A New Jersey doctor’s dream of owning a private island in the Florida Keys is now available to anyone who can come up with the asking price.
The 1.4-acre island — known as East Sister Rock Island — boasts a 2,300-square-foot home with three bedrooms and two baths that were built in 1979 and more recently renovated to include modern luxuries. A large veranda measures more than 3,000 square feet, wraps around the outside of the property, and includes a swimming pool.
East Sister Rock Island is currently offered for $16.5 million.
Just a quarter mile away from the city of Marathon, Florida, the island is a short three-minute boat ride from the mainland. It has both a boat dock and a helicopter landing pad for easy access.
Built to be self-sustaining, East Sister Rock Island incorporates solar panels and a desalination plant capable of treating 1,000 gallons at a time. The most recent owners, who purchased it from the doctor’s estate after his death in 2008, have renovated the property by upgrading the solar panels, adding a wind turbine and battery storage, and installing air conditioning.
Most recently, the island has been used as a full-time vacation rental. Amenities available to guests included a separate guest cottage, catering services, a washer and dryer, satellite TV, and wireless internet.
How was the island originally built? In the 1970s, environmental regulations were lax, and authorities didn’t object when the original buyer of the coral rock excavated a moat and gathered the rock in its center. When the doctor, a German-born gastroenterologist named Klaus Meckeler, bought the island for a mere $25,000, he drilled holes for pillars and created a concrete and rock pad for the property. Equipment was brought by the barge to construct the home.
The property has been on and off the market since 2011. It was originally listed for $12 million. The owner is also listing real estate agent Wesley Williford of Frank Taylor Real Estate.
Cover Image Credit: Wesley Williford, Zillow.com Listing (Frank Taylor Real Estate Inc)