$120M Star Island Mansion Sale Sets Miami-Dade Record

Ken Griffin set the previous record with his $107 million purchase of Adrienne Arsht's Coconut Grove estate in 2022.

March 13, 2025

Image: Color aerial view of Miami Beach Star Island, the Port of Miami, and surrounding waters on a nearly cloudless day.

The exclusive gated community off Miami Beach overlooks Biscayne Bay. Photo by Luis/Adobe Stock

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Move over Ken Griffin.

Billionaire Vladislav Doronin just set a new real estate record in Miami-Dade County after selling his Star Island mansion for $120 million. The Russian-born developer and businessman sold the sprawling estate to an entity tied to tech entrepreneur Michael Ferro Jr., according to the Real Deal.

The $120 million sale surpasses the Citadel CEO's purchase of Adrienne Arsht's four-acre Coconut Grove estate for $107 million, which set the county record for the most expensive residential real estate transaction back in 2022. (Griffin himself has snatched up land on Star Island).

The exclusive island off Miami Beach is known for its wealthy and famous residents. Before Indian Creek became "Billionaire Bunker," Star Island was the enclave for the rich and famous. People who have called the exclusive neighborhood home include Rick Ross, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Jennifer Lopez, and Phillip Frost.

The manmade island only has around 30 homes, AKA luxury mansions. New Times also can't forget to mention that federal agents raided Sean "Diddy" Combs' Star Island mansion, as part of the federal sex trafficking investigation into the hip-hop mogul. Diddy allegedly recruited women to attend his "Freak Offs," drug-fueled sex parties at the mansion.

Doronin, owner of Aman Resorts and CEO of international real estate development firm OKO Group, purchased the home from retired NBA star Shaquille O'Neal for $16 million in 2009. Former Miami Heat player Rony Seikaly built the 20,000-square-foot mansion on the exclusive island in 1992 and later sold it to the fellow basketball center.

The 2.5 acre property at 26 Star Island Dr. features a dock, pool, and tennis court. However, the two-story home was reportedly purchased as a complete teardown.

As billionaires continue buying property left and right in Miami-Dade, someone ought to surpass this $120 million record in the near future. We are looking at you, Jeff Bezos.

Naomi Feinstein is a staff writer of Miami New Times where she primarily focuses on news. Naomi started her career with New Times as a summer intern in 2019, then returned as a fellow in August 2022 before joining the staff full-time in February 2023. She graduated from University of Miami where she contributed to the student-run newspaper, the Miami Hurricane. She holds a master’s degree and graduated with honors from the Columbia School of Journalism. In 2021, Naomi was recognized as the College Journalist of the Year from the Society of Professional Journalists of Florida, and she placed second for Best General News Story in the 2021 Pinnacle Awards.

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