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Scott Sullivan, WorldCom’s fired
chief financial officer, is having this million-dollar
mansion built in the Le Lac neighborhood just north of
Boca Raton. Sources tell the Eye the 650-square-foot
master bedroom will feature a bed made of imported
mah |
Scott Sullivan, the man at
the center of the $4 billion WorldCom scandal, is building one
of South Florida’s most expensive homes ever – a gaudy temple
of greed worth more than $20 million, by some
estimates.
While the rest of us may be paying for
Sullivan’s twisted business practices and with 17,000 WorldCom
employees now looking for a job, word in the man’s entourage
is that the specs of the soon-to-be-finished home – near
former Marlins owner John Henry’s palace in the Le Lac
neighborhood just north of Boca Raton – are simply
mind-boggling.
According to our source, a close Sullivan
friend who requested that his name not be used, the home is
350 feet long, offering nearly 20,000-square feet of habitable
space. Located near Military Trail and Clint Moore Road, the
place is designed with a chapel with colored glass, a movie
theater with 20 seats and 180 windows costing a total of $1.2
million.
It also has a boathouse. Sullivan, 40, plans on
cutting his own canal to the development’s small lake.
Inside, a foyer with 35-foot ceilings is to welcome
visitors. Then, a marble grand staircase leads to the second
floor, where the 650-square-foot master bedroom will feature a
bed made of imported mahogany. There are nine others bedrooms,
and as many bathrooms.
Decoration plans call for the
Olympic-sized pool to be covered in fine hand-painted,
hand-installed mosaic referencing Roman motifs.
Sullivan’s
place has not just one but two wine cellars, made of Chicago
brick, and a six-car garage – in marble.
The outside walls
are also made of solid, imported marble. Two-dozen Romanian
craftsmen have been carving the marble in excruciating detail
for the past two years. They’ll be working for another year -
if Sullivan has enough dough to finish the job.
A source
tells the Eye that Sullivan, the fired chief financial officer
of the scandal-plagued telecom giant, recently called the
home’s builder, Frank Ludlow, to soothe his soul.
“Don’t
worry,” Sullivan reportedly told him, “this house will be
finished. I’ve got plenty of money left. I made some good
investments.”
Ludlow said he couldn’t comment on anything,
and Sullivan couldn’t be reached for comment.
Those who
want an over-the-top house that only a guy like Nero would
live in may want to keep an eye on this one. I have a feeling
that the property may be available for song in the near
future.
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A deal’s a deal,
son!
Jimmy Batmasian, 26, returned home from a family
reunion in California recently only to find an eviction
summons on the door of his Deerfield Beach apartment, which he
and a roommate rent for $445 a month each.
The weird thing
is: Tivoli Park, the development in which the young man is
renting. belongs to his daddy, big-deal Boca Raton developer
Jim Batmasian – and the notice was served while father and son
were at the family reunion.
“My dad is a cut-throat
businessman first and foremost,” the younger Batmasian said.
“He’s a family man second.”
The fact that his dad has
millions doesn’t mean a thing where renters are concerned,
Jimmy added.
“He did this while we were on our family trip.
That’s a stab in the back,” he said.
Jimmy, who once worked
for his father, admitted to the Eye’s Stephanie Slater that he
was a few weeks late on the rent he pays to his dad’s
company.
“While we were on our vacation, I told my dad I
forgot my checkbook and would take care of the rent when we
got back,” Jimmy said. “He must have called and instructed the
people in his office to file an eviction against me.”
And
if you think that’s cold, check this out. The offensive
summons was served on June 27. Hours later that day Jim, owner
of Royal Palm Plaza in downtown Boca, called Jimmy to invite
him out to dinner.
He didn’t accept.
Jimmy said it’s not
the first time that his ol’ man has let money affect a family
relationship: About 10 years ago, the elder Batmasian went
after his brother-in-law for $80. At the time, Jimmy said, his
uncle owned Boca’s Acapulco Grill, now the Baja Café. The
property, however, was owned by Jim.
The elder Batmasian
didn’t return calls for comment.
Jimmy Buffett on
land-buying spree
Tropical troubadour and novelist
Jimmy Buffett already owns a mansion and two condos in Palm
Beach that total of nearly $10 million, but he apparently
needed another home.
Real-estate sources on the island tell
the Eye that Buffett, the singer of “Margaritaville” and
“Let’s Get Drunk,” has a contract to buy a small cottage on
Root Trail - the posh island’s art colony that is at times
referred to as Greenwich Village. Price tag: $800,000.
Word is that Buffett wants to use the 2,000-square-foot
cottage, which is less than a mile from his main beachside
abode, as a place where he can write music and novels in
peace.
The seller is making out like a bandit. Gardner
Rogers, a retired Air Force pilot, bought it in the ’60s for a
mere $40,000.
With
Stephanie Slater
•
Got a tip for the eye? •
Call 893-6639 or e-mail
sslater@bocanews.com
Read Jose Lambiet’s
Confidential column in Star magazine
