Skip to Search Skip to Live Player Skip to Content Skip to Footer

Orlando & The Freakshow

Want To See What $8 Million Gets You In Downtown Tampa?

Author Richie Ortiz

I absolutely love Tampa Bay! And you know Tampa’s growing, thriving, and attracting big people when you hear names like William Koening in the city! For those who don’t know who that is, William Koening is an NBA Executive who is married to Melinda Witmer and who, in 2022, sealed a deal on a 5,107 sq foot condo in the Tampa Edition on Water St. The price tag? This is what $8 Million gets you in downtown Tampa.

The Tampa Edition is quite literally Tampa Bay’s most coveted, luxurious property. In general, condos at the Tampa Edition can range from several hundred thousand to several million for purchase. Rental rates can range from several thousand per month to tens of thousands per month. All of this of course depends on various factors. 

While their purchase is already impressive for several reasons, the owners of the Tampa Bay Lightning Jeff and Penny Vinik, put up $8.34 million on a unit in the same building! Which makes sense since the Amalie Arena is right across the street. Their unit consistent of four bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms. 

Talk about keeping up with the joneses TAMPA STYLE! 

The NBA executive’s condo was actually a crown jewel for Tampa’s real estate market. It was a revolving door for celebrated tenants like NFL athletes and musicians, according to Eric Dungy who is the co-listing agent with Compass Florida. Koening and Witmer never got the chance to move in. Looks like its back on the market for an even higher price: $10 Million. Their 2201 unit includes a chef’s kitchen, access to all hotel amenities, including the pool, gym, room service, concierge, and valet. 

I love this for our local community though, because its really the everyday folks who work hard and contribute to Tampa’s economic growth. Whether it’s the mom-and-pop shops or the surrounding neighborhoods, Tampa’s local economy is diverse, resilient, creative, and opportunistic. Also, thanks to the developers who designed and built these condos and therefor  creating the opportunity for high priced real estate and in turn further elevating Tampa’s Real estate market attracting more people like athletes, musician, execs…etc. 

The possibilities in our city are endless and we’re just getting started!

Source : TampaBay.com

Rich grew up in the Bronx, NY but moved to Tampa in 2006 to attend the University of Tampa. Even though he completed 4 years at the University for Sports Management, Ortiz realized his true passion for radio after taking a couple of classes to fulfill his communications minor and volunteering at UT's WUTT radio station as a sports director. Rich also worked at several clubs in Tampa as a host/promoter where he would meet and work alongside Davy Rolando, who would be the one who would help him get a job at WiLD 94.1. From there, Rich worked his way up from Promotions assistant to promotions coordinator, to eventually full-time on-air. Rich loves to write about his favorite Tampa food spots, concert reviews, and the WiLDest Florida man/woman stories.

Tampa's 5 Richest Billionaires

Think you can name Tampa’s 5 richest billionaires? Chances are you won’t get many of them because none are big time Hollywood movie stars or lead singers of big bands you’d hear on the radio. The Tampa area’s billionaires are mostly those who’ve made their fortune in business. The richest of the bunch probably sold you the couch you sat on when you watched TV last night.

This list comes from the annual report from Forbes magazine. Forbes says there are more billionaires in 2024 than ever before. Around the world, you’ll find almost 2,800 with a billion in the bank. Most live in the United States. China is right behind us.

Who topped the list of the richest worldwide?

So who is the richest of the rich? They say Bernard Arnault tops this year’s list with a worth of about $230 BILLION! If his name doesn’t ring a bell, some of the brands he represents will. Louis Vuitton, Sephora and about 75 other fashion and cosmetic companies are under his watch. Ya know… basically all those places at International Plaza that try to take your paycheck. He’s officially a resident of France so who’s the richest one here in the United States? You probably have it narrowed down to 2.

Tesla owner Elon Musk and Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos are in a close battle for the runner up spot. Forbes says Elon is worth $195 billion and Bezos is $1 billion behind him. Facebook head Mark Zukerberg has a mere $177 billion so he’s in 4th place worldwide. Other familiar names that round out the top 10 here in the U.S. include Warren Buffett and Bill Gates.

Who are Tampa’s 5 Richest Billionaires?

But what about the Bay area billionaires? Here are the 5 who can easily afford to dine at Bern’s every day of the week… twice. Actually let’s face it. They could all pretty much buy Bern’s if they wanted to.

  • #1: Ronald Waneck of St. Pete

    His name probably isn’t familiar to you. But chances are you’ve driven by an Ashley Furniture store lately. St. Pete’s Ronald Waneck founded the company. Forbes says he’s worth a cool $5.3 billion! That’s a lotta ottomans. The Tampa Bay Times reported Wanek has a $3.7 million waterfront estate in Treasure Island with a 600 bottle wine room, home theater and an Italian pool with a swim up bar.

    ashley furniture

    (Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images for DFS)

  • #2: Robert Duggan of Clearwater

    Worth almost $4 billion, this businessman invested in a drug to fight cancer after his son died from brain cancer, according to Fox 13.  It was a smart investment as they say it made him a billionaire.

    (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

    (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

  • #3: Edward DeBartolo Jr. of Tampa

    A real estate success story.  DeBartolo also owned the NFL’s San Francisco 49’ers for quite a long time. He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2016 but after getting into some legal trouble on bribery charges, he was given a pardon by Donald Trump in 2020.

    TAMPA, FL – DECEMBER 15: Former owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. of the San Francisco 49ers watches warmups before play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers December 15, 2013 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The 49ers won 33 – 14. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

  • #4: Todd Christopher of Clearwater

    One of the younger billionaires on the list, Todd is worth $3.2 billion, according to Forbes.  Not bad for a high school dropout huh?  He started a line of hair care products in 1987 and eventually sold it to Johnson & Johnson.

    Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images

  • #5: Todd Waneck of St. Pete

    Name sound familiar?  Yup.  Todd is the son of the one that came in at #1.  Todd is Ashley Furniture’s current CEO.  In 2006, according to Wikipedia, Todd received the Spirit of Life award for his fundraising for cancer research.

    Todd just edges out Sarasota’s Kenneth Feld of Feld Entertainment (the ones behind Disney on Ice, Monster Jam and other live events) to take the last spot in the top 5.

    Todd Waneck of St. Pete

    (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)

Sign me up for the WiLD 94.1 email newsletter!

As a WiLD 94.1 VIP member you get access to tons of perks. Get exclusive pre-sale codes for the hottest concerts, contests, and hip-hop and local news.

*
*
By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.
Author Richie Ortiz
Category:
Tags:
,,,,

More Orlando & The Freakshow

Load More