Dealmaker elevated flip to an art
In the midst of the 2006 U.S. congressional campaign, Mark Brivik held a fundraiser at his multimillion-dollar home on Longboat Key for Republican candidate Vern Buchanan.
It was a swank affair, say those who attended. Even the Israeli ambassador was there.
The party spotlighted Brivik at the height of his wealth and social prowess, a moment of prosperity gained through a series of real estate deals where he sold properties back and forth to partners and companies he controlled to get ever-increasing mortgages.
But when Southwest Florida’s real estate market dropped, Brivik’s fortunes dropped along with it.