After Neuharth died in April 2013, his wife, Dr. Rachel Fornes, lived at Pumpkin Center with her children. Fornes put the estate on the market in 2014 and sold it for nearly $5 million, the highest price ever paid for a house in Brevard County, on Florida's east coast.
The estate, built in 1975, boasted 10,000 square feet of living space, 11 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms. The property featured tennis and basketball courts, 200 feet of shoreline, plus a treehouse with running water, electricity and an ocean view.
Jeffrey Wells, who bought Pumpkin Center, told Florida Today earlier this month he intended to allow people to hold weddings there — once renovations were complete — so they could enjoy the ocean and beach as a backdrop. Wells said he does that with another beachfront property owns in the Cocoa Beach area, allowing military families to hold their ceremonies there for free.
Crews first responded before 9 p.m. ET. Along with Cocoa Beach Fire Department units, Cape Canaveral Fire-Rescue and Brevard County Fire-Rescue were on the scene at Third Street South and South Orlando Avenue.
Shey Anderson, who lives on 8th Street, said the fire grew rapidly. "We saw the embers in the air and everything. It's really sad. It's been an iconic part of Cocoa Beach for a while now. I know that everybody knows the Pumpkin Center," she added.
"It's devastating,'' said Teresa Skare, who lives in a nearby apartment complex. "It hits too close for me 'cause I only live right there. All I know (is) it's a beautiful place. I love going by there and looking at it."
Neuharth reportedly named his estate the Pumpkin Center after a bar and grill in South Dakota where he once worked. The Pumpkin Center was the site of meetings where Neuharth and his team came up with the concept for USA TODAY