The New York Post thinks he is. Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos may be shopping for an estate in Palm Beach, according to a report by the New York Post.
Is Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos shopping for an estate in Palm Beach?
And if so, did one of his real estate representatives call the owners of famous Villa Artemis on North County Road to see if a private deal could be worked out?
And might Bezos, who just bought two side-by-side properties for a combined $147 million in tony Indian Creek near Miami, be willing to pay as much as $300 million to become a Palm Beach property owner?
The New York Post’s Gimme Shelter real estate column recently floated those questions in a story Friday, following rumors that had been circulating among real estate observers who wondered if Bezos was eying Palm Beach real estate.
The story by Jennifer Gould reported that Bezos was recently seen in Palm Beach: The billionaire and fiancée Lauren Sánchez “were spotted lunching in Palm Beach recently — once at Le Bilboquet on Worth Avenue” with fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger, his wife, Dee Ocleppo, Sylvester Stallone and his wife, Jennifer Flavin.
Both celebrity couples have recently invested in real estate on the island.
BEZOS BUYS IN INDIAN CREEK:‘Billionaire Bunker’ Florida home listed at $85 million. Jeff Bezos got it for $79 million
And what about Villa Artemis, the oceanfront estate once owned by Amy Phipps and Frederick Guest?
“We hear that one of the Palm Beach spots Bezos expressed interest in is Villa Artemis, which is not for sale,” the Post article said.
Quoting unnamed sources, the article said the estate at 656 N. County Road “is quietly being shopped” with an asking price of $300 million.
The Post reported that Michael Horvitz, who is among the three owners of Villa Artemis, said in a phone interview that he had been approached about selling the estate by “someone who asked me if he could show it to a few people. He thinks he can sell it for a price we can’t refuse. But we don’t want to sell.”
Palm Beach County property records show Horvitz owns the property through a trust. But previous reporting by the Palm Beach Daily News shows the estate also belongs to his wife, Jane Rosenthal Horvitz, and Cynthia Rosenthal Boardman, his sister-in-law.
According to the New York Post’s sources, Bezos “will most likely tear both (houses) down and build a mega-compound” in Indian Creek— and he could buy another Miami home to use as a residence during construction.
Stay tuned.
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Bezos is familiar with the Palm Beach area. He and ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, were issued their marriage license at the Palm Beach County Courthouse in 1993, the same year they were married at the Breakers West community, west of West Palm Beach, the Palm Beach Post has reported.
In May 2019, while they were still married, the couple was spotted at Scott’s parents’ 55th wedding anniversary in West Palm Beach.