Laser Spine founder to auction off sprawling Belleair property

By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer  | TAMPA BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL -

Nearly two months after Laser Spine Institute abruptly closed its doors, its surgical founder will hold an auction to sell off a sprawling property on the Belleair waterfront.

The auction, slated for April 30 at 9 a.m., will take bids beginning at $4.5 million, auction house Interluxe said Tuesday. Interluxe is auctioning the house in cooperation with Phyllis Franklin of Stonebridge Real Estate, the home's listing agent.

The property has been on and off the market since 2010, when it was priced at more than $14 million. It was most recently priced at $10.8 million, Interluxe said.

Dr. James St. Louis purchased the property for $10.25 million in 2008, according to Pinellas County property records. Interluxe says St. Louis is selling the home because his youngest child is leaving for college and "the doctor is ready to sell."

St. Louis left Laser Spine nearly four years ago, Interluxe said, and has joined Physician Partners of America. He made headlines in 2015 when he lost millionsat the hands of a fraudulent tax preparer.

The house has six bedrooms, six full bathrooms, two half bathrooms and is 12,935 square feet with 171 feet of water frontage, Interluxe said.

View the photos to see more of the property.