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An unusual property with 11 bedrooms on Longboat Key recently sold for more than $6 million, but its new owners say it will remain a private-family residence.
The compound at 5541 Gulf of Mexico Drive, once owned by Sarasota-area philanthropists Alex and Betty Schoenbaum, was sold to trustees Winfred Hawkins and Kari Hawkins, on Jan. 22 for $6.75 million. It s the highest price for a single-family home sale thus far in 2021.
Thomas Netzel, a broker associate with the Downtown Sarasota office of Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, said the new owners intend to keep the property as a family compound. Town records show the property is zoned for a single-family home, a two-family dwelling or a multi-family dwelling of less than 10 units.
Longboat Key is working to replace several damaged boardwalks along the eastern part of Joan M. Durante Park after November s Hurricane Eta.
“We have to work through our insurance company because it should be covered all by our town’s insurance,” said Streets, Facilities, Parks and Recreation Director Mark Richardson. “Currently, I’m collecting quotes, and then I turn the quotes in to the insurance.”
Once the insurance money gets approved, the town will select between two vendors to replace the boardwalks. Richardson estimated it will cost about $150,000.
“I know it’s not going to be cheap,” Richardson said.
Richardson wasn’t sure how soon the boardwalks could get replaced because it depends on the vendor’s schedule once one is selected.