Scene in the Tropics

Alex Rodriguez sells Miami Beach manse to a mystery Palm Beach celeb for $30M

TMZ reports that ARod has left the building--that is, his 9 bedroom, 11 bathroom Miami Beach manse, which he just sold for $30 million. Though the Yankee slugger took an $8 million pay cut in the price of the home, originally listed at $38 mil, he bought it in 2010 for $7.4 million, raking in a pretty impressive profit nonetheless. The buyer, TMZ says, is a Palm Beach celeb. Rush Limbaugh? Rod Stewart? G-d forbid Donald Trump?  No one knows--yet. Says our real estate mole, "It's a couple from Palm Beach." The home is not so far from Matt Damon's, which is currently on the market for the bargain basement price of $20 million. True high rollers, however, may want to consider the Versace mansion, which just dropped its asking price today from $100 million to $75 million.

Coal mining heir Wayne Boich, Jr. building billionaire bachelor pad on North Bay Road

There are no real estate woes for the 1 percent. According to Kevin Tomlinson's South Beach Condos Blog, three North Bay Road homes were sold for $19.6 million to 37-year-old Ohio coal mining heir Wayne Boich, Jr., who plans to knock down all three homes and build one big billionaire bachelor pad. Boich's ICON South Beach penthouse is currently under contract for somewhere in the market of $21 million, closing allegedly on September 1. Boich is CEO of the eponymous Columbus-based Boich Group of Companies, which in 2008 teamed up with Ohio utility company FirstEnergy to buy the Signal Peak Coal Mine near Billings, Montana to create Signal Peak Energy. The company is also a big donor in political circles, too, especially to Speaker of the House John Boehner, a big supporter of clean coal efforts.

From clean coal to down and dirty partying, Boich, a LIV-fixture, is best known locally for dating Tara Reid many moons ago, and for his big, star studded birthday bashes, his latest featuring DJ Avicii spinning at his penthouse. His website describes him as "a man with vision, who has a deep concern for the community, society and the environment. These combined factors make him a powerful and articulate business man."

Incidentally, one of the homes he bought used to belong to former singer, beauty queen, Florida citrus spokesperson and anti-gay advocate Anita Bryant and then husband, late Miami DJ Bob Green back in 1982.

Update: So much for the billionaire bachelor pad. Congrats go out to Boich, who, last week announced his engagement to 29-year-old Cynthia Marin. The couple, who met in Spain over two years ago, will marry next year and move into that big ol' house they're building together. Mazel tov and move on, golddiggers.

Miami Heat's Mike Miller puts his oceanfront estate up for auction (again)

Miami Heat player Mike Miller has put his Hillsboro Shores (Broward County) estate on the auction block for the second time. If Miller has his way, the place will be sold on June 30 to the highest bidder via Platinum Luxury Auctions, LLC, an auction house specializing in multi-million-dollar real estate and asset sales. The three level oceanfront estate has 6 bedrooms, 8 full bathrooms, 2 half bathrooms, an elevator, 2 kitchens, cigar and wine room, swim up pool bar and more. Before he decided to put it up for auction, Miller listed the home for $9 million. The home was originally scheduled to for auction in February, and while interest was allegedly generated, Miller decided to "re-offer" it now. In other words, he wants to get rid of it asap, so there's neither a minimum bid nor a reserve meaning it just goes to the highest bidder. To live like a baller, click here.

Singing the bleaus? Despite raking in the dough, Fontainebleau may still be on the verge of bankruptcy

Despite recent reports of raking in $9 in revenue per second and "leaving financial woes behind," the Fontainebleau may not be able to avoid filing for bankruptcy according to a leaked confidential memo sent out today by Fidelity National Title Group's Florida Underwriting Department to all Florida offices and agents of Chicago Title Insurance Company, Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Company, and Fidelity National Title Insurance Company.

Reads the memo, "You are hereby instructed not to close or process any title insurance transactions without prior written approval of the Underwriting Department in which the following individuals and entities are involved in the transaction: Bruce Weiner, Jackie Soffer, Jeffrey Soffer, and Ray Parello." The Soffers we know. As for Weiner, he's a former Turnberry CEO who has alleged that "Soffer siphoned millions of dollars from Turnberry companies for 'upkeep of his baronial lifestyle,'" while Parello is Turnberry's Director of Finance.

We sent the entire memo to our legal eagle, who, in layman's terms told us, "Sounds like he is going to have to file for bankruptcy. It also sounds like he is not going to be able to obtain title insurance for any of his properties that he either has or is planning to purchase in the future."

This, despite the fact that on April 3, the Herald's Doug Hanks wrote, "The 1,500-room resort that once publicly discussed bankruptcy proceedings now is impressing analysts with rapid profit growth and one of the most lucrative nightclubs in the country."

The Fontainebleau's Director of Public Relations Mabel De Beunza was unavailable for comment.

So were we just bam-bleau-zled (sorry) or is this not that shocking and no big deal? We'll leave that to the business experts like Hanks, who says "I would be cautious in assuming this will impact the Fontainebleau." We won't cry for them, but on second thought, for $9 a second we'll cry them a river.

Click here for the entire memo

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The Miami Herald has received a letter from Fidelty National Title Group that takes issue with this posting, stating it "mischaracterized both the Alert's purpose and its contents. ... Fidelity's Alert did not make the assertions suggested in your Article...in fact, we have updated the contents of the Alert to delete both Bruce Weiner and Ray Perello from the list of individuals as to whom underwriting positions must be formulated.''

After reviewing the situation, Miami Herald editors agree that the memorandum attached to the above posting does not present information that would support any conclusions regarding the Fontainebleau's risk of bankruptcy . The lawyer quoted in the post gave a general opinion as to the legal language in the memo and had not followed or studied cases involving the Fontainebleau and its financial standing prior to giving us his quote.

Rosie O'Donnell puts Star Island mansion up for sale

After being axed by Oprah, Rosie O'Donnell has decided to pare down, first putting her Chicago home on the market for $2.5 million and now trying to unload her 11,000 square foot Star Island estate for the low, low price of $19,500,000, according to the South Beach Condo blog. She bought it back in '99 for $6,750,000. O'Donnell's not the only one to flee the island. Shoe designers Donald and Lisa Pliner are also outta there and moving to LA after reportedly selling their home, which was on the market for $19,999,999. We're sure the tour boats will miss O'Donnell mooning them from her Jet Ski.

Beyonce dumps Jay Z's dog houses and three Miami Beach condos

You have to wonder what the purpose was for that tiny little studio Beyonce sold at the Green Diamond on December 12---shoes, weaves, Jay-Z when he was naughty? Whatever the case, that so-called cabana was nothing, y'all. Turns out the expectant mother unloaded 3 direct oceanfront units combined to make a total of 5,520 square feet and two cabanas in the Green Diamond. Though she paid $2.395 million back in 2002 for all three units, purchased directly from the developer, she sold 'em all for $2.9 million, according to Kevin Tomlinson, vice president of ONE Sotheby's International Realty. The cabanas were sold to two different buyers who own condos at the Diamonds, and the condos were bought for $2.7 by Miamians Martiniano and Sofia Perez after just two months on the market, Tomlinson said. Contrary to TMZ's reports that Beyonce paid $465,000 for a 190 square foot studio she then sold for $110,000, Beyonce cashed in bigtime, adding to her ever growing net worth. As for the reports of the Z's purchasing another place in Miami--not so says an inside source, not so at all.

The Z's--Beyonce, Jay & Baby Bump, house hunting in Miami?

In town while her hubby Jay-Z convinced fans he was the Bard of hip hop and Kanye West was, well, not, Beyonce and her baby bump chilled out at Alex Rodriguez's house. We have it on excellent authority that the Z's were house hunting in Miami. Who knows, maybe they'll be neighbors of Real Housewives of Atlanta's Nene Leakes, who was also house hunting out of her league down here, too, but certainly only for the cameras. Jay Z can buy the entire city if he wanted to, but not, of course, on any profits from his ill advised Occupy All Streets venture. No word on location of alleged house hunt, though some say they may be sniffing around the predictable North Bay Road, but we'll let you know if we hear anything further.

NY Knicks player Amar'e Stoudemire sells W South Beach penthouse for $5.2 mil

Just sold to a company (the ambiguous MF Penthouse 3 LLC) for $5.2 million: New York Knicks player Amar'e Stoudemire's penthouse at the W South Beach. Miami Beach attorney/entrepreneur Matthew Krieger of Bratter Krieger LLP represented Stoudemire in the sale and  broker Dave Marotta of Carefree Properties was the listing agent. Our sources tell us Stoudemire was planning to plunk down $10 million on an even grander Miami pad had the Miami Heat signed him. With that NBA lockout in effect, not to mention the abysmal economic situation, we won't exactly cry for him, but we guess he's better off.

Her first name ain't J-Lo, it's Lola if you're nasty

Here's a class photo of some of the new minority owners of the Miami Dolphins, taken last night at Jorge Perez's Viceroy Hotel where a party was thrown for Hispanic Heritage Month. Pictured from left to right: Perez, Emilio Estefan, Lola Lopez, Marc Anthony and the team's actual owner, Stephen Ross. Incidentally Anthony and Lopez are said to have purchased a condo in Perez's Icon at Viceroy. If Estefan moves in, too, then something's definitely fishy.  

Photo: Peter Richardson/Red Eye Productions

Miami Babylon or babble on?

While some people may be worried that their covers will be blown in esteemed author Gerald Posner's new Miami expose, Miami Babylon: Crime, Wealth and Power. A Dispatch From the Beach, the best part about it is all the on-the-record stuff that people are saying about each other. Snap! We scored an advance copy and have picked out some of our faves:

Thomas Kramer on his short lived partnership with developer Jorge Perez: "We did a lot of party and pus*y."

Kramer on banning gays from his short lived club Hell: "I  have nothing against faggots, but I wanted a club with beautiful women and men like me."

Kramer on the accusations he molested a little boy in a NY bathroom whom he claims was horsing around and bumped into him at a urinal: "[I told him] If you don't stop this, I will rip this off [grabbing the child's crotch.] And then the little mother*ucker ran off to his mommy to say I molested him."

Ex Miami Beach mayor Niesen Kasdin on Kramer: "Kramer was like watching a train wreck in slow motion."

Ingrid Casares on teaming up with so called club kingpin Chris Paciello in the night club biz: "I needed a substantial profession to prove I was more than just a drug addled sycophant."

Paciello on whether he'd return to Miami: "Most people in Miami respect me. Who knows if I'll end up back there one day. Miami wouldn't be the same without me--and I don't mean that as an ego statement."

Former promoter/club owner Gary James on Paciello's unlikely return to Miami: "Chris seems ready to reclaim his glory. I'd advise him to do it in Los Angeles where he's a new face. No matter what he thinks, South Beach isn't kind to yesterday's stars."

Developer Craig Robins on fellow developer Don Peebles: "His legacy in Miami is not particularly meaningful."

Peebles on Miami: "Miami is just not comfortable with  blacks. I don't acquiesce. I am married to a white wife, I make a lot of money, and my problem is that I don't know my place."

Robins on Lincoln Road developer Michael Comras: "Comras is parasitic, not a visionary."