David Cassidy’s Former Florida Mansion Rescued by Investor Who Bought It Sight Unseen

realtor.com; David Livingston/ getty images

If you’re a “Partridge Family” fan or a follower of luxury waterfront property in the Fort Lauderdale area, you may recall David Cassidy had trouble selling his 7,061-square-foot Florida mansion.

The actor and singer, who died in 2017, initially listed it in 2013 for $4.5 million, eventually dropping the price to $3.5 million. At a bankruptcy auction in 2015, it finally sold—for a relatively paltry $2,067,000.

It’s now back on the market for $3.9 million, but a whole lot has happened since the gavel landed on the winning bid.

Real estate investor Thomas White said he and his business partner hadn’t seen or considered buying the property until moments before it happened. Their real estate agent was at the auction, but the buyer he was representing dropped out. On a whim, the agent called White. Fifteen minutes later, White and his partner learned they’d won the bid.

At the time, White was in Maryland, where he lives part-time. (He also lives part-time in Florida.) He said, “I thought, well I better go down and see what we got.” He wasn’t impressed.

“I really didn’t like it very well. There were lots of problems with deferred maintenance. The landscaping was overgrown, lots of things didn’t work, and much of it was just dirty,” he said. “I didn’t even like the layout.”

Front porch

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Back exterior

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But he wasn’t daunted. Cassidy, who showed him around the place, was visibly relieved when he heard White didn’t plan to tear the place down, White recalled.

Cassidy even offered to sell White his own custom piano and sign it, since he’d had a special alcove built in the living room for it. White passed on it—he had other things in mind for the space. He was going to transform the home into a luxe vacation rental.

Billiard space

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White set out on a massive renovation, which included new carpeting, paint, and landscaping. The infrastructure was updated as well, a new pool heater and HVAC system were added, and the layout was changed.

Kitchen

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“We completely redecorated with high-end furniture,” White said. “We bought really nice mattresses and linens—nothing less than 750 thread count.”

They stocked the linen closet, added other ultraluxe amenities, and renamed the home “Casa de Mayan” before putting it on the rental market.

The estate now has six bedrooms (including two master suites) and 6.5 bathrooms. The bedrooms have palm-themed names, including the Alexander Palm Room, the Queen Palm Suite, the Sago Palm Suite, the Royal Palm Suite, and the Montgomery Palm Suite. 

Bedroom

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Master suite

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Other master suite

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Downstairs there’s a grand entryway, a parlor-style formal living room, a chef’s kitchen with a Viking range and a Sub-Zero refrigerator, and a game room. There are 15-foot ceilings, crown moldings, and wood flooring throughout much of the house.

Great room

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Outside, there’s a heated pool and spa, which overlooks the Mayan River. There’s also an outdoor kitchen, lounging area, and dock with a boat lift.

Dock with lounge area

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All this luxury doesn’t come cheap, however. Rentals start at $1,500 a night, with a minimum stay of three nights.

So how’s the occupancy rate?

“It’s good right now, particularly on the weekends,” said White, explaining summer isn’t Florida’s prime tourist season.

With rental income flowing in, we wondered why this property is back on the market. White said he has other irons in the fire: “We’ve got our eye on a few other properties we’d like to buy.”

He said he’d even consider buying the “Brady Bunch” house just to experience another nostalgic rental possibility.

Staircase with photos of David Cassidy

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At Casa de Mayan, a few photos and memorabilia of Cassidy remain. Cassidy was best known for playing Keith Partridge in the 1970s musical-sitcom “The Partridge Family.” The former teen idol continued his acting and recording careers long after the Partridge bus rode off into the sunset. He died of liver failure in 2017; he was 67.

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