South Florida’s top residential sales this year reveal a tropical region fundamentally changed.
Broward County, which has always lagged behind neighboring Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties, cracked the top 10 priciest deals of the year with a record-shattering $70 million sale. Victoria and David Beckham bought a waterfront mansion on Miami Beach’s North Bay Road for a once-unthinkable $72.3 million. And ultra-luxury spec developer Todd Glaser sold a private island for $150 million, marking a record for non-oceanfront properties in Palm Beach.
South Florida’s luxury real estate market proved its staying power in 2024. The region was transformed by the pandemic, triggering colossal wealth migration and unprecedented demand for luxury homes. Record-breaking deals became commonplace.
Interest rate hikes have since cooled off the heated market, but ultra-luxury buyers, less sensitive to borrowing costs, persisted. Brokers say this pool of clients, many looking for trophy estates priced north of $50 million, are constrained by the short supply of homes that meet their standards.
Despite sustained demand, agents held their breath as the market took its sweet time warming up this year, but price cuts ultimately precipitated a flurry of late spring closings.
Here are the most expensive sales in South Florida in 2024, based on The Real Deal’s research.
1. $150M | 10 Tarpon Isle in Palm Beach
Todd Glaser said he was flabbergasted that he hadn’t found a buyer for Tarpon Island by February, but he didn’t have to wait much longer for someone to take it off his hands. He and his partners sold the 2.3-acre private island at 10 Tarpon Isle for $150 million in May, marking a record for non-oceanfront deals in Palm Beach. The buyer was later revealed as Australian infrastructure investor Michael Dorrell, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Glaser and his partners bought the island for $85 million in 2021, and undertook an extensive renovation and expansion of the original Howard Majors-designed mansion. They listed the nearly 24,000-square-foot mansion for $218 million in 2022. The estate includes 11 bedrooms, 15 bathrooms, seven half-bathrooms, two pools, a lighted tennis court, a catering kitchen and a wellness wing with a salon parlor, steam room, sauna, massage room and gym.
Suzanne Frisbie of the Corcoran Group and Chris Leavitt of Douglas Elliman had the listing, and Margit Brandt of Premier Estate Properties brought the buyer.
2. $148M | 455 North County Road in Palm Beach
Daren Metropoulos, the son of billionaire Dean Metropoulos and owner of the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles, bought the historic oceanfront Palm Beach estate known as Casa Amado for $148 million in June. The Pencer family, Canadian heirs to food and beverage fortunes, were the sellers. They bought the 3.2-acre estate at 455 North County Road for $12.1 million in 2003, according to property records. Casa Amado was built in 1920 by the celebrated architect Addison Mizner for Charles Munn, a socialite with the nickname “Mr. Palm Beach.” The 13,100-square-foot mansion has six bedrooms, five bathrooms, three half-bathrooms, a theater, gym, pool, tennis court and 225 feet of beach frontage.
Christian Angle of Christian Angle Real Estate represented the buyer, and Jim McCann of Premier Estate Properties represented the sellers.
3. $100M | 18, 22 and 24 La Gorce Circle in Miami Beach
Consumer goods mogul Anand Khubani was involved in two of South Florida’s biggest deals this year, as both a buyer and a seller. As a buyer, Khubani dropped $100 million on the nearly 3-acre assemblage at 18, 22 and 24 La Gorce Circle in Miami Beach. The seller was the estate of the late Dr. M. Lee Pearce, who bought the properties for $3.1 million in the 1980s. The assemblage includes two houses, a guest house, a dock and 600 feet of waterfrontage.
Danny and Jill Hertzberg and Jill Eber of the Jills Zeder Group at Coldwell Banker Realty had the listing, and Brett Harris of Douglas Elliman and Zach and Cody Vichinsky of Bespoke brought the buyer.
4. $87M | 28 Indian Creek Island Road in Indian Creek Village
Jeff Bezos closed on his third Indian Creek purchase in June, bringing his total investment on the private island to $234 million. The billionaire Amazon founder paid $87 million for the waterfront estate at 28 Indian Creek Island Road. The compound spans 1.8-acres and includes a 12,100-square-foot mansion that was built in 2002. It has six bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, one half-bathroom and a pool, records show.
The seller was former banker Javier Holtz, who bought the mansion for $2.5 million in 1998.
Bezos bought the adjacent homes at 11 and 12 Indian Creek Island Road last year, where he plans to build a new estate. The seller of 12 Indian Creek Island Road, Brazilian toymaker Leo Kryss, is suing Douglas Elliman for hiding Bezos’ identity in the deal.
5. $85M | 108 El Mirasol in Palm Beach
Before he bought the La Gorce Island assemblage, Khubani sold an oceanfront lot in Palm Beach for $85 million in April. Khubani sold the 1-acre North End property at 108 El Mirasol to a Delaware LLC named for the address. He and his wife bought the lot for $12.7 million in 2005, according to property records.
Lawrence Moens of Lawrence A. Moens Associates had the listing, and Dana Koch of the Corcoran Group brought the buyer.
6. $81M | 1446 North Ocean Boulevard in Palm Beach
Just months after the death of Barnes & Noble founder Leonard Riggio, his widow, Louise Riggio, sold their oceanfront Palm Beach house at 1446 North Ocean Boulevard for $81 million. The buyer was hidden, using a Delaware entity named for the address.
The Riggios bought the 8,000-square-foot mansion for $14 million in 2003, and added an adjacent lot for $1.4 million in 2009. The house was built in 1979 and has five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, one half-bathroom and a pool. Combined, the estate spans almost 1.5 acres
Lawrence Moens of Lawrence A. Moens Associates represented both sides in the deal. The estate is now listed for rent with Allison Wren of the Corcoran Group, asking $150,000 per month.
7. $74M | 740 Hi Mount Road in Palm Beach
Chipmaker Nvidia’s stock has surged more than 2,000 percent in the past five years, minting more than a few billionaires along the way, and that includes its director and board member Harvey Jones. Jones, who now has a net worth of $1.4 billion according to Forbes, bought the lakefront estate at 740 Hi Mount Road for $74.3 million in March. The seller was farming equipment heiress Candida Burnap, who downsized to a $13 million home on the island. She and her late husband, Bartlett Burnap, bought the 1-acre property for $4.4 million in 1995, records show. They built the 10,500-square-foot mansion in 1999. It has six bedrooms, six bathrooms, one half-bathroom, a pool and a dock.
Chris Leavitt and Ashley McIntosh of Douglas Elliman had the listing, and Todd Peter of Sotheby’s International Realty represented the buyer.
In May, Jones flipped a nearby lakefront lot for $50 million, exactly what he paid for it the prior year.
8. $72M | 4736 North Bay Road in Miami Beach
In one of the buzziest deals of the year, celebrities David and Victoria Beckham set a price record for Miami Beach’s North Bay Road with their $72.3 million purchase of a waterfront spec mansion. The couple bought the mansion at 4736 North Bay Road from developer Niklas de la Motte in October. De la Motte first listed the 14,300-square-foot mansion for $80 million. He completed the estate, which has nine-bedrooms, nine bathrooms, four half-bathrooms, a gym, a theater and a spa, earlier this year. He bought the 0.6-acre property for $10 million in 2018.
Dora Puig of Luxe Living Realty represented both the buyers and the seller in the deal.
9. $70M | 5 Harborage Isle in Fort Lauderdale
In September, financier Donald Sussman sold his waterfront mansion in Fort Lauderdale for $70 million, shattering the previous $40 million price record for the city. And it’s a teardown. Sussman sold the estate at 5 Harborage Isle to a Delaware LLC named for the address, and the buyer plans to demolish the existing structures and build a new home.
Sussman bought the mansion for $27.5 million in 2016. Built in 2007, the compound spans 2.7 acres and 1,035 feet of waterfront. It includes a 20,000-square-foot, 10-bedroom mansion, a guest house and a three-car garage.
Michelle Howland, Sussman’s wife, represented the couple, and Tim Elmes of Compass brought the buyer.
10. $65M | 40 Indian Creek Island Road in Indian Creek Village
Dutch magnetics heir Geert-Jan Bakker sold his waterfront Indian Creek Village estate for $64.5 million in an off-market deal in May. Bakker and his wife, Joyce Bakker, sold the compound at 40 Indian Creek Island Road to a Wyoming entity named for the address.
They bought the 1.2-acre estate for $9.3 million in 2010. It was built in 1991, and includes a 7,500-square-foot home with seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms, two half-bathrooms, a pool and dock.
Just a few weeks after closing, they bought a waterfront Gables Estates mansion for $23.5 million.