From race-car drivers to Hollywood A-listers, South Florida continues to play home — both permanent and temporary—to a vast array of celebrities. Luxury condominium projects such as Coconut Grove’s Park Grove, the Residences at Miami Beach EDITION and Marina Palms Yacht Club & Residences in North Miami Beach are among the developments where the red-carpet contingent is buying and selling, and elaborate Miami Beach mansions remain a perennial favorite of this elite group.
Here’s a look at some of the properties celebrities bought, sold and listed in South Florida over the past several months.
BUYING
Billy Joel
Musician Billy Joel reportedly went into contract in February for a $22 million estate in Manalapan at 1960 South Ocean Boulevard, bringing the Piano Man’s total real estate spending spree in the area to more than $40 million since the beginning of 2014. This latest acquisition boasts waterfront views of the Atlantic and Intracoastal Waterways and has enough garage space for 30 cars.
Indianapolis 500 driver and “Dancing with the Stars” champion Helio Castroneves has a unit under contract at Marina Palms Yacht Club & Residences, according to the developer. The 1,904-square-foot home will have two bedrooms, a den and two-and-a-half bathrooms. A sale price was not disclosed.
Health-care billionaire Mike Fernandez, who released the autobiography “Humbled by the Journey,” is spending more than $10 million on two units at Park Grove in Coconut Grove — one for him, one for his daughter. The home Fernandez plans to occupy is a two-story, 5,000-square-foot condo with four bedrooms and five-and-a-half baths.
Brazilian race-car driver Emerson Fittipaldi is paying $4.5 million for a penthouse also located in the Park Grove development. Fittipaldi is planning to move his family from Key Biscayne, where he has lived since 1992, to the three-bedroom 3,000-square-foot penthouse, the developers announced in January.
In December, Poonam Khubani — Bollywood actress, producer and vice president of infomercial giant Telebrands — purchased two units at Ian Schrager’s Residences at Miami Beach EDITION for a total of $34 million, according to Miami-Dade County property records.
SELLING/LISTING
On North Bay Road, where Matt Damon, Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez and Miami Heat player Chris Bosh live or have lived, Shakira is rumored to be asking a “whisper price” of $12.9 million for her home — a $2 million discount from her 2013 asking price of nearly $15 million. Ben Moss, who previously had the listing and is managing director of One Sotheby’s sports and entertainment division, said the property is not on the market, but if someone came along and offered enough, Shakira would sell. The Colombian singer has owned the 8,355-square-foot, six-bedroom, nine-bathroom home since 2001, when she paid $3.38 million for it.
Shakira’s home on North Bay Road
Shakira’s neighbor Matt Damon sold his mansion at 6020 North Bay Road for nearly $19 million in December. Jill Hertzberg of Coldwell Banker’s “The Jills” represented the actor in the sale of the 12,705-square-foot home, which was built in 1935 and features panoramic views and a separate guest house.
Former Miami Heat star LeBron James listed his Coconut Grove home for $17 million in October, then dropped the asking price to $15 million in March. Opulence International Realty’s Tomi Rose is representing the basketball player in the sale of the waterfront mansion, she said, which includes a wine cellar, custom theater, guest house and private roof deck.
Gloria and Emilio Estefan listed Nena’s Villa, a Star Island mansion, for $40 million in February. The 1.34-acre estate at 1 Star Island Drive last sold in November 1993 for $1.84 million. The property consists of a main house built in 1940 and a guesthouse built in 1995, property records show. Jill Eber and Jill Hertzberg of Coldwell Banker team “The Jills” have the listing. The Estefans actually live in another nearby mansion at 39 Star Island Drive. Eber said the listed property was being used for guests and wasn’t needed anymore.