The stars and the surf

Even during the day, the stars are out in South Florida.

They like the life of surf and sunshine, making homes out of mega-mansions that rival five-star resorts: Songbird Celine Dion splashes at her own water park, Microsoft’s Bill Gates raises ponies on his spread, and steroids-stained slugger Alex Rodriguez likes to take a few swings in his indoor batting cage when the New York Yankees are off.

For celebs, it’s a never-ending game of buying, selling and listing — and the past few months have been no different. Plus, a couple of names already down on their luck lost their homes.

Now, a rundown of how the famous fared on the local real estate scene since the start of the summer:

I’ll take it

Shock jock Howard Stern plunked down $52 million for a Palm Beach oceanfront manse appraised at $40.8 million. Stern and his wife, former model Beth Ostrosky, bought the 19,800-square-foot home, at 601 North County Road, from textile mogul Martin Trust and his wife.

The world’s richest man, Bill Gates, worth $72 billion, bought a 7,230-square-foot home in Wellington for $8.7 million —cash. The property has show-jumping training grounds and a couple of barns.

Pro golfer Rory McIlroy added on to his $9.5 million Palm Beach Gardens property when he picked up a vacant lot next to his home on Old Gate Lane. The price: $2.25 million.

Miami Heat’s Shane Battier can practice more than his dribble at his new $3.2 million digs in Coral Gables. The 1926 colonial, at 4320 Santa Maria Street, is near the 15th hole of the Riviera Country Club.

Actor Christian Slater, whose breakthrough role came in the dark coming-of-age flick “Heathers,” now hangs his hat in Miami’s Coconut Grove neighborhood. He paid $2.2 million for the Villa Dolce Far Niente, a three-bedroom house at 3618 Saint Gaudens Road.

It’s time to move

Piano Man Billy Joel sold his Mediterranean-style mansion at 82 La Gorce Circle in Miami Beach for $13.75 million, a $1 million cut off the listing price.

Aussie duffer Greg Norman, aka “the Shark,” has 7.5 vacant acres near Delray Beach’s Boca Delray Golf & Country Club that he wants to unload. The asking price is $25 million.

Music mogul Timbaland wants $5.5 million for his condo in Miami Beach’s Murano Grande. He forked over $2.7 million in 2006.

Pop diva Shakira listed her Miami Beach manse on North Bay Road for $14.95 million, down the road from where slugger Alex Rodriguez sold for $30 million.

Hip-hop’s Pharrell Williams has chopped the asking price for his penthouse in Miami’s Bristol Tower. It started at $16.8 million in November; now it’s $10.9 million.

Celine Dion wants to unload her 5.7-acre Bahamian-style estate in Jupiter Island. The massive asking price of $72.5 million includes a five-bedroom, five-bath home, and the water park, of course.

Uh-oh

Felon O.J. Simpson, once an NFL super-rusher and mediocre actor, lost his Kendall home in a foreclosure proceeding by JP Morgan Chase. He stopped paying the mortgage three years ago. An auction of the house, valued at $481,000, is set for Oct. 29. Simpson lived at 9450 Southwest 112th Street after being acquitted of killing his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman. Now O.J. is serving 33 years in a Nevada prison for robbery and kidnapping.

Thanks, but no thanks

Rosie O’Donnell had ponied up $5.5 million for the home of “Grease” star Olivia Newton-John. Then, just days later, a contractor fatally shot himself inside the 7,429-square-foot house, at 104 Lighthouse Drive in Jupiter Inlet Colony. She backed out of the buy the next month.