Pink house's new auction date set

The pink house on Longboat Key that has grabbed the attention of neighbors due to its lack of maintenance has a new foreclosure auction date after a canceled auction last month.

The new date is set for Sept. 24.

The house, located at 501 General Harris St. on the north end of Longboat Key, was originally set to go to auction on the Manatee County website Aug. 19. Assistant Town Manager Isaac Brownman shared in an email to commissioners “some frustrating news” after that auction was canceled. That cancelation was because of improper advertisement of the foreclosure auction. State law requires foreclosure auctions to be advertised two subsequent weeks, with the last advertisement published five days before the auction date.

According to Longboat Key Planning, Zoning and Building Director Allen Parsons, more than $60,000 in code enforcement violations were issued against the owners of the house. As a result of the unpaid code violations, water, sewer and electricity were cut off.

A third-floor balcony door has remained open for months, and neighbors have complained to town leaders about an algae-ridden pool, a sunken boat in the canal behind it and out-of-commission boats and vehicles on the property.

The former owner of the property died in 2019 and left the property to his beneficiaries, but payments on the mortgage stopped. That lead to foreclosure on the property by the bank, which set a $1.55 million maximum bid on the foreclosure.