Here are South Florida’s top resi deals of 2023

So nice, he did it twice.

Jeff Bezos bought not one, but two, of South Florida’s most expensive mansions this year. The billionaire Amazon founder and amateur space traveler bought adjacent Indian Creek Village mansions for a combined $147 million.

Across the tri-county region, residential real estate had another record year of deals. Homes traded for record prices despite a slowdown. 

The top 10 sales of the year ranged in price from $49 million to $170 million, according to The Real Deal’s research. Buyers and sellers included Bezos, cosmetics heir William Lauder, a neuroscientist and a dental devices mogul. But it was a car dealer who bought the most expensive home of the year. 

These were the 10 priciest South Florida home sales this year:

1. $170M | 589 North County Road in Palm Beach 

Michael Cantanucci paid $170 million for the oceanfront estate at 589 North County Road in Palm Beach in April, setting a record for the island. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters founder Bob Stiller and his wife, Christine Stiller, sold the mansion eight years after buying it for just $25 million. Lawrence Moens of Lawrence A. Moens Associates had the listing, and Christian Angle of Christian Angle Real Estate brought the buyer. The 20,200-square-foot mansion was built in 2006 on 1.6 acres. It has 10 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms and seven half-bathrooms. 

Cantanucci owns New Country Motor Car Group, one of the largest independent car dealership networks in the country. He and his wife, Kimberly Cantanucci, sold a non-waterfront home on the island for $32.4 million in July. 

2. $155M | 1495 North Ocean Boulevard, 1501 North Ocean Boulevard and 108 Mediterranean Road in Palm Beach

In March, cosmetics heir William Lauder paid $155 million for the 2.7-acre oceanfront Palm Beach compound that belonged to the late conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh. His widow, Kathryn Adams Limbaugh, sold the adjacent properties at 1495 North Ocean Boulevard, 1501 North Ocean Boulevard and 108 Mediterranean Road. Lauder started demolishing the estate, considered a teardown, this summer. He also listed 2.3 acres of vacant oceanfront land on the island for $200 million. 

3. $79M | 12 Indian Creek Island Road in Indian Creek

The priciest deal in Miami-Dade County this year was Bezos’s $79 million purchase of a waterfront Indian Creek Village mansion in October, the second of his acquisitions on the private island. Dina Goldentayer and Danilo Tavares of Douglas Elliman brokered the deal. The 2-acre estate has a 19,000-square-foot, seven-bedroom home with a theater, wine cellar, cabana, and pool. It spans 200 feet of water frontage. 

4. $68.1M | 149 East Inlet Drive in Palm Beach

Developer Mosie Miller and his wife Michelle sold the oceanfront estate at 149 East Inlet Drive to an unknown buyer for $68.1 million in July. Lawrence Moens had the listing and Madison Collum of One Sotheby’s International Realty brought the buyer. The Millers built the 7,700-square-foot home on 1.4 acres in 2020. The house has seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms, two half-bathrooms, a pool, a guest house and staff quarters. They paid $14.6 million for the property in 2017. 

The Millers had a busy year. In June, the couple sold a renovated mansion in Palm Beach Gardens to BET co-founder Bob Johnson for $20 million and paid $21.6 million for a lakefront Palm Beach home. 

5. $68M | 11 Indian Creek Island Road in Indian Creek 

Bezos bought the mansion at 11 Indian Creek Road from former hotelier Tulia Soucy de Gonzalez Gorrondona for $68 million in July. Sohely van Woerkom of Golden Ocean Real Estate represented the seller in the off-market sale. The 2.8-acre Indian Creek Village estate includes a 9,300-square-foot mansion that was built in 1965 and expanded 1985. With both mansion purchases, Bezos owns 4.6 contiguous acres on the bay. 

6. $66M | 1350 North Lake Way in Palm Beach

After selling their oceanfront mansion for a record price, Bob and Christine Stiller needed a new Palm Beach home. They bought the lakefront mansion at 1350 North Lake Way from casino magnate Steve Wynn for $66 million in May. Lawrence Moens represented both sides of the deal. Wynn bought the estate for $49 million in 2021. Built on 0.8 acres in 2013, the nearly 13,400-square-foot mansion has eight bedrooms, nine bathrooms, two half-bathrooms and a pool. 

7. $63.4M | 854 South County Road in Palm Beach

In May, spec home developer Todd Glaser and his partners sold the lakefront estate at 854 South County Road to an unknown buyer for $63.4 million. Suzanne Frisbie of the Corcoran Group had the listing, and Corcoran’s mother-son duo Paulette and Dana Koch brought the buyer. Glaser bought the 2-acre compound for $53 million last year with plans to renovate the 10,200-square-foot mansion. 

Glaser also sold the Worth Avenue Tiffany penthouse to car dealer Terry Taylor for $18 million in April. 

8. $57M | 27 Star Island Drive in Miami Beach

DenTek founder John Jansheski sold his waterfront Star Island compound for $57 million in September, two years after listing it for $90 million. Dina Goldentayer of Douglas Elliman had the listing, and Chad Carroll of Compass represented the unnamed buyer. The estate at 27 Star Island Drive includes a waterfront mansion by South African design firm SAOTA and built in 2019 and a historic home built in 1924 and designed by Walter De Garmo. The houses together cover 19,800 square feet and include seven bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, four-half bathrooms, a pool, dock, gym and sauna. Jansheski bought the 0.9-acre property for $10.8 million in 2011.

9. $50M | 940 North Lake Way in Palm Beach

Harvey Jones, a tech investor with Square Wave Investors and Nvidia board member, bought the lakefront house at 940 North Lake Way for $50 million in July. It was the longtime island home of late liquor distributor James V. Tigani Jr. Tigani’s partner, Mark Bennett of the Corcoran Group, had the listing, and Todd and Frances Peter of Sotheby’s International Realty represented the buyer. 

Tigani bought the 0.8-acre estate for $7.4 million in 2002. The 7,500-square-foot home was built in 1974 and has five bedrooms, six bathrooms, one half-bathroom, a billiards room, four bars, a pool and 130 of frontage on the water. 

10. $49M | 3301 South Moorings Way in Miami 

Carlos Hakim, a neuroscientist and biomedical engineer, and his wife, attorney Luciana Haddad Hakim, sold their longtime Coconut Grove home for $49 million. The mansion at 3301 South Moorings Way traded in an off-market deal to a Delaware entity in May. Built in 2007 on 0.6 waterfront acres, the 8,900-square-foot house has six bedrooms and six bathrooms. The couple paid $10.1 million for the home in 2010.