Body wrap entrepreneur buys private island for $14.5M

BOKEELIA -- Manatee County entrepreneur Mark Pentecost and his wife Cindy Pentecost have fulfilled their dream of buying their own private island, in what is being called the most expensive single residential transaction in Southwest Florida history.

Little Bokeelia Island, where dry cell battery inventor Charles Burgess once entertained the likes of Thomas Edison and others, sold July 15 for $14.5 million. The listing, through Sarasota-based Michael Saunders & Co., received international attention last March from its original asking price of $24.5 million.

The property includes 104 acres with permitting rights to construct nearly 30 homes. The property also has a 1920s Spanish-style estate home, complete with guest houses and cottages. Built in 1928, the 6,500-square-foot home has four bedrooms and four bathrooms, according to Michael Saunders' listing. Other features include a tennis court, a pool, a koi pond, sandy beaches and a waterfall.