Facebook billionaire Sean Parker must pay $2.5M for conservation programs after Big Sur wedding flap

[The Straight Story]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Facebook billionaire Sean Parker's lavish, $10 million Big Sur wedding got even more expensive on Monday.

The California Coastal Commission and Parker said they have reached a $2.5 million settlement to pay for coastal conservation programs after the Napster co-founder built a large movie-set like wedding site in an ecologically sensitive area of Big Sur without proper permits.

The parties reached the agreement after officials were tipped that Parker had built a cottage, fake ruins, waterfalls, staircases and a huge dance floor near iconic redwoods and a stream with threatened steelhead trout.

The commission learned about the construction at a closed campground owned by Ventana Inn & Spa after a county investigation spurred by neighbor complaints. The Ventana is negotiating a separate settlement for allowing the construction to occur.

"Despite the continued unauthorized closure of the campground to the public, earlier this year, the property owner entered into an agreement giving Sean Parker exclusive use of the campground for several months to construct a sizeable wedding venue," the commission's staff wrote in a report.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/apnewsbreak-mogul-pay-25m-settlement

[Bluenorthwest]

1. Boo on Parker, but Ventana should be ashamed of themselves as well

I expect better from them. Time to close that window.

[CurtEastPoint]

2. Nice big ego, Mr. Parker. TEN MILL on a wedding?

[chervilant]

3. Probably wrote the fines into his wedding budget... eom

[hunter]

4. Did some serious construction, photos on TMZ

http://www.tmz.com/2013/04/15/sean-parker-theme-wedding-photos

[Merlot]

5. Big Sur - one of the most BEAUTIFUL places on earth - isn't good enough?

All Big Sur needs is "a cottage, fake ruins, waterfalls, staircases and a huge dance floor" to make it perfect.

What an ass!

[hunter]

7. But think how horrible it would have been if someone got their expensive shoes dirty!

Or, gasp! Someone's high heels sank into the pine needle compost!

A perfect fairy tale wedding would be RUINED if people were wearing sensible shoes!

[Bombero1956]

6. and to think

even though he spent $10 million on his nuptials my wife and I are just as married as he and we only spent $1,500 back in 1979.