In Florida's 'billionaire bunker', where ultra-wealthy like Jeff Bezos and Ivanka Trump are driving out local millionaires – while the Amazon tycoon wants to grab three more properties
American billionaires who have moved to Miami's most exclusive island are said to be driving out local millionaires.
The village overlooking Biscayne Bay is known as 'Billionaire Bunker' thanks to its mega-wealthy residents, a mix of celebrities and business magnates.
Jeff Bezos owns multiple properties on Indian Creek Island, alongside retired NFL star Tom Brady and former first daughter Ivanka Trump.
The Amazon billionaire, the third richest person in the world, wants to buy another three houses on the island, according to him. Bloomberg
A local historian also told the newspaper that those who had previously lived on the island can no longer afford to do so, with billionaires now the only ones who can afford to live there.
Indian Creek Island, overlooking Biscayne Bay, is known as 'Billionaire Bunker' thanks to its mega-wealthy residents
Jeff Bezos, seen here with partner Lauren Sanchez, is reportedly looking to buy three more homes on the island
Bezos bought a three-bedroom property on Indian Creek for $68 million in June
The Amazon founder also bought his neighbor's mansion for $79 million in October
Local historian Paul George, who works at the HistoryMiami Museum, said, “Only the very wealthy, the billionaires, can now afford to live in Indian Creek. Hundreds of millions will no longer survive.'
Architect Kobi Karp told Bloomberg that the island's biggest appeal is the privacy it offers to residents.
'In other neighborhoods I can come by if I want to deliver papers to you, harass you or take pictures of you. Some people don't like that at all,” Karp said.
Dina Goldentayer, who has been involved in several sales in Indian Creek Village, told Bloomberg about the rapid rise in prosperity in the enclave.
Goldentayer told the outlet that prices for homes renovated to billionaire standards will soon soar to nine figures.
“This is all post-Covid, and before it was actually very different, there would be five or six listings at a time and $20 million was a big sale,” she said.
According to Bloomberg, Bezos' representatives have now contacted at least three other homeowners on the island about purchasing their properties.
Bezos previously purchased two adjacent homes on the island last year for a total of nearly $150 million.
Bezos owns several properties on Indian Creek Island, alongside retired NFL star Tom Brady and former first daughter Ivanka Trump
The private residential enclave has been a magnet for billionaires, celebrities and power couples thanks to its privacy and security
The three-bedroom property on the man-made barrier island sits on 2.8 acres and was built in 1965.
It was previously owned by a company with ties to Panama called MTM Star International, which acquired it for $1.4 million in 1982.
Bezos then bought his neighbor's mansion for $79 million in October last year, which extends over 19,064 square meters and includes seven bedrooms.
The enclave has become a hotspot for the rich and powerful, drawn by its luxurious homes and improved security.
The island is only accessible via a single, guarded bridge and is protected by a private police force that patrols the community 24 hours a day on foot, by air and by land.
Residents have access to an exclusive country club and a private 18-hole golf course, while Miami's South Beach is just eight miles away.
With an average home price of $29.5 million and approximately 40 residents, Indian Creek is branded as “the most exclusive community in the world.”
Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner bought a fixer-upper property from Spanish singer Julio Iglesias
Kushner and Trump bought their home in April 2021 for $24 million and spent more than two years renovating it
Ivanka and Jared are pictured here with their family at their island home
The area has previously attracted the likes of Jay-Z and Beyoncé, as well as current resident investor Carl Icahn and Jared Kushner.
Kushner and former first daughter Ivanka Trump bought their home in April 2021 for $24 million and spent more than two years renovating it.
Carl Icahn reportedly bought his mansion in 1997 for $7.5 million, while Colombian banker Jaime Gilinski collected five properties to build an estate for his family.
Football star Tom Brady and his supermodel wife Gisele Bündchen also built an “eco-mansion” in the community before their divorce.
Despite their split, the former power couple live just a stone's throw away from each other.
The former couple bought a $17 million mansion on this island in October 2020 with plans to build an eco-friendly dream home
Tom has locked up the $17 million mega-mansion he and Gisele bought in 2020 with the intention of spending the rest of their lives under one roof
Gisele bought a fixer-upper across the water from Tom that summer for $11.5 million, seen here
It was previously reported that shortly after news of their divorce, Gisele bought a fixer-upper across the water from Tom that summer for $11.5 million.
The NFL star and model planned to build an eco-friendly forever home for themselves and their three children in the exclusive village.
Brady has a son, Benjamin, and a daughter, Vivian, with Bündchen, as well as an older son, John Edward, with his ex Bridget Moynahan.
The former couple demolished the pre-existing 5,772-square-foot home on the lot, but construction stopped last year after their divorce.
Spanish singer Julio Iglesias is a long-time resident of the island and owns several properties, having moved there in the 1970s.
The star was at the height of his career when he made Miami his official home, purchasing a mansion on Indian Creek Island in 1979 for around $650,000.
Iglesias also acquired a total of four contiguous waterfront parcels on the island, totaling approximately eight acres.
Billionaire Carl Icahn, pictured here in 2016, reportedly bought his island mansion in 1997 for $7.5 million
Iglesias, seen here performing in Monaco, has lived on the island for a long time after moving in the 1970s
The Spanish singer acquired a total of four contiguous waterfront lots totaling about eight acres before selling one to Trump and Kushner.
In 2017, he listed the lots for a total of $150 million before taking them off the market the following year.
Iglesias later tried a different approach, listing just one 80,000-square-foot parcel — 4 Indian Creek Island Road — for $31.8 million in late 2020.
A few months later it was picked up by Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.
Florida is one of nine states in the country that has no capital gains or income tax.
In recent times, millionaires and billionaires have been flocking to the state to escape high-tax and Democratic-led states like California and New York.