Following a decade long legal battle, a Solano County private island previously listed for up to $70 million will go up for auction in January following a court order.
Solano County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Rexhall Hawkins said the island will be auctioned subject to a court order on Jan. 22 at 10 a.m. in front of the Solano County Courthouse. Prospective bidders must register before Jan. 7, and the minimum bid is $0 with increments of $100.
The deadline to register for the auction is 15 days before the event, according to documents posted to a Facebook page operated by the island’s previous owner, John Sweeney. Potential applicants must agree to comply with multiple court decisions and regulations that the property is subject to, which will be enforced by local and state agencies.
The sale, according to the documents “does not relive John D. Sweeney or Point Buckler Club LLC of their obligation to comply with all aspects of the federal remedy order and the state orders and does not permit the transferee from denying John D. Sweeney or Point Buckler Club LLC from exercising the rights necessary to comply with all aspects of this federal remedy order.”
Sweeney will continue to have the right of access to the island for those purposes, as will the state and federal agencies involved in the issue.
John Sweeney, owner of Point Buckler Island, is shown. (Courtesy Photo)
“The state and federal agencies are interested in facilitating a sale to a responsible steward of the property,” the documents read. “A comprehensive restoration and monitoring/maintenance adaptive management implementation plan was recently prepared and is available for review upon request.”
The 39 acre island, originally listed for $75 million and currently listed on Sotheby’s for $40 million, has been the subject of considerable court controversy surrounding environmental regulation.
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Sweeney said he purchased the island in 2011 for a fee of $150,000, selling kiteboarding club memberships to Silicon Valley elites for $750,000 apiece. The island holds a bar and lounge, as well as two helipads.
According to an appellate court decision in 2021, Sweeney used materials described as “waste” to fill a broken levee on the property, which “harmed vegetation, soil, and wildlife.” The case outlines a pollution threat shown to the area by Sweeney’s actions. That court upheld the ability of regional regulators to penalize Sweeney for his actions.
“The penalty was not constitutionally excessive because willful indifference toward the regulatory process showed high culpability, major harm was proven, the penalty was comparable to other cases, and inability to pay was not shown,” according to the decision.
Sweeney claimed last year he has held up his end of the bargain, repairing a levee in seven places, which he alleges he was allowed to do. County Counsel Bernadette Curry clarified that the maintenance plan was not kept up by owners before Sweeney, meaning that it was defunct and the property had transitioned back from “managed” wetlands to “tidal” wetlands.
“The lack of maintenance on the previously established levees created a situation where it, in essence, returned to tidal wetlands,” she said.
Sweeney said the island has capacity for residences, duck blinds, kiteboarding, and docking large boats. Sweeney said he is hopeful that the price will exceed the debts he owes the state in fines and bring his long legal saga closer to a close. He is confident there will be interest, but alleges that the agencies involved have a preferred buyer.
“I can guarantee you that my old partners are going to bid on it,” he said.
Sweeney said he was arrested for non-compliance with court orders in May of 2023, and spent the night in jail. He has not attended court dates, and said he believes there are multiple warrants out for his arrest despite the fact he does not face criminal charges.
The auction comes amidst ill weather in the Suisun Marsh, as the county has recently declared a State of Emergency in the area and asked the state to do the same.
Earlier this month, a “wind and precipitation event” struck the coast, with rainfall totals of 2.27 inches and 50 MPH wind gusts, damaging the levee infrastructure of multiple reclamation districts in the Suisun Marsh and Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Another “King Tide” is predicted for January 11-13, in which similar conditions will fall upon the already water-saturated ground, likely causing even greater damage.
Sweeney said he thinks the land may still be usable for recreation, or might be purchased by an organization for use as environmental credits. Despite previously levelling criticism at county government officials for their handling of the situation, he said Monday that he thinks the sheriff’s department has been fair in its dealings with him.
“I think the sheriff has legitimately been fine through all of this,” he said.
