EXCLUSIVE: Trusts Managed By Retiring Dem Senator’s Husband Gobbled Up Properties In Florida ‘Snowbird’ Haven

Trusts managed by retiring Democratic New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s husband acquired properties on Florida’s Gulf Coast prior to the senator’s retirement announcement, property records show.

Shaheen announced she would not seek reelection in a video posted to social media Wednesday morning. The announcement from the 78 year-old senator came after the New Hampshire Democrat faced intense speculation about whether she would retire instead of seeking a fourth term.

Multiple trusts managed by William Shaheen, the senator’s husband of more than five decades, put a house up for sale and acquired two additional properties totaling more than $3.5 million in Longboat Key, Florida, from March 2024 to November 2024, according to public records reviewed by the DCNF.

The senator’s husband founded a private law firm, Shaheen & Gordon, in 1981 where he continues to practice as senior counsel. His practice areas include personal injury, workers’ compensation, and trusts, estates and guardianships, according to the firm’s website.

The residences owned by the Shaheen trusts in the “snowbird” haven, including one in a “peaceful, quiet retirement community” are located in a city where nearly 70% of the residents are 65 years of age or older, according to the latest census data. The region, roughly 1500 miles from New Hampshire, is one of the most popular destinations for retirees in the United States.

A trust under William Shaheen’s name with the title Old Parchment Revocable Trust purchased a $2.18 million condo in a luxury building overlooking the Sarasota Bay on March 18, 2024, according to a DCNF review of property records.

Three days later, a different trust under his name incorporated as Al Bill Reliable Revocable Trust of 2019, listed a villa in a retirement community for sale on March 21, 2024. The villa in the 55-plus retirement community stayed on the market for roughly 250 days, but was delisted less than three weeks after the Nov. 5 election. The property was still listed as being off the market at the time of writing.