Sold!
The Ram Island Ledge Light was sold at auction Tuesday for $190,000.
The winner is Dr. Jeffrey Florman, a neurosurgeon from Windham, according to Paula Santangelo, a spokesman for the U.S. General Services Administration in Boston. Santangelo said that while bidders can remain anonymous, the identity of winners is public information.
Florman, however, did not confirm that. During a brief telephone conversation, Florman said, “the winner is officially anonymous.” He said he was in the middle of his medical work and could not say any more.
According to the GSA, Florman placed the winning bid Friday under a new nickname, “redtide.” He had bid as much as $180,000 under the nickname “MAINE” and had spoken publicly about wanting to keep the lighthouse ownership in Maine.
Florman placed his $180,000 bid after winning a coin flip with his main rival, a local real estate developer named Arthur Girard.
He now has about 60 days to close the sale with the GSA.
Use of the property will be limited. It sits on ledge that is under water at high tide and any use has to meet historic preservation guidelines. The U.S. Coast Guard will continue to maintain the light and foghorn.
Earlier today, a GSA spokesman told the Press Herald that new bid on Tuesday morning would extend the auction until 3 p.m. Wednesday. However, because Florman placed the bid about one minute before 9 a.m., and nobody else topped his bid, the auction officially closed at 3 p.m., Santangelo said later. A bid after 9 a.m. would have extended the auction one more day.
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