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Sylvester Stallone earned the wrath of neighbors with his decision to build an underwater seaweed barrier near his Florida mansion for personal gain. The Rocky actor, who recently dined with President-elect Donald Trump and his right-hand man Elon Musk at Mar-a-Lago for Thanksgiving became the proud owner of his sprawling 7-bedroom, 12-bathroom Palm Beach home in 2021 after purchasing it for $35 million. This luxurious abode became a topic of discourse this week after several of his neighbors spoke out to condemn his latest project.
According to The Palm Beach Post, the star proposed applications to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2023 to build a barrier near the mansion. While the application was reportedly billed as an environmental project aimed to keep out debris and seaweed, a new statement from the Army Corps states otherwise, revealing the actor’s true intentions, which aren’t as noble. The public notice from the Army Corps confirmed that “the overall project purpose is to exclude boaters” from accessing his 13,000 square-feet property, while seaweed was simply a “secondary concern.”
Additionally, the Demolition Man star, a vocal Donald Trump supporter, also included a request for a “submerged lease of state land” in his application. This is because Sylvester Stallone’s proposed “seaweed” barrier would take up part of an underwater property belonging to the state of Florida.
Sylvester Stallone’s Neighbors Feel Blindsided After Project Notice
Since the revelation, several neighbors have voiced their disapproval of the project, expressing concern at Sylvester Stallone’s bid to block off the Florida underwater way, ultimately impacting the lives of not just boaters, but also other Palm Beach residents and the marine ecosystem. Neighbors reportedly received a notice from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection mandating them to comment on the proposal before 5p.m, on Christmas Day. However, the Palm Beach residents claim they felt blindsided by the notice, having no prior knowledge of the 78-year-old’s intentions.
Speaking to a news outlet, one neighbor, Bradford Gary explained that Sylvester indeed purchased a beautiful property, which passed for “one of the nicest West Indies Houses” in the North End. Hence, he understood the actor’s need to protect it from water-bound intruders and the like. Yet, that in no way justified his bid to seize an entire waterway by denying others access to it. The neighbor divulged,
“I can see why you’d want to protect it. But you can’t just kind of stake your claim and think you own the water.”
Palm Beach Residents Fear Seaweed Barrier’s Impact on Ocean Life
Bradford’s wife, Susan Gary also aired her displeasure at Sylvester Stallone’s application for an underwater barrier. According to her, the actor never did the courtesy of informing the neighbors beforehand, as is the usual practice in the affluent Palm Beach community. She pointed out that “a lot of neighbors were concerned” as a result.
Among the concerns raised by neighbors after the issued notice was the prospect of “manatees becoming entangled” as well as questions regarding the project’s effects on seagrasses which may have dire environmental repercussions, invariably affecting humans and ocean life.
Sylvester Stallone seems to concern himself with more political matters these days, taking a more proactive approach during the just-concluded US presidential elections, proudly standing for Donald Trump. The Family Stallone star, who described Trump as the “second George Washington” and likened him to the biblical “Jesus Christ” earned his place at the president-elect’s Thanksgiving dinner at the Mar-a-Lago residence last month. He attended the celebratory event alongside other pro-MAGA high-profile figures like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. Given he’s got friends in high places, scoring a permit to build a barrier near his Palm Beach residence just might be a piece of cake.
