South Florida’s residential real estate market in 2025 has seen a clear divide between ultra-wealthy buyers and the rest of the market. The year’s most expensive home sale in Florida occurred on the west coast, marking a shift from previous years when top sales were typically recorded on the east coast.
In April, the DeGroote family sold their waterfront Naples estate for $225 million. This transaction set a new record for Florida and became the second-highest home sale ever in the United States, surpassing Larry Ellison’s $173 million purchase of a Manalapan property in 2022.
Within South Florida’s tri-county area, one notable deal involved billionaire William Lauder selling an oceanfront lot in Palm Beach. According to sources, Microsoft Excel creator Charles Simonyi purchased this property as part of a $350 million assemblage on Palm Beach island.
Despite challenges faced by South Florida’s broader housing market this year, particularly outside the luxury segment, homes priced above $10 million continued to see strong demand. Economic uncertainty earlier in the year caused some delays but did not prevent high-value transactions from closing.
The Real Deal compiled data showing that the region’s single most expensive sale closed off-market and was not publicly recorded. Sources indicate that more than $160 million was paid for 2.3 acres of oceanfront land previously acquired by Lauder for $66.3 million between 2019 and 2020; it had been listed at $177.8 million with 360 feet of beachfront access. Christian Angle with Christian Angle Real Estate represented the seller, while Ryan Serhant with Serhant brought the buyer.
Additional deals connected to this assemblage included an $18 million sale at 1066 North Ocean Boulevard and a $30 million transaction at 1072 North Ocean Boulevard.
Other major sales included billionaire Vlad Doronin selling his Star Island estate in Miami Beach for $120 million to Michael Ferro of Merrick Ventures in March. Doronin originally bought this six-bedroom property from Shaquille O’Neal for $16 million in 2009.
Two properties tied as Miami-Dade County’s third-most expensive residential sales at $105 million each: one was a waterfront lot at 9 Indian Creek Island Road sold by Mikhail and Mariana Peleg; another was a waterfront estate at 5940 North Bay Road acquired by Todd Glaser and Posner Group from Sonny Kahn and Suzanne Kohn.
Jorge Mas sold a compound adjacent to Coral Gables’ Kampong Botanical Garden through an off-market deal after reportedly purchasing it earlier this year; city records have yet to reflect this transaction.
William Wrigley Jr., heir to the Wrigley chewing gum fortune, sold his North Palm Beach compound for $97.5 million—the highest price ever recorded within Lost Tree Village community.
Another significant transaction saw Jerry Jordan and Darlene Jordan sell their lakefront Palm Beach estate for $86.5 million after acquiring it for $14 million in 2000.
Fort Partners’ Nadim Ashi completed an $86-million penthouse sale at Seaway at Surf Club—now Miami-Dade County’s priciest condo deal—spanning over 16,000 square feet within Four Seasons Residences complex.
Hedge fund manager Nick Maounis purchased an estate at 88 La Gorce Circle for nearly $74.3 million from Germany’s Kollman family; Maounis is known as founder of Amaranth Advisors which collapsed following heavy losses on natural gas futures trades.
Ric Elias, CEO of Red Ventures, sold his fully furnished oceanfront mansion on South Ocean Boulevard via an off-market arrangement after buying it five years ago for less than half its current value.
Lastly, Patrick Dovigi sold his Bal Harbour waterfront house for nearly double what he paid two years prior—a sign that luxury real estate continues attracting significant investment even amid economic fluctuations.
