A late, surprise bid has extended the auction for a Maine lighthouse at least one more day.
A neurosurgeon from Windham, Jeffrey Florman, appeared to be the top bidder for Ram Island Ledge Light as the deadline approached at 3 p.m. today. His last bid, made Friday morning, was $180,000.
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But another bidder, known only by the nickname “arakiran,” placed a bid at 2:50 for $185,000. Florman, or any other would-be buyer, now has until 3 p.m. Tuesday to raise the bid.
Florman entered his final bid Friday after he and Arthur Girard, a local real estate developer, flipped a coin to end their bidding war. Both men had said their primary motivation was to keep ownership of the lighthouse in Maine.
An unidentified third bidder who used the nickname “tugdocto” remained in the bidding contest until last Wednesday, when he or she made a final bid of $160,000. Tugdocto had not entered a new bid Monday.
The 105-year-old lighthouse, and the ledge on which it stands, sits off Cape Elizabeth outside the entrance to Portland Harbor.
The auction is being run by the U.S. General Services Administration, which took title from the Coast Guard. While the new owner can develop new uses for the tower, as well as maintain it, the light and the foghorn will continue to be maintained by the Coast Guard. Future uses of the lighthouse will be limited by historic-preservation guidelines.
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