Billionaire pays $55.5M in cash for an undeveloped lot in Florida bringing his total spending to $94M to build his dream retreat

Billionaire David MacNeil and his wife Melissa just closed on a lake-to-ocean lot in Manalapan, Florida for $55.5 million in cash — bringing their total spending to a staggering $94 million before the couple even begins to build their dream house there. And the billionaire calls it a deal.“I actually think I got a bargain,” MacNeil, the founder and CEO of WeatherTech, a car mat manufacturer, told Gimme Shelter in an exclusive interview. The land — which has structures on it, all of which will be knocked down — is adjacent to another lot that MacNeil purchased for $38.5 million last year.The property runs from the Intracoastal to the Atlantic.When both lots are combined, the end result will be a compound on 3.6 acres — and 340 feet on the ocean.“It’s the second largest lot in Manalapan, and the only lot in Palm Beach with Intracoastal and ocean frontage is Mar-a-Lago, so this is very special,” MacNeil said. The seller of the $55.5 million lot at 1140 S.

Ocean Blvd was celebrity developer Joe Farrell, whose clients over the years have included Madonna and Justin Bieber.The lot was also marketed for $95 million, which included a not-yet-built spec house, as Gimme reported exclusively.Listing broker Margit Brandt, of Premier Estate Properties, also represented the seller. MacNeil tells Gimme that he is building a residence and a guest house on the massive site — and that work has already begun with the construction of a sea wall.“We are designing an amazingly functional and extraordinarily well-built, aesthetically pleasing home that is classy, not ostentatious,” said MacNeil, who will move in with his wife and three dogs — with lots of room for their adult kids to visit.

The family’s current home base is Fort Lauderdale, where they recently sold a $40 million home.The architect of the Manalapan compound is Holdren + Lietzke, of Monterey, California; the builder is local-based company RWB Construction Management, MacNeil said.“We...