Sylvester Stallone has riled his neighbours with an unconventional plan to stop boats driving near to his $35m (£27.6m) Palm Beach home.
The Rocky star, 78, has reportedly put forward a proposal to build an underwater seaweed barrier around his seven-bedroom, 12-bathroom property, complete with a guest home and its own pool.
Stallone’s plans to build a barrier in the intracoastal waterway next to his home have been presented as an environmental project designed to keep debris and seaweed at bay, per The Palm Beach Post.
However, a notice from the Army Corps claimed “the overall project purpose is to exclude boaters” from coming near the property and lists seaweed as a secondary concern for the actor.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection gave the Hollywood star’s neighbours until 5pm on Christmas Day to give their feedback on the project.
Stallone’s application also includes a request for a lease of state land, because the barrier would be partially on underwater property owned by the state of Florida, records show.
“He bought a beautiful property,” Stallone’s neighbour Bradford Gary told the outlet, calling the home “one of the nicest houses” in the North End.
“I can see why you’d want to protect it. But you can’t just stake your claim and think you own the water.”
According to state records, the barrier would sit about 8 inches above the water and extend down roughly 10 inches beneath the water’s surface.
Neighbours and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also expressed concerns about whether manatees could become entangled in the seaweed and the project’s effect on seagrasses.
“The Corps is reviewing the project[‘s] purpose to determine if the use of [a] barrier for the purpose of deterring boaters within the public waterway is permittable,” an Army Corps spokesperson told the outlet.
It comes shortly after Jimmy Kimmel lashed out at Stallone for calling Donald Trump the “second George Washington” last month.
In a speech at an America First Gala at Mar-a-Lago, on November 14, Stallone said: “When George Washington defended his country, he had no idea that he was going to change the world. Because without him, you can imagine what the world would look like.”
“Guess what, we got the second George Washington. Congratulations!,” added the First Blood star.
Mocking Stallone, Kimmel joked: “I guess those punches Rocky took to the head were real after all.”
The 57-year-old then quipped: “George Washington was the father of our country. Donald Trump is the father of Eric. Big difference there.”
