In Sarasota and Manatee Counties, home inventory has risen significantly, with a 64.6 percent increase in inventory for single-family homes and a 91 percent increase in inventory for townhomes and condos across both counties since the first quarter of 2023.
And recently, local price drops have also garnered national attention. The Washington Post reported this week that Sarasota County ranked No. 1 in a nationwide list of counties where home values have fallen the most in the past year, and Manatee County ranked fourth.
But amidst the evolving landscape, a property at 612 Juan Anasco Drive on the Manatee County side of Longboat Key, is seeking to buck the trend and then some. The house, perched on a peninsula with water on three sides, is listed at $24.95 million, placing it among some of the most expensive listings in the area. (For what it’s worth, the asking price is currently down $1 million from its original list price.)
Rick Wilson, who owns the home with his wife through a local LLC, purchased the land in 2021 for $7.5 million, per county records. At the time, it housed a substantial concrete structure built in 1998. “It was a big poured-concrete house,” Wilson says. “We thought about remodeling, but the style wasn’t right. Tearing it down just made more sense.”
From the dock, the house appears to hover. White and linear against the sky, its rooflines lift faintly like sails. On three sides, the water closes in: Whitney Bayou to the west, Harris Canal to the east and a narrow slip leading south, where boats idle by. The property sits on just over an acre of land.
This version—their version—took two years to build. It’s British West Indies in style, popular on barrier islands for its breezy rooflines, painted millwork and mix of covered outdoor living spaces and formal interiors…