Lake Wales’ leaders will soon have a better gauge of the interest from developers in restoring the long-vacant Walesbilt Hotel.
July 18 is the deadline for developers to respond to the city’s Request for Qualifications, the first step in a competitive process to find a company equipped to renovate the historic structure in downtown Lake Wales.
Built in 1926, the 10-story, Mediterranean-revival hotel thrived for decades before fading into dormancy, like many of its era, and the city gained title through foreclosure in 2007. Three years later, Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency signed an agreement giving ownership of the Walesbilt to a company headed by Raymond Brown of Winter Haven…