Music mogul and rap superstar Rick Ross has officially closed on 37 Star Island Drive for $35 million. Ross says the purchase was "a major piece to the puzzle" in building his already robust real estate portfolio. 37 Star Island Drive is a 12,374 square foot, 6 bedroom home situated on a manicured 40,000-square foot lot with 100-feet of waterfront on Miami Beach’s exclusive and ritzy Star Island.

Jill Eber, Jill Hertzberg, Felise Eber, and Fabio Lopes of The Jills Zeder Group represented the seller, Yale R. Brown, the president of IMS Ventures and the managing partner of Columbus Ventures. Kimberly Knausz with ONE Sotheby's International Realty and Ross’ sister Tawanda Roberts, a real estate agent with Florida Realty of Miami, represented the buyer, Rick Ross, a rapper and record executive.

“He instantly fell in love with the grand entry, it has a very long driveway stretching towards the mansion that creates an air of real luxury. The architecture also played a part as it’s far beyond the ordinary modern home and he plans to enhance it to reflect his personal style,” said Knausz.

The gated Star Island has long been one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Miami, just across the MacArthur Causeway from the entrance to Fisher Island and Miami Beach’s South of Fifth neighborhood. Star Island is a man-made island in the middle of Biscayne Bay and located in the city of Miami Beach. The island was built by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1922 as part of a dredging project and was developed by Carl Fisher into an island for the rich and famous. The island is now home to celebrities and billionaires such as Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Philip Frost, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, Alex Rodriguez, Stuart Miller and Vladislav Doronin.

In March 2023 PROFILEmiami reported that Star Island had emerged as the leader among the most expensive neighborhoods in the United States, leading Port Royal in Naples, FL and Beverly Hill’s Beverly Hills Gateway and Trousdale Estates, according to sales data from Zillow Group Inc. The average home sale on the ritzy island in 2022 traded for $40.2 million, up $16.7 million and 71% from 2019 when the average home sale on the island was $23.5 million.

Over the past several years hedge fund heavyweight Ken Griffin, founder Citadel, has purchased an assemblage of five properties on the island for a combined $170 million. In 2018 Lennar Executive Chairman Stuart Miller acquired Thomas Kramer's former 4 and 5 Star Island Drive for $33 million and also developed an ultra-luxury spec home at 22 Star Island with Todd Michael Glaser which was designed by DOMO Design and sold for $49.5 million in an off-market deal overseen by David Solomon and David Miller in 2020.

37 Star Island Drive features a 12,374 square foot residence is situated on a manicured 40,000 square foot lot, featuring 100 feet of water frontage facing Biscayne Bay and offers direct bay and ocean access. The home spans six bedrooms plus an office space, eight full bathrooms and one-half bathroom. Elegant design and linear architectural details are featured throughout the home, plus custom millwork and use of rich woods, octagon-shaped ceiling accents with custom lighting, and oversized “Plaza Deck” terraces.

This impressive entry foyer greets with soaring 30-foot ceilings with a rotunda ceiling accent, while surrounding glass walls encase the foyer appearing to bring the outside water feature into the home. A custom hand-crafted winding mahogany-travertine staircase leads to a second-floor landing and seating area that overlooks the living room below and provides direct views to the pool and bay.

The oversized formal living room also features 30-foot ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows streaming natural light, a custom-built fireplace with mahogany and burled wood accents, and direct access to a covered terrace with views to the pool and bay.

The chef’s kitchen offers granite countertops, a cooking and prep center island, top-of-the-line appliances and a large food pantry. A large butler’s pantry, a separate breakfast room and a spacious private dining room are adjacent to the kitchen.

Also on the first floor is an expansive entertainment/media room, an office den with rich mahogany paneled walls and beautiful custom detailed millwork, staff quarters with full bathroom, and full laundry room. There is three-phase power and a back stairwell/elevator shaft provisioned to add an interior elevator.

The spacious, first-floor principal suite features floor-to-ceiling windows with direct bay views and access to the pool deck, remote controlled black out/hurricane shutters, midnight wet bar, and spacious dual walk-in closets with custom built-ins. The gentlemen’s bathroom features travertine marble floors, a mahogany wood vanity and a large shared walk-in rain shower with steam that can be accessed from either side; the ladies’ bathroom boasts large slab marble floors, a bird’s eye maple vanity and mirror with inset lighting, mirrored ceiling and a Jacuzzi sunken spa tub.

On the second floor are four spacious guest suites, each featuring a full en-suite bathroom, high ceilings, walk-in closets and oversized “Plaza Deck” terraces. Two are east-facing and overlook the pool deck with direct views to the bay and South Beach; two are west-facing and overlook the front of the home and Downtown Miami.

Outdoor highlights include a large, covered terrace with al fresco dining tables leading to the pool; large heated pool featuring an automated pool cleaning system; covered summer kitchen/bar with TV, sink, BBQ; fountain, and Jacuzzi, surrounded by lush palms, tropical flowers, plants, and a Japanese Zen garden. A full cabana bathroom is located next to the pool. A private 40-foot dock with an electric and water pedestal can accommodate a large vessel.

Images via The Jills Zeder Group /1 Oak Studios