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Sheffield's house finally finds a buyer
By CANDACE RONDEAUX ST. PETERSBURG -- Interactive TV guru Kevin Harrington may have just sewed up one of the largest media mergers in recent memory, but that did not keep him from a bit of personal business. Harrington closed a deal Wednesday to buy the Pinellas Point mansion of baseball star Gary Sheffield. The sale price was not disclosed. The deal came on the same day that Harrington's Tampa-based infomercial company, Reliant Interactive Media, completed its merger with Thane International Inc., pushing the companies' combined revenues to $350-million. Harrington, a former Home Shopping Network executive, made an offer on the Sheffield property earlier this month. A spokesman for Sheffield did not return a call seeking comment. The 11,000-square-foot waterfront house includes a home theater, video game room, gym with massage room and sauna, tennis and basketball courts, six-car garage, man-made white sand beach and a lagoon-style pool with a waterfall. The house, which was built for an estimated $2.8-million, generated plenty of controversy on an otherwise quiet block. Neighbors were outraged when Sheffield, a Tampa native, cleared dozens of trees from the property, tried to close a public right of way and attempted to build a huge dock. Sheffield, an outfielder for the Atlanta Braves, put his custom-built home up for sale in January 2000, saying he wanted to simplify his life. It first listed for $4.3-million, then $3.9-million. There were no takers. Sheffield also tried to auction off the house last October, but backed out at the last minute after advisers told him he might get a better price by seeking individual offers. The mansion, which sits on a 3-acre lot, is one of the most expensive houses in St. Petersburg. It was designed by Atlanta builder Tony Escondari, the architect of choice for many sports stars. It has seven bedrooms, 51/2 baths, marble floors and staircases, and a built-in aquarium in the sunken living room. Local real estate agents familiar with the house say they are not surprised the sale took so long. "The house appealed to a very specialized taste. The more unusual a house is the fewer people it appeals to to buy," said Jack Bowman, a broker with Keller Williams Landmark Realty, who specializes in luxury homes. St. Petersburg's luxury housing market is relatively small. The Pinellas County Property Appraiser's office lists just 87 houses for 2001 with market value of $1-million and higher. Real estate agents say the latest trend in St. Petersburg's luxury home market is for buyers to purchase a property strictly for the acreage. "We've really built out in St. Petersburg, so you'll find people buying million-dollar properties and knocking the house down to build something new," Bowman said. According to Susan Halligan of Coldwell Banker, the agent on the deal, Harrington has not decided whether to renovate the house.
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From the Times South Pinellas desks |
