One of the most expensive and opulent estates on Longboat Key, which straddles more than one acre of Gulf-front on the island’s south end, hit the market for $35 million setting a record for the highest priced residential listing in the region – ever.
So how is $35 million justified in a market crowded with luxury listings?
Primarily through a preponderance of superlatives.
For instance, the 20,000 square-foot estate, named La Serenissima, sits on 1.1 acres of direct beachfront property behind the gates of the Longboat Key Club’s Islandside development. All six bedrooms, the kitchen and main living room and the grand salon, which can entertain more than 100, are all treated to sweeping and unrestricted views of the Gulf of Mexico.
The home is currently owned by Jim and Laura Rogers, a retired Fortune 500 CEO, who bought the property in 2020 for $16.5 million.
The home was designed by architect Clifford Scholz and was completed in 2005 after five years of construction.
The name of the property, Serenissima, means “the most serene “and is a tribute to Venice, Italy.
The home was crafted with artisans and dazzling details including hand painted Venetian murals, a glass sky dome and a car gallery for 12 vehicles.
The $35 million listing price marks a new milestone for Sarasota and Manatee counties according to Realtor Rich Polese of Compass Sarasota who is the agent for the property.
