Featured Listing: Walk the Grounds of Palm Beach's $115 Million Estate Il Palmetto, The 2nd Most Expensive Home in Florida

A property rich in history that has stood the test of time can be all yours for a cool $115 million. Il Palmetto in Palm Beach was originally built in 1930 by architect Maurice Fatio before being meticulously restored by Fairfax and Sammons, who maintained the stunning detail of the estate. The main house features 10 bedrooms, 14 full-bathrooms and 12 half-baths over 60,352 SF. It features a 2-story grand foyer, formal dining room, chef's kitchen, butler's pantry, family room, indoor theater, billiard room, library, office and pavilion, all circling a courtyard which is connected to a pool. The home also features a 20,000-bottle, limestone wine cellar; 2 elevators, gym, spa, secondary 1,000 bottle wine cellar, and a large master suite. Il Palmetto sits on 5.46 acres and stretches between Lake Worth Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean. A private, underground tunnel allows access under A1A to another 2 bedroom, 3 bathrooms beach house with an oceanfront infinity pool. On the other side of A1A is a lakefront boathouse complete with 2 more bedrooms and full bathrooms. Il Palmetto is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for an ultra-rich buyer looking for complete privacy on the sunny shores of Palm Beach. Il Palmetto is currently listed for $115 million with Cristina Condon of Sotheby's International Realty. 

Tour the Historical Palm Beach Estate Built by Howard Major in 1928 That Just Sold for $15 Million

A historical Palm Beach mansion built by Palm Beach architect Howard Major in 1928 has sold for $15 million. The mansion covers 10,501 SF spread over 7 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms and 2 half-bathrooms as well as an additional 3 bedrooms for staff. The home also features a chef’s kitchen, butler pantry, a library, exercise room, an elevator, a two-car garage and a saltwater pool. The home is one of the most magnificent historical homes in Palm Beach, located at 124 Via Bethesda. Howard Major designed the mansion in a “Creole” French Classical design with ornate features including a coral block coquina exterior quarried from Cuba, walnut paneling from a 17th century French chateau, and marble floors from the early 1600s. The home was listed with Ashley Mcintosh of Douglas Elliman and the buyer was represented by Chris Leavitt of Douglas Elliman.

“124 Via Bethesda represents one of the few remaining historic gems left in Palm Beach County. My buyer searched high and low for a classic home featuring the old world elegance that Palm Beach is known for and very hard to replicate,” said Chris Leavitt of Douglas Elliman who represented the buyer. 

Florida East Coast Industries Announced Park-Line Residential Rental Residence Brand to Launch at MiamiCentral & Palm Beach

Capitalizing on the new connectivity that the Brightline will be bringing to South Florida, Florida East Coast Industries (FECI) has announced that they will debut their new residential property brand, Park-Line, at MiamiCentral and Palm Beach. The brand will launch in 2018 with a 290-unit tower in downtown West Palm Beach, followed by two towers with a total of 816 units at MiamiCentral in 2019. The Park-Line brand will be an integral part of FECI’s dynamic, transit oriented developments transforming South Florida.

“Park-Line residences are designed for people on the move who want to live and travel smarter,” said Daniel Quintana, Vice President of Development for Florida East Coast Industries. “Each of the innovative towers in West Palm Beach and Miami will expand residents’ playground and working options by utilizing a vast variety of transit options just steps away from their front door, including our new Brightline train service that will seamlessly connect Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.”

Residences at Park-Line properties will come in studio, one and two bedroom floor-plans in West Palm Beach and studios, one, two and three bedroom apartments in MiamiCentral. Every residence will be highlighted by floor-to-ceiling windows, classic designer finishes and a collection of unparalleled amenities. Amenities will include a full-service poolside lounge; open-air cross training course; yoga lawn and fitness center with juice bar; private cabanas with outdoor grills and intimate seating areas; shaded dog parks and pet grooming salon; event lawn with movie screen and full social calendar of resident events. Unique to the MiamiCentral location, residents will have direct access to 180,000 SF of retail space including Miami’s first true food hall experience, Central Fare. The Park-Line residences will be located within steps of the Brightline express intercity train service connecting Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach with new downtown stations. Park-Line in West Palm Beach will launch in 2018, followed by the MiamiCentral location in 2019. 

Construction Update: 3550 South Ocean Breaks Ground, The 1st Residential Project on Palm Beach in Over A Decade

Integrated real estate firm DDG announced earlier this month (July 2017) that construction is officially underway at 3550 South Ocean in Palm Beach after hosting an exclusive ground-breaking ceremony attended by South Palm Beach Mayor Bonnie Fischer, Douglas Elliman Chairman Howard M. Lorber and DDG CEO and Chairman Joe McMillan. The project is a rare new addition to the Palm Beach shoreline. The groundbreaking follows the launch of sales earlier this year; the project is already over 20% sold.

“3550 South Ocean signifies DDG’s foray into Florida and we couldn’t be more excited to see this project come to life as construction gets underway. Between the location, ocean views and selection of amenities, 3550 South Ocean will introduce a new luxury lifestyle to the Palm Beach condominium market,” said Joe McMillan, CEO and Chairman of DDG.

“There has been a strong interest in 3550 South Ocean since sales have launched,” said Howard M. Lorber, Chairman of Douglas Elliman Realty, LLC., whose Douglas Elliman Development Marketing team is the exclusive marketing and sales agent for 3550 South Ocean. “This project has addressed the buyers’ needs for ground-up new luxury homes on the beach with an elevated level of design that this area of Palm Beach has not seen before.”

The 7-story building was designed by local starchitect Kobi Karp in collaboration with Garcia Stromberg of Palm Beach and interiors by Champalimaud of New York. 3550 South Ocean will feature 30 units which come in 2 and 3 bedroom layouts, range in size from 2,700 SF to 3,000 SF and start at $1.875 million. Units will feature private elevator access with private entry foyers, amazing views of the Atlantic Ocean and Intracoastal Waterway, floor-to-ceiling glass, expansive chef's kitchens, and will be delivered move-in ready. A collection of five penthouses will also feature rooftop terraces.

Amenities include private beach access, a beachfront salt water swimming pool and sun terrace, a fitness studio with eastfacing natural light, on-site surf board and stand-up paddleboard storage, private gated access and private parking. Additionally, DDG has a partnership with The Wright Fit, to provide custom, on-demand lifestyle services including in-residence massages, indoor and outdoor private training, and yoga and youth fitness for residents. Ownership perks also include an exclusive relationship with on-demand charter service, Star Jets International which provides residents with custom-tailored concierge jet services, with the resident experience inclusive of door-to-door car transfers, itinerary customization, jet selection, onboard catering and more. Construction is currently under way with KAST as the general contractor. Delivery expected in late 2018. 

Joe McMillan (CEO and Chairman of DDG), Howard Lorber (Chairman of Douglas Elliman Realty, LLC.) [shown left to right]