Casey Abby Blog's: Florida’s Most Expensive Home Is $115M

Friday 19 March 2021

Florida’s Most Expensive Home Is $115M—How Long Will This One Last?

Amid flux on Florida’s priciest property leaderboard, the title of most expensive home in the Sunshine State has a new titleholder. For now.

Listed at $115 million, this mansion on South Ocean Drive in Palm Beach is currently the Sunshine State’s priciest property for sale. However, that honor may be fleeting, given the rapid pace of Florida’s high-end housing market.

We chronicled the 10 most expensive properties in Florida less than a month ago—and the top two from that list are now off the market.

As for the latest entrant, this huge house on Billionaire’s Row was built in 2015 and sits on 2.66 acres. The Atlantic Ocean is on one side of the lot and the Intracoastal Waterway on the other.

The sprawling estate has room to spread out—it offers a total of nearly 30,000 square feet of living space.

Exterior of mansion in Palm Beach, FL
realtor.com

The decor is ornate and punctuated by columns, arches, and ironwork. The muted palette of the interiors includes mostly white and other neutral shades.

There are nine bedrooms and more than 10 bathrooms on three levels. The bathrooms are huge, and one of them features an island just as big as a typical kitchen island.

Speaking of the kitchen, the main cooking space has two islands, plus built-in appliances. There’s also a large butler’s pantry and other storage close to the main kitchen.

Outside, there are several outdoor kitchens and multiple dining and sitting spaces where guests can congregate. Choices include spots for lounging by the pool, as well as other areas set aside for gazing out at the ocean or the Intracoastal.

The outdoor pool and spa are covered, to avoid the direct Florida sun, but are open on all sides. Several of the outdoor spaces feature fireplaces, as a hedge against any unseasonably cool evenings in Florida.

The house has huge windows and glass doors to take advantage of the water views on both sides. The dock on the waterway has deepwater access, ideal for a yacht.

Other high-end amenities include a gym with room for all kinds of equipment. Luxury autos are protected in an air-conditioned garage with four spaces, plus a bathroom.

A studio guesthouse has a kitchenette and place for a bed and living space.

The property made headlines in 2019, after a landscaper accidentally broke a natural gas line while tending to the extensive, manicured landscaping. Several mature trees and art dot the lawn.

Public records list the current owner as a trust based in Hamburg, Germany. Records show that the tax bill for 2020 was $549,928.44—one of the highest in the county.

When the property sold back in May 2012, it was the largest sale that year, at $23.5 million. The previous owners were the socialite Ruby Rinker and her husband Andrew Bytnar.

The house on the land at that time was a 12,000-square-foot home built in 1971, which was demolished to make way for this estate. The Addison Development Group built the home and is responsible for several other mansions along Billionaire’s Row.

The listing agent is Lawrence Moens, who frequently holds the listings for Palm Beach’s most prestigious properties. Moens recently sold a property that was previously the state’s most expensive listing, at $140 million. The sale price of $122.7 million probably set a nice comp for this new competitor in Palm Beach’s mansion mania.