WeatherTech founder linked to $38.5M buy of Manalapan estate near Palm Beach, deed shows

WeatherTech founder and CEO David F. MacNeil is linked to a limited liability company that just paid $38.5 million for a renovated ocean-to-lake estate on 2 acres in Manalapan , the wealthy town south of Palm Beach , according to a deed recorded May 1.

The gated estate was built in 1955 at 1120 S. Ocean Blvd. and has about 195 feet facing the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Intracoastal Waterway on the other.

The Bermuda-style house has six bedrooms and 13,876 square feet of living space, inside and out, according to the property’s sales listing. Thanks to the lot’s sloped topography, the house’s front façade rises two stories while the oceanfront side is confined to one story above ground.

The estate last sold for a recorded $30.7 million in 2021 , courthouse records show. The property had previously changed hands in 2012 for a recorded $8.46 million.

The seller was a Florida limited liability company named after the property’s address, for which West Palm Beach real estate attorney Maura Ziska serves as trustee. She declined to comment.

The buyer is listed on the deed as Whiskey Tango 1120, an Illinois company with a post office address in care of a trust in MacNeil’s name. The trust’s address is on Isla Bahia Drive in Fort Lauderdale, the deed shows.

MacNeil owns WeatherTech, which is based in Greater Chicago and manufactures car accessories such as floor mats and cellphone holders as well as other products, the company’s website shows. He founded the company in 1989.

In October, MacNeil set a Fort Lauderdale residential sales record when he sold a custom-built waterfront estate for $40 million, the Wall Street Journal reported .

Agents Gary Pohrer and Nick Malinosky of Douglas Elliman Real Estate were the listing agents for the Manalapan property, according to the Palm Beach Board of Realtors Multiple Listing Service. They acquired the listing in mid February and had it priced at $39.5 million.

Pohrer told the Palm Beach Daily News the property was a rare find for its size and the amount of waterfront it offers. Manalapan continues to offer homebuyers remarkable value, he added, compared to what a similar property would cost in Palm Beach if it were even available.

Pohrer also mentioned a Manalapan sale he and Malinosky were involved with in March, when a 1980s-era estate at 1960 S. Ocean Blvd. sold for a recorded $27.5 million .

“The buyers in both sales were looking for that (same sense of) value,” Pohrer said

Agent Tim Elmes of Compass Florida is listed in the regional multiple listing service as having handled the buyer’s side of the sale that just closed. Elmes was also on the sales team representing MacNeil’s interests in the October sale in Fort Lauderdale, the Journal reported.

A person who answered the phone May 1 at a number for Elmes declined to comment.

MacNeil could not immediately be reached for comment.

Known for many years as Chateau Mer au Lac, the Manalapan estate lies about a mile south of the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa. The bulk of the property is on the ocean side of the coastal road opposite a strip of lakefront with a deep-water dock.

On the ocean side of the house, a covered loggia faces a swimming pool, which is set into the lawn leading to the seawall and the beach. There also is a pergola-covered oceanfront patio.

The main living area has glass doors on two sides. The ones to the east capture views of the sea, while the doors on the west open to a terrace overlooking the front lawn, a second swimming pool and an expansive putting green.

Photos show rooms with a clean, contemporary feel. The living room is open to the formal dining area and the kitchen, which has an oceanview space for informal meals.

The layout also includes seaside bedrooms, a foyer with a sweeping staircase, a family room, an office with built-in bookshelves, a gym, a home theater and sitting rooms. At the front of the house is a three-car garage and a motor court.

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Portions of this story appeared previously in the Palm Beach Daily News. This is a developing story. Check back for any updates.

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Darrell Hofheinz is a USA TODAY Network of Florida journalist who writes about Palm Beach real estate in his weekly “Beyond the Hedges” column. He welcomes tips about real estate news on the island. Email dhofheinz@pbdailynews.com, call 561-820-3831 or tweet @PBDN_Hofheinz. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: WeatherTech founder linked to $38.5M buy of Manalapan estate near Palm Beach, deed shows