Bill Gates Has Reportedly Racked Up $40,000 In Fines Over Horse Manure At His Florida Home
Bing MapsAn aerial view of the horse farm.Bill Gates has apparently been creating a stink at his $8.7 million estate in Wellington, Florida.
According to Page Six, the Microsoft billionaire has been racking up daily fines for an illegal "horse-waste storage facility" on the three-acre property.
Gates purchased the home for $8.7 million in 2013. The family had previously rented the house when in Florida for daughter Jennifer's equestrian competitions. The home includes several horse-friendly features, like a 20-stall barn and a show-jumping arena.
But according to the Page Six report, Gates has been penalized for putting the horse manure bin too close to a nearby pond. This is in violation of Wellington code, which states that waste storage must be located at least 100 feet away from bodies of water. Gates has been penalized $250 a day for violating that code, dating back to July.
That may seem like chump change to a man worth more than $80 billion - and it probably is - but Gates has also been written up on a separate violation, reportedly because he failed to obtain a permit for the facility in the first place.
If you add those two charges together, Gates has racked up more than $40,000 in fines since July, just for improperly disposing of horse manure.
From above, the facility does look very close to the water.
According to Page Six, the bin is being removed to make way for a new one that's in line with regulations.