Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos bought three homes in south Florida’s Billionaire Bunker in a span of just nine months. But one of those purchases may soon cost the real estate brokerage that sold it to him millions of dollars, as the former homeowner of one of his Florida homes is suing the brokerage that sold the billionaire his second Florida home.
In August 2023, Bezos reportedly bought a waterfront estate in Billionaire Bunker for $68 million. He has famous neighbors, too: Tom Brady, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are among the biggest names.
A few months later, in October 2023, Bezos bought his second home in the neighborhood for $79 million. And the owner, who originally listed the home for $85 million, is now suing the brokerage that made the deal.
Here’s what we know about the lawsuit and Bezos’ ties to Florida.
How much did Jeff Bezos pay for his home?
On September 11, Realtor.com reported that the former owner of Jeff Bezos’ Billionaire Bunker home, that he bought for $79 million almost a year ago, is suing real estate brokerage Douglas Elliman.
“The seller of the $79 million home is suing real-estate brokerage Douglas Elliman, which handled both sides of the transaction, saying the company misled him about the identity of the buyer and cost him $6 million in the process,” Realtor.com said in the report.
The former owner feels he’s owed a bigger payout because he’d originally listed his home – which includes seven bedrooms, a wine cellar, library, theater and pool – for $85 million, the report said.
What we know about the Bezos’ Billionaire Bunker home lawsuit
According to the complaint filed in the 11th Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade County, the seller (Brazilian toy and electronics company co-founder Leo Kryss) asked the brokerage if the Amazon CEO was behind the deal during negotiations.
The CEO of the brokerage’s Florida region claims in the complaint that he called Kryss to tell him that it wasn’t Bezos and the buyer wouldn’t pay more than $79 million, leading him to sell at around a 7% discount.
Tendencia Asset Management Ltd, which is an entity tied to Kryss, filed the lawsuit against Douglas Elliman Florida on July 15, demanding a trial by jury to determine if Kryss should be repaid the millions he believes he’s owed.
After the deal closed, the CEO who told Kryss the buyer wasn’t Bezos emailed Kryss to confirm that he really didn’t know, and thought the buyer was the family of Benny Klepach, the mayor of Indian Creek Village (Billionaire Bunker), who runs duty-free shops in airports across the Americas.
“Despite Parker’s representations regarding Mr. Klepach, given the duties that were owed by the Broker, Parker’s position as the CEO and President of the Broker, and his 24 years as a lawyer, Parker knew or should have known that the presumed deal did not involve Mr. Klepach’s family, but instead Bezos,” the complaint says. “Parker and the Broker failed to disclose the source of the information or take any further steps to confirm the accuracy of this statement.”
When did Jeff Bezos buy his Florida houses?
In an April 2, 2024, Seattle Times story, Bezos “agreed to pay about $90 million in an off-market transaction for a six-bedroom home in the Miami-area enclave, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Bezos plans to live there while he tears down the other houses he bought on the island, said one of the people.”
In October 2023, the billionaire and Blue Origin CEO reportedly paid $79 million for a seven-bedroom, 14-bathroom mansion set on 1.84 acres in Indian Creek Village, according to Bloomberg. The ultra luxe, ultra private neighborhood is near Miami Beach and earned the nickname Billionaire Bunker for its residents.
In August 2023, Bezos reportedly bought a waterfront estate there for $68 million.
Indian Creek Village, a 300-acre island in Biscayne Bay with about 30 homes, an ultra-exclusive country club and golf course, is one of the richest neighborhoods in the United States.
Where does Jeffrey Bezos live?
Buying two homes in one of Florida’s richest neighborhoods is viral material, but Bezos’ announcement of leaving his beloved Seattle, Washington, for South Florida caused a stir online. Bezos traded West Coast life for East Coast living.
In November 2023, Bezos announced the news via a throwback video on Instagram, showing him inside his Seattle garage where he founded Amazon in 1994.
“This is my desk here… this is the fax machine,” Bezos said in the video while giving a tour of his “office.” “That’s my dad behind the camera in this video,” he wrote in the post.
Aside from the homes in Billionaire Bunker, Bezos has many ties to Florida. He graduated from Palmetto High School in Miami. His company, Blue Origin, has a facility in Cape Canaveral next to Kennedy Space Center and SpaceX. The owner of the Washington Post reportedly said he was moving to Miami to be closer to his parents and his Blue Origin operations.
“I’ve lived in Seattle longer than I have lived anywhere else,” Bezos wrote in the social media post. “As exciting as the move is, it’s an emotional decision for me. Seattle, you will always have a place in my heart.”
Who is Jeff Bezos?
Jeff Bezos is the founder of Amazon and has his own aerospace company, Blue Origin. Blue Origin has a site on the Space Coast, visible from Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
For years, Bezos has been included on several “world’s richest” lists.
In April 2023, Forbes ranked billionaire Jeff Bezos as the “top tech mogul” and ranked him the third richest man in the world with an estimated fortune of $180 billion. In April 2022, Forbes reported Bezos was the second richest man in the world with an estimated fortune of $171 billion. In 2021, Forbes ranked the Amazon founder No. 1 as the world’s richest man.
