A 12,000-plus-square-foot, three-story waterfront estate on nearly two acres in Harbor Acres closed this week for $17.5 million, making it the highest-ever residential sale in the tri-county region of Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties. The home was originally listed for $21.6 in March.

The previous record for the area's highest sale was held by Serenissima, a grand Venetian-inspired estate at 845 Longboat Club Road in the Longboat Key Club’s Regent Court neighborhood. It sold in 2020 for $16.5 million. Roughly five months later, this one on Casey Key tied it when it fetched the same price in 2021—in cash.

The one that now tops them both encompasses two lots at 1423 and 1435 Hillview Drive. It has 249 feet of private frontage on Sarasota bay, two boat docks and expansive spaces for large-scale entertaining. The six-bedroom, seven-and-a-half bath home's style is ornate, like a thumb on the nose to the sugar-cube, minimalist homes that are all the rage lately (like this one, priced at $25 million). This one is all hand-carved solid wood doors, mahogany, crown molding, stone hearths, wall and ceiling murals, dripping chandeliers and stained-glass light fixtures.

The sellers, Nicole and Chad Williams, bought 1423 Hillview Drive in 2007 for $7,287,500, then bought 1435 Hillview Drive next door in 2019 for $3,575,000 million and made continuous improvements to the home, like pouring a million dollars into the exterior, where there's an oversized basketball and tennis court combination and saltwater pool with rock waterfall. Inside, there's also a kid’s game room, a theater and a wine room. The owner’s wing has a junior main suite with a Juliet balcony overlooking the foyer and a yoga studio. There's also a "man cave," gym, massage room and eight-car garage. 

The new buyer, Dan Fast, is from Bellevue, Washington. Linda Driggs and Kim Ogilvie of Michael Saunders & Company represented the sellers, and Russell Rich of Robert Slack LLC represented the buyer.