of the effort to save the Vinoy Hotel back in the 1980s,” said Preserve the ‘Burg executive director Manny Leto. “The fact that we can even have a conversation today about saving St. Pete’s historic properties is because of Peter.”

Belmont creates a generational legacy in St. Pete

Belmont addressed the group via video stream, “I’m proud to have been an advocate for these many years and I’ve always felt that the advocacy group has a role, not only for St. Pete but in all of our communities, whether it be historic preservation, affordable housing, or most any other issues. Our job is to impart, kind of push the envelope, and to find a collaborative way to work with you and others to achieve our goals.”

Today, Preserve the ‘Burg is the City of St. Petersburg’s local authority for historic preservation, where Belmont remains on the board of directors. Preserve the ‘Burg’s programs and advocacy efforts have helped to raise awareness about the value of St. Petersburg’s historic resources, and their work has led to the preservation of dozens of local landmarks and neighborhoods. To learn more, visit preservetheburg.org.

For a peek into Belmont’s personality and historic knowledge, check him out on one of our episodes of The History Half Hour in ‘Driftwood: A Neighborhood Like No Other.’ Check out the full History Half Hour series here.