(Dec 27): A mystery seller is asking US$200 million (RM893.43 million) for an empty waterfront lot next door to the properties Jeff Bezos bought in South Florida.

The roughly 1.84 acre lot (0.74 hectare) is located at Indian Creek, a man-made barrier island that’s been dubbed “Billionaire Bunker.” Ilya Reznik, who’s brokering the transaction, declined to identify the seller but said they are “willing to negotiate” on price. “I’ve already had a couple of showings and obviously the buyer is going to be a billionaire,” Reznik said. 

Even if the land ultimately fails to sell for US$200 million, Reznik believes it will still set a record for the region. That’s in part because of the Amazon.com Inc founder, who’s bought three properties in Indian Creek since 2023, including two next door to the lot that’s now for sale. Bezos is expected to tear down those two properties and replace them with custom builds.

On his third purchase earlier this year, Bezos paid roughly US$87 million.

“I think US$200 million is a big number but I’m confident that in the end the buyer will pay a little extra because Bezos is a neighbour,” Reznik said. “Those prices just didn’t exist before he came to Indian Creek.”

The empty land, at 9 Indian Creek Island Road, was purchased for US$27.5 million in 2018 by SMM Sunny Holding LLC, a Delaware company, records show. Reznik said the current owner drew pre-designs for a 25,000 sq ft (2,322.6 sq m) estate on the property that will be available to the buyer. 

Indian Creek has become a symbol of the surge in wealth in South Florida and how the ultra rich are pricing out the mere affluent. 

The island, accessible only via a single, heavily guarded bridge, has its own police force and roughly 40 lots, as well as its own 18-hole golf course. Other Indian Creek residents include Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, Tom Brady and Carl Icahn.

Even outside Indian Creek, it’s becoming increasingly more expensive to own a luxury home in the region. In the third quarter, the median price for a luxury single-family home — the top 10% of sales — in Miami Beach and nearby barrier islands was US$23 million, a 16% increase from the same period a year earlier, according to data from brokerage Douglas Elliman Real Estate and appraiser Miller Samuel Inc.

The Indian Creek listing was first reported by the New York Post.

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