The Brief
- The Sandcastle Resort on Lido Beach in Sarasota is being demolished.
- The Sandcastle was once owned by a dog named Trouble.
- The hotel and $12 million were willed to the dog by his owner.
SARASOTA, Fla. – The Sandcastle Resort on Lido Beach in Sarasota was built in 1953. Later it was purchased by New York hotel magnate Leona Helmsley. When Helmsley died in 2007, though, she left her dog named Trouble the hotel and $12 million.
But, Trouble the dog died in 2011, and the money he received was added to a family charitable foundation.
And like many older, ground-level beach hotels in the area, The Sandcastle was heavily damaged by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Crews from J.P. Services of Sarasota began demolishing the hotel on Monday. They believe it will take several weeks to demolish the hotel and separate materials.
The backstory:…