The founder of Pet Supermarket bought the sprawling Fort Lauderdale estate of the late H. Wayne Huizenga for $14.3 million, property records show.
The 10-bedroom, five-building compound with more than 20,000 square feet of space, at 1575 Ponce de Leon Drive, sold for $16 million at auction, a price that includes the buyer’s premium. Records reveal the buyer is Charles “Chuck” West Jr., who founded the pet food and supply store chain.
Huizenga, who died in 2018, founded AutoNation, Waste Management and Blockbuster Video, and previously owned the Miami Dolphins, Florida Panthers and the Florida Marlins.
Huizenga bought the estate from Alamo Rent A Car founder Michael Egan in 2005. The property was listed for sale last year for nearly $27 million, and sold at auction on June 5.
Billy Nash of The Keyes Company’s Nash Luxury Real Estate represented the seller, 1575 Ponce de Leon Company LLC. Concierge Auctions conducted the auction.
The 1.4-acre property includes a resort-style pool overlooking the New River and a three-story gazebo with clocktower, and space for a 135-foot yacht. The mansion features a kitchen with a wood-burning pizza oven, a French-inspired glass conservatory, a guest apartment, an elevator, a gym, a theater, and a billiards room, according to a press release.
Concierge recently handled another ultra high-end sale in Fort Lauderdale. In May, used car dealer Mark and Eileen Fisher paid $17.4 million – including the buyer’s premium – for the 27-room, over 17,000-square-foot mansion at 534 Bontona Avenue. James Barnett, an asset manager, first put the property on the market for $39 million.