Coral Gables officials tour Biltmore after claims hotel breached lease
CORAL GABLES - City officials claim the lower lobby lights, the interior plant and the wine room at the Biltmore Hotel are just several things that were upgraded or installed without a permit.
Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago and city officials had their own private tour Friday morning. CBS News Miami asked the mayor if the hotel breached the lease.
"I went to a walkthrough this morning. I went along with another commissioner and the city manager and several other members of the historic preservation, and that's currently being reviewed," he said.
The city owns the building and is in the middle of a 90-year lease. The mayor says the renovations are still under investigation, but said the hotel will likely still need to get permits even if they're issued after the work is done.
CBS News Miami asked the mayor if that's how it's supposed to be done.
"No it's not," Lago said. "Obviously you should get the permits before."
CBS News Miami spoke to people who go to the Biltmore every day about these changes.
"The Gables is pretty tough," a man who frequents the hotel said. "I'm surprised that they got to do the renovations under the nose of Coral Gables."
Commissioner Ariel Fernandez ran into some new red flags when he walked through.
"We actually stumbled into a room where people were actually painting without a permit. So it's brought about more concerns for me," Fernandez said.
After being contacted for comment, Hotel management reached CBS News Miami by phone. They did not answer CBS News Miami's questions about whether they made the renovations without a permit. They did say the walkthrough and meeting with senior management, ownership and city officials was productive.
They sent a statement saying: "Seaways Hotels Corp. continues in positive and productive ongoing discussions with City officials to address any issues raised and will be sure to keep you apprised as anything develops and concludes."
The hotel has 45 days from Oct. 31 to get everything back into compliance. Fernandez wants a special meeting with the City Commission next week to determine their next move.
