NFL linebacker Jonathan Vilma just listed his Coral Gables home for $18.5 million, according to the New York Post.
The Super Bowl champ, now ESPN TV personality, bought the property at 17 Tahiti Beach Island Road in 2011 for $6 million and recently built the home. Douglas Elliman agent Chad Carroll has the listing. The asking price per square foot equates to $2,313.
The 8,000-square-foot, five-bedroom property features floor-to-ceiling windows, tile flooring, 12-foot tall ceilings, an elevator, a chef’s kitchen, a home theater and a three-car garage. Outside, the home boasts an Asian-inspired pool with a waterfall and views of Biscayne Bay and the downtown skyline, as well as 161 feet of frontage on Biscayne Bay.
Vilma, who grew up in Coral Gables, played college football at the University of Miami. In 2004 he was drafted by the New York Jets and later won a Super Bowl championship with the New Orleans Saints.
The football star also co-owns Brickell restaurant Brother Jimmy’s BBQ. In the midst of his NFL suspension in 2012, Vilma banned National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell from attending the restaurant. A sign outside said “Do not serve this man,” with a photo of Goodell.
With 26 houses, Tahiti Beach Island has been home to a number of CEOs, athletes and celebrities, including the former CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines Bob Dickinson, Cher and basketball legend Ray Allen. Recent listings in the gated community includes tech CEO Charlie Fernandez’s home, which hit the market in June for $20 million. [New York Post] – Amanda Rabines