Czech entrepreneurs pick up Gables spec mansion: $12.5M

UPDATED August 15 5:45 p.m.: Two Czech entrepreneurs just paid $12.5 million for a newly built manse in the Gables Estates, a wealthy gated community within Coral Gables.

According to county records, a company called Cimex Invest — led by Jana Sobotova and Petr Lukes — acquired the home at 8950 Arvida Drive this week from homebuilder Alex Pirez, president of Mocca Construction. Rene Garcia, an investor in Mocca, was also listed in the ownership.

The deed didn’t carry a price, but The Real Deal calculated its tax stamp to discover the $12.5 million value.

Sobotova and Lukes are the co-founders of Cimex, a Czech import-export company that launched in the 1990s and expanded to real estate in its later years. One of Cimex’s most notable ventures is its formation of the OREA Hotels company, which has 15 properties in its portfolio.

The pair’s new home in Gables Estates has more than 13,000 square feet of living space, six bedrooms, 10 bathrooms and a garage with space for six cars.

Designed by noted architect Cesar Molina, the mansion features a balcony for the upstairs master bedroom, a floating staircase, a home theater, outdoor cabana with a sauna/spa. Plus, it sits on about two acres of land.

Garcia, the seller, bought the property for $2.55 million using a limited liability company in 2011, according to county records. He razed its previous home and built out the new mansion and swimming pool. The latest sale price breaks down to $921 per square foot.

According to listing website Redfin, Saddy Delgado of ONE Sotheby’s International Realty was the listing agent.