Top floor penthouse at The Grande on Sand Key sells for $5 million
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Feb 1, 2023

A penthouse on the top floor of The Grande on Sand Key has sold for $5 million.

According to a deed filed in Pinellas County the sale closed on Jan. 25 for the 5,150 square-foot penthouse on the 22nd floor of the tower. The sale price breaks down to approximately $971 per square foot.

The penthouse has panoramic views of the Gulf, Sand Key Park, downtown Clearwater, the harbor and Belleair. The couple purchased the condo in September 2016 for $2.8 million, according to a Pinellas County deed.

Anthony and Barbara Scarpo sold the penthouse. Anthony Scarpo said the condo was approximately 80% complete when they purchased it and they did the remaining 20% of renovations. The couple used a list service and marketed, showed and sold the condo themselves. Pattie Meek with Coastal Properties Group represented the buyer.

“Everybody was telling us the market is down and the real estate market was crashing, but we had people flocking to the penthouse,” Anthony Scarpo told the Business Journal. “We ended up having a flawless diamond and there are those types of buyers that only want the best of the best. For those that are even remotely panicking about the real estate market, don’t.”

The Grande has two penthouses — one in each tower. One penthouse still has its original owner, according to Scarpo, so theirs was the only one on the market. It is a fully custom penthouse with three bedrooms and three and a half baths. It was built in 1997 and has two large balconies.

The Dutch kitchen has two built-in ovens, an island range and a Bosch dishwasher. It also has custom wood cabinetry and hardwood flooring and comes with a two-car garage and private elevator.

Amenities include two Olympic-sized pools, a spa and hot tub, four tennis courts, a fitness center, a sauna and a private beach.

The couple said part of what sets The Grande apart is the sheer amount of land mass it encompasses. It is a 10-acre site, essentially a “self-contained resort,” said Anthony Scarpo. It also comes with strong security measures, including being fully gated.

“Sand Key is very manicured and clean and not tourist-driven,” Anthony Scarpo said. “Most people’s homes are there. The excitement and buzz of Clearwater Beach are right across the bridge; you could walk there. But if you want a home and to live somewhere that is not so crazy you come to Sand Key. And there is only one Grande.”

In 2017 the Scarpos purchased the 8,400 square-foot penthouse in Monte Carlo Towers on Bayshore Boulevard that Hugh Culverhouse, the original owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, had formerly owned. They gutted the building and spent the next several years renovating the space.

Initially, the duo intended to use the property as an investment, but they fell in love with the space and decided to make it their primary residence. In March 2020 — right at the start of the pandemic — they finally moved in. The couple decided it didn't make sense to keep both properties and began getting the Sand Key penthouse ready to list.

The couple had the listing on the market for collectively five months.

During that five-month period, it was under contract three times and around Christmas, they had 10 to 12 showings. As a blizzard hit the Northeast people flocked to Florida, which Anthony Scarpo said helped spotlight residential assets throughout Tampa Bay.