Finally, the HGTV Dream Home 2024 winner! Find out who won Anastasia Island, Florida, home

Jennifer Sangalang, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union
Updated ·6 min read

The wait is over! HGTV Network announced a school teacher from Hawthorne, New York, won the 2024 HGTV Dream Home in Florida.

Winning a Home and Garden Television Network Dream Home is like winning the lottery — the odds are slim, and only a handful of people have won in the history of the sweepstakes contest.

The winner reveal happened Wednesday. Here's information about who won the keys to the HGTV Dream Home on Anastasia Island in St. Johns County.

Who won 2024 HGTV Dream Home on Anastasia Island in Florida sweepstakes contest?

On May 22, HGTV announced the identity of the winner of the HGTV Dream Home on Anastasia Island in Northeast Florida, described as "a grand coastal escape." Marie Fratta of New York won the sweepstakes contest.

'A loss for words'

According to HGTV, Fratta was at a loss for words upon receiving the news that she was the winner of the luxurious home.

"This is insane," Fratta said. "I feel like this is a prank."

Fratta, a 25-year veteran educator who teaches fourth grade, had initially been told she was being honored with a teaching award at a local restaurant. As HGTV reports, her friends, co-workers and current and former students assisted the network in organizing the surprise reveal.

Voting ceased for the sweepstakes Feb. 15 for the beautiful home that was designed by architect Michael Stauffer and built by local builder Glenn Layton Homes. The home's interior design was by Brian Patrick Flynn. The three-bedroom, four-bathroom home is about 3,300 square feet with views of the Matanzas River and the St. Augustine Lighthouse.

A look back: Previous winner of HGTV Dream Home in Florida took cash option & sold the home

How much is HGTV Dream Home 2024 worth? What is total HGTV Dream Home grand prize package worth?

Value of the total Anastasia Island HGTV Dream Home package is estimated at just over $2.2 million. In total, the winner of the sweepstakes will receive:

  • Keys to the fully furnished home, which, according to rules, includes home furnishings, fixtures, artwork and merchandise for an approximate retail value of $2,069,595

  • A new Mercedes-Benz E Class sedan worth about $70,000, according to the rules

  • $100,000 cash

St. Augustine has its say

Though Fratt was chosen as the winner in February, the Anastasia Island home was at that point facing opposition from the St. Augustine Planning & Zoning Board. The contractor, Coastal Gateway Homes, apparently built a bulkhead without getting approval from the city. At issue were the bulkhead's size, proximity to the marsh of both house and bulkhead, as well as the width of the house.

The city finally approved the bulkhead on April 2 after months of back-and-forth meetings with the contractor and other experts.

Is there a lump sum or 'cash option' for HGTV Dream Home 2024 contest? Do winners keep the Dream Home?

The contest rules state: "In lieu of taking title to the HGTV Dream Home 2024 (and the contents of the HGTV Dream Home 2024), the grand prize winner will have the option of receiving $650,000 in cash (the "cash option"). If the grand prize winner cannot take possession of the HGTV Dream Home 2024 ... the grand prize winner shall receive the cash option. Total value of the grand prize is $820,000" if the cash option is selected vs. the HGTV Dream Home 2024.

Take the cash, leave the house?

While it's unclear which option Fratta will take, she may want to consider what many past winners have done. For example, David Rennie of Shelton, Conn., won the 2016 HGTV Dream Home in Merritt Island, the last time the Sunshine State hosted the project. Rennie chose the cash option and HGTV sold that home back to the builder.

As a 2019 article in the Miami Herald noted, the cash option is a more recent addition to the sweepstakes. HGTV began including the cash option a few years ago when it became apparent that many winners were forced to sell because they could not afford taxes or upkeep. Up to that point, only six of the first 21 winners lived in the home for more than one year.

It could happen to you? A former Florida man won HGTV Dream Home and $13,000 lottery prize

List of HGTV Dream Home winners

Here's a look back at who won the HGTV Dream Home sweepstakes contests over the years.

  • Marie Fratta from Hawthorne, New York, won the 2024 HGTV Dream Home in Anastasia Island, Florida.

  • Marie Davis of Rock Hill, South Carolina, won the 2023 HGTV Dream Home in Morrison, Colorado.

  • Karey Wolstenholm of Overland Park, Kansas, won the 2022 HGTV Dream Home in Warren, Vermont.

  • Jeff Yanes of Austin, Texas, won the 2021 HGTV Dream Home in Newport, Rhode Island.

  • Susan O'Gorman of Perry, Georgia, won the 2020 HGTV Dream Home on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

  • Beverly Fulkerson of Osgood, Indiana, won the 2019 HGTV Dream Home in Whitefish, Montana.

  • Emily Muniz from Nashville, Tennessee, won the 2018 HGTV Dream Home in Gig Harbor, Washington

  • Anna Spangler of Kutztown, Pennsylvania, won the 2017 HGTV Dream Home on St. Simons Island, Georgia.

  • David Rennie of Shelton, Connecticut, won the 2016 HGTV Dream Home on Merritt Island, Florida

  • Kathy O'Dell of Huntsville, Alabama, won the 2015 HGTV Dream Home in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

  • Laura Martin of Boise, Idaho, won the 2014 HGTV Dream Home in Lake Tahoe, California

  • Carole Simpson of Columbia, Tennessee, won the 2013 HGTV Dream Home in Charleston, South Carolina.

  • Vicky Naggy of Pennsylvania won the 2012 HGTV Dream Home in Park City, Utah.

  • Eric Makstenieks of Hinsdale, Illinois, won the 2011 HGTV Dream Home in Stowe, Vermont.

  • Myra Lewis of New Orleans, Louisiana, won the 2010 HGTV Dream Home in Sandia Park, New Mexico.

  • Cheryl Smith of Lakeland, Florida, won the 2009 HGTV Dream Home in Sonoma, California.

  • Stephanie Dee of Solon, Iowa, won the 2008 HGTV Dream Home in Islamorada, Florida.

  • Robert O'Neill of Brandon, Florida, won the 2007 HGTV Dream Home in Winter Park, Colorado.

  • Donald P. Cook of Alum Creek, West Virginia, won the 2006 HGTV Dream Home in Lake Lure, North Carolina.

  • Don Cruz of Chicago, Illinois, won the 2005 HGTV Dream Home in Tyler, Texas.

  • Kathi Nakao of Sacramento, California, won the 2004 HGTV Dream Home in St. Mary's, Georgia.

  • John Groszkiewicz of Erie County, Pennsylvania, won the 2003 HGTV Dream Home in Mexico Beach, Florida.

  • Milton O'Bryant of Midland, Texas, won the 2002 HGTV Dream Home in Sherwood, Maryland.

  • Kathy Hedrick of Gladstone, Missouri, won the 2001 HGTV Dream Home in Camden, Maine.

  • Mary Barker of San Antonio, Texas, won the 2000 HGTV Dream Home in Nehalem, Oregon, according to liveabout.com.

  • Belinda Brown of Kingston, Tennessee, won the 1999 HGTV Dream Home in Rosemary Beach, Florida.

  • Tina Carlson of Thousand Oaks, California, won the 1998 HGTV Dream Home in Beaufort, South Carolina.

  • Michele Rambo of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was the very first winner of an HGTV Dream Home, the 1997 HGTV Dream Home in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Florida Times-Union writer Anne Hammock contributed to this story.

Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network-Florida. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: 2024 HGTV Dream Home in Florida winner? Marie Fratta of New York