Longboat Key estate boasts features that make it a boater's dream come true

Set on two acres overlooking peaceful Bishop’s Bayou, this waterfront masterpiece is both eye-catching and private.


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  • | 5:00 a.m. January 30, 2025
This Longboat Key estate provides a ready escape to the water.
This Longboat Key estate provides a ready escape to the water.
Photo by Ian Wenzel
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It’s one of the most expensive houses on Longboat Key — and certainly one of the most unique. It was designed for — and designed by — a Florida sportsman. But we’re not talking golf and tennis here. Randy Langley’s passions are the ones he grew up with in central Florida: boating, fishing, hunting, cars, even a helicopter or two. Langley used to keep his in the pole barn that’s on his property. Now it’s housed at the airport.

The property itself is set on just over two acres, up at the northern end of the Key. It was originally a little subdivision of its own and is still zoned for four residences. Right on busy Gulf of Mexico Drive, the estate’s size provides it with a great deal of privacy. The main house is located far from the road; it faces calm and peaceful Bishop’s Bayou and, through the trees, you can make out other houses here and there, many of them owned by old time Longboaters who have been there for generations. 

Randy and Carlotta Langley — he’s a builder/developer, she’s a pediatrician — bought the property in 2017. “It was heavily wooded and overgrown,” Randy recalls. “It took me just over a year to clear the property.” 

During this time the Langleys, along with their two sons, lived in the vintage 1937 beach cottage that is part of the property while they built their dream home. Randy was the driving force behind the project’s design. He knew what he wanted and worked closely with architect Robert Rokop to make sure it would suit his family’s needs perfectly. Rokop was a fortuitous choice. His specialty is coastal and flood zone properties, and during the recent hurricanes the home suffered no damage at all.

The result is pure Florida. There is a coastal look to the place, a back-to-the-basics feeling. You can see hints of local vernacular architecture everywhere. The spectacular wood floors are prime reclaimed lumber, brick and stone accents are prominent and eye-catching, and the scale of the rooms is vast. The great room is 25 by 35 feet. The home seems much larger than its three-bedroom size would indicate. The use of space is so generous it becomes a luxury in itself. The primary bath boasts a soaking tub, large walk-in shower, and even its own balcony.

Simply furnished and supremely comfortable, the living room looks out on tropical vegetation and the blue Florida sky.
Photo by Ian Wenzel

Most Longboat Key mansions turn inward, but not the Langley’s. Throughout the main house there is a feeling of tropical living. Windows are everywhere, looking out over the treetops, and there are over 160 feet of wide, open verandas at the rear of the home. Langley was hands on when it came to building the house, and his personal touches are everywhere — wooden mantels and counters he made from old wood found on the property.

The kitchen is particularly elaborate, with Wolf and Subzero appliances (there are three gas stoves), but what really sets the house apart from other Longboat Key estates are the elaborate facilities to enjoy all the local sporting activities. “It’s a boater’s and fisherman’s dream,” Langley says, a claim that might actually be a bit of an understatement. The home has two docks and mooring for a 50-foot boat between them, along with three boat lifts. This mini marina is located on Bishop’s Bayou, calm and peaceful yet with direct access to the Intracoastal. There’s also an air-conditioned tackle room with an elaborate array of rods and reels, and — the perfect touch — one of the nicest outdoor showers on Longboat Key.

The outdoor living area offers plenty to do: a pool, spa and chikee hut, plus lots of storage for kayaks and fishing equipment.
Photo by Ian Wenzel

But that’s just the beginning. With six garages there is plenty of room for the serious car enthusiast, including a car lift for Langley’s Hummer. The family also enjoys a large billiard room on the lower level, and there’s an enormous pool (24 by 50 feet) and spa next to an Old Florida classic — an expansive chikee (the Seminole Indian version of a Tiki hut). It’s a perfect spot for outdoor meals and parties, and there’s a 900-bottle wine cellar just steps away. The pool can be heated — and even chilled — thanks to a gas reverse heat pump.

The 1937 cottage, one of the original vacation homes on Longboat, has been remodeled for use as a guest house. It has an entirely different vibe than the main house: it maintains its original wood paneling and beachy furnishings. The Langleys use it to house guests and visiting family, plus occasional renters.

An old-fashioned screened porch has been the centerpiece of generations of family vacations.
Photo by Ian Wenzel

The entire property is gated and fenced, with a 24-camera security system. There’s even a safe room — an 8- by 18-foot interior space with a bank vault door, cleverly concealed and hiding in plain sight. And of course, there’s an elevator.

During the recent storms, Randy and Carlotta stayed put and report that the house did great. There was no damage, and the natural gas generator kept the power on the whole time. The vegetation didn’t fare as well — whose did? — but it’s already coming back.

The Langleys are putting their home on the market, but no, they’re not downsizing. They’ve bought a larger property on the east coast of the state and are envisioning a sort of family compound now that their two sons are grown. The new owner of their estate will have both Longboat’s past — the retro cottage —and Longboat’s future — a house that can survive hurricanes.

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