The Delta Queen could be moving to warmer waters in Florida.A Florida hotelier may purchase the historic Delta Queen paddlewheeler and move it south, but for now, the majestic steamboat will remain in Chattanooga.
Wayne Heller is the latest in a string of potential buyers who have offered to buy the 85-year-old steamboat. He has yet to seal the deal on the boat, which came to Chattanooga and went up for sale in 2009.
Heller and his wife have signed a letter of intent with a 30- to 45-day window to buy the Delta Queen and take it to New Smyrna Beach, Fla. Last week, Heller asked the New Smyrna Beach City Council to sell or lease him land where he can dock the boat hotel.
Leah Ann Ingram, who operates the Delta Queen with her husband, Randy, said Heller isn’t the first person who has wanted to buy the boat.
“We’ve had seven letters of intent to purchase, and nothing’s happened,” she said. “That’s not to say this guy won’t get it. But there isn’t even a purchase agreement. The boat has been for sale for three years, and it hasn’t gone anywhere yet.”