Advertisement

U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist and estranged wife Carole put Beach Drive condo on the market

 
Former Florida Gov. and current U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist and his estranged wife, Carole, have put their condo in downtown St. Petersburg on the market for $1.5 million. [Courtesy of Rhonda Sanderford]
Former Florida Gov. and current U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist and his estranged wife, Carole, have put their condo in downtown St. Petersburg on the market for $1.5 million. [Courtesy of Rhonda Sanderford]
Published June 27, 2017

ST. PETERSBURG — U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist and his estranged wife, Carole, have put their Beach Drive condo on the market for $1.5 million.

The couple, who are divorcing, bought the three-bedroom, three bath unit in Parkshore Plaza in July 2015 for $1.036 million while Crist was considering what would be his successful run for the U.S. House. At a time when new congressional district boundaries were still uncertain, the couple also bought at house on St. Pete Beach that they sold in January for $1.030 million.

Crist met Carole, a glamorous fixture on the New York and Hamptons social circuit, in the fall of 2007. They got engaged in July 2008 when he was a Republican governor widely seen as a top contender to be Sen. John McCain's vice presidential running mate.

Previous Coverage: Charlie Crist's beach house sells for just over $1 million

The Crists married in December 2008, and worked through a tumultuous period in Crist's political career — an unsuccessful campaign for U.S. Senate as both a Republican and then independent in 2010 and then an unsuccessful campaign for governor as a Democrat in 2014. Last November, he was elected to the U.S. House, representing much of Pinellas County.

In February, shortly after taking his seat, Crist announced he had filed for divorce.

"I think the world of Carole. She's an amazing person. It just didn't work out for us," Crist said then.

The Crists' seventh-floor Beach Drive condo has "sprawling views of the water front and downtown St. Petersburg," the listing says. It features an open floor plan with doors opening from the kitchen onto a large private balcony.

The condo market in downtown St. Petersburg remains very strong, with 30 condos selling for $1 million or more in the last six months. The top price paid was $3.725 million in early June for a Parkshore penthouse, one of seven Parkshore condos sold in that period. All seven sold within two months of hitting the market.

The Crist unit is one of just two in Parkshore Plaza currently for sale: The other is listed at $3.5 million.

Before his marriage, Crist had spent much of his adult life as a renter in the Bayfront Tower a few blocks south of Parkshore Plaza. He is currently renting an apartment in Washington D.C. and also would like to have a place again in downtown St. Petersburg, his agent, Rhonda Sanderford, said Tuesday.

"But," she added, "it's difficult to find a rental condo on Beach Drive."

Information from Times files was used in this report. Contact Susan Taylor Martin at smartin@tampabay.com or (727) 893-8642. Follow @susanskate