Outsourcing firm founder buys waterfront Fort Lauderdale home for $7M

The founder of a human resources outsourcing firm bought a home in Fort Lauderdale’s Sunrise Intracoastal neighborhood for $6.7 million.

Jay and Roxana Starkman purchased the waterfront home at 785 Middle River Drive from Sean and Nancy Tanner, according to Tim Elmes of Compass, who represented the seller in the deal along with Chad Carroll of Douglas Elliman. Susan Rindley of One Sotheby’s International Realty represented the buyer.

The house totals 7,059 square feet, equating to a price of $949 per square foot. Built in 2015, it has six bedrooms and seven-and-a-half bathrooms. The property last sold for $1.2 million in 2012, records show.

The house has 23-foot ceilings, over 100 feet of water views and is in a gated community. Features include a wet bar, fireplace and a master suite overlooking a river. It also has a pool and Jacuzzi, according to Realtor.com.

Starkman founded Hollywood, Florida-based Engage PEO, a professional employer organization that provides human resources outsourcing to small and mid-sized businesses across the U.S., according to its website. Prior to Engage PEO he was president and CEO of AlphaStaff. He was also previously president and CEO of OneChem, a software application provider to the chemical industry.

Fort Lauderdale’s high-end residential market has seen a number of big sales in the past two years.

In February, a waterfront mansion in Fort Lauderdale at 220 North Compass Drive, featuring a full stock trading room, sold for $11.5 million.

This month, Greek foods CEO Peter Parthenis Jr. paid nearly $9 million for a mansion at 650 Royal Plaza Drive at Las Olas Isles.