The days of the historic riverboat the Delta Queen being anchored at Coolidge Park may be numbered.
Wayne and Judy Heller, of New Smyrna Beach, Fla., have signed a letter of intent to buy the Delta Queen, the Daytona Beach News-Herald reported.
The Delta Queen may be in Chattanooga no longer than June, sources said.
The attorney for the Hellers, who own the Riverview Hotel in New Smyrna Beach, has gone before the city commission in New Smyrna Beach seeking a location for the riverboat on the waterfront there.
"We think it will be an attraction that will bring people to the city," attorney Mark Watts told the commission, the newspaper said.
City officials said they were excited about the prospect of landing the Delta Queen, but said they needed to follow certain procedures before handing over the property where the riverboat will dock.
The Delta Queen, which has been on the market for several years, is owned by Xanterra Parks and Resorts. That firm bought it from the bankruptcy of Ambassadors International Inc.
Chattanooga businessman Harry Phillips negotiated a charter agreement with Ambassadors, Inc., in late 2008 and personally relocated the legendary riverboat from New Orleans to Chattanooga in January 2009.
In August 2010, Leah Ann and Randy Ingram, founders of All Aboard Travel, purchased the charter rights of the Delta Queen from Sydney Slome and began operating the floating hotel.