I hate to break it to you, Cindy Tibbetts: The truth is Lucille Ball never lived on the “site” of this house you’re selling on Bird Key. That’s the oldest, most disproven rumor in Sarasota. Nevertheless, there is it—as the headline of the advertising campaign, complete with a mini-movie, that is so over-the-top that I can’t decide if its brilliant or just plain silly.


The house in question is at 22 Seagull Lane on Bird Key. It’s called Isle of View. It’s a perfectly nice $7.9 million Med. Revival waterfront mansion, with a couple of special touches, the most notable of which is a 1950s Chris Craft yacht that’s been turned into a bar in the family room. But what makes it special is the aforementioned promotional film.

A Katharine Harris lookalike in diamond chandelier earrings is daydreaming in her private jet as it lands in Sarasota. She climbs into her white Bentley, parked beside the plane, loaded down with shopping bags from The Met—a little confusing since she’s coming to Sarasota, not leaving, so why is she bringing shopping bags from The Met—unless that’s how she packs, just throwing things in old shopping bags (something I confess I do myself on occasion)?


Then she drives off to Bird Key, a trip which takes two minutes of movie time, to find an empty house. Now, we’ve seen a shot of her husband’s—or boyfriend’s?—cuffs as he is dressing and sipping Scotch, so we know he’s there somewhere. She searches the place from top to bottom, and this goes on for several minutes more, as it is a very large house and has many guest rooms, wine cellars, a home theater, and an enormous yacht parked out back. This certainly does highlight the size of the house—7,800 square feet, four-car garage, 30-by-30 kitchen, but it also kind of makes you think, "Gee, every time I look for something it’s going to take a half an hour?"

The search gives the viewer plenty of time to try and figure out what is going on. I was hoping she’d find the husband dead from a gunshot wound, but it turns out he’s organized a surprise party for her. All the guests toast her with champagne, then she and hubby go out on the balcony and make out. But wait—here’s the twist: we cut back to the plane and it’s all been a dream!

I get a feeling we’re going to be seeing a lot of these mini-dramas as the high-end market comes back. And I want to make it clear that I am available to write, star and direct. In the meantime go to isleofview.info. And for more about the house you can call Cindy at 941-730-0500.

I got pangs of nostalgia when I saw this property down on Casey Key—almost three acres of lawn, right on the beach and the bay, with several old Sears Roebucks cottages (one of which is still rented out—the owner is asking $5,000 a month). This is the way Casey Key used to be. Even when I moved here 30 years ago, its Old Florida flavor was highly evident.


Then I got pangs of sadness for the passage of time. It will be bought by some multi-millionaire, the cottages will vanish, and a mansion or two will appear. Maybe more, as the property can be divided into three different parcels.

Then I got pangs of remorse that I hadn’t snapped it up back then, when a property like this would go for several hundred thousand. Now it’s priced at $5,995,000.

That’s a lot of pangs. But you can see the whole history of Gulf Coast Florida real estate in these three acres. It started out as a modest beach vacation lifestyle. And now it’s the second—or third, or fourth--home of some of the world’s richest people.


This property may well be the last one that has it all. Size, both beach and bayfront (and both are particularly nice. The is 240-foot-wide beach is relatively wide and always deserted, and the bayfront side looks out onto some picturesque mangrove islands, with no mansions to spoil the view). There are two dune walk-overs already in place, along with a pair of bay front docks. And you can build on the beachfront side of the road, something that can be hard to find on Casey Key.


I hear that the county is interested in moving the cottages to a park on the mainland, where they could serve some adaptive re-use. Of course, the new owners may want to keep them right where they are. But it would take a very eccentric millionaire not to turn this last-chance opportunity into the ultimate Casey Key estate. For more info call Lynn Robbins at (941) 366-8070.

If I seem to be focusing on old wrecks in downtown Bradenton, well, I’ve got a couple more. Please bear with me while I get this out of my system.


First, at 315 8th St. West, there’s this American classic circa 1920, located right behind the post office. (There’s a similar house next door but otherwise the neighborhood is mostly parking lots.) This particularly house has a Meet Me in St Louis kind of feeling, and much of the interior is original—just what you’re looking for in these kind of houses. Note in particular the various fireplaces (great period mantels with mirrors and columns), the paneling in the front hall, the built-ins in the dinning room and kitchen (complete with leaded glass.) There’s a great old-fashioned front porch and the garden is picturesquely overgrown with vines and snake plants, plus a koi pond and a pavilion that collapsed long ago.

The house comes in at just over 1,800 square feet and is listed as having five bedrooms and two baths. (I haven’t been in it but I did stare in the downstairs windows for a couple of hours.) It has a more modern addition in the rear and the layout seemed a little eccentric. There has been some updating. The windows are new and not in period but certainly not a disaster. There’s a modern kitchen, minus appliances. The price is confusing. The MLS lists it as $67,900 but a sign in front says $75,000. Call ReMax at 941-954-5454.


If  the above house seem like a little too much urban pioneering, take a look at 2509 8th Ave. W., in the Wares Creek area—a much more comfortable neighborhood. It was built in 1930 and has a “Colonial cottage” look. It’s got three bedrooms and two baths, complete with the original claw foot tubs. The price is right ($49,995) but it needs a lot of work. Call Hook and Ladder Realty at 941-554-4044.