We're in a buyer's market when it comes to area condos, according to the latest real estate data, but this 17th-floor marvel at the Epoch in downtown Sarasota bucked that trend—and then some. 

“It has the location, the views and there's a lot of interest from luxury buyers… if it's the right property,” says Lisa Rooks Morris of Douglas Elliman, who represented the sellers in the record-breaking transaction. 

In this case, it was. The sprawling 5,855-square-foot condo recently sold for $11.35 million in a cash deal that bested the two-floor penthouse above it, which fetched  $11.15 million last year. (At that time taking, it was the most expensive condo ever sold in the county—and it also had the highest putting green). Not so anymore.

The condo's sellers were Curtis Jordan and Paige Petersen, who moved from the condo to a local single-family home on the bayfront for $9.5 million. 

Both the condo's buyers and sellers declined to be interviewed for this story, but we caught up with Curtis Jordan back in 2021 to talk about his film Playing Through, a fictional retelling of the life of the first Black woman to play in a U.S. Golf Association event. Previously, he'd been a rowing coach for Princeton University and the U.S. Olympic Team.

The buyers are Samuel Scott III and Dona Scott, who since 2017 have owned a waterfront home on Longboat Key on nearly half an acre. Samuel Scott is the retired chairman, president and CEO of Corn Products International, Inc., today known as Ingredion. He's served on multiple boards and, in 2016, won a Global Leadership Award from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs for elevating the city’s underserved youth at INROADS Chicago, which places talented young people of color in business and industry. He and his wife founded the Dona and Sam Scott Foundation, and Dona Scott serves as a board member and major donor to Sarasota-based West Coast Black Theatre Troupe and sits on the board of the Education Foundation of Sarasota County.

One of 23 residences in the 18-story Epoch, the condo was listed in February for $11.95 million. Petersen and Jordan bought the unit when it first went up in 2021 for just under $7.2 million and took advantage of the ability to customize the space as it was built.

The space is highly stylized, with wallpaper, murals and lots of color.

"It got a lot of exposure because of the interior design," says Morris. That was thanks to Judy King Interiors of Princeton, in New Jersey. The design choices made for a unit that wasn’t intended for resale, but the sellers decided to head back down to Earth and purchase another single-family home to accommodate a growing family. 

Vistas at the condo span Sarasota Bay to the Gulf of Mexico. It has an owner's wing, three en suite guest bedrooms and three enormous private terraces with 360-degree views. The foyer leads to a great room that spans the width of the building for sky-high views through floor-to-ceiling glass that opens to a wraparound terrace.  

Homeowner perks include Epoch’s on-site wellness center, residents’ club and 70-foot outdoor pool with a sun deck. 

"I think Sarasota is going to continue to see some record-breaking sales come up since bigger money is moving here. It's very property specific though, and buyers are still price and value-sensitive," says Morris. “There's a lot of inventory and new construction on the Quay and Golden Gate Point, and prices are still significantly higher than a few years ago, but this hit all the marks, with location, newer build, views and lifestyle."