Another California billionaire is packing up and taking his talents to Miami.
Mark Zuckerberg is reportedly under contract to buy a newly completed waterfront mansion on Florida’s ultra-exclusive Indian Creek Island. The purchase price has not been recorded yet, but based on similar recent comparable sales, the deal was almost certainly in the $150 million to $200 million range.
The seller was Jersey Mikes founder Peter Cancro. Cancro purchased the 1.8-acre property for $37 million in 2021 and subsequently built a custom estate with a private dock and extensive waterfront frontage. The sale was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Life Inside the Bunker
The off-market deal makes the home one of the most expensive single-family residences ever sold in Miami-Dade County. By moving to Indian Creek, Zuckerberg isn’t just buying a house; he’s buying into the most secure “fortress” in America.
Known globally as the “Billionaire Bunker,” the 300-acre man-made island is an incorporated village with its own dedicated government and a private 13-person police force. Access is restricted to a single, heavily guarded bridge, and a 24/7 armed marine patrol circles the island’s perimeter to ensure no one approaches from the water. Zuckerberg’s new neighbors include a staggering concentration of global influence:
- Jeff Bezos: The Amazon founder recently spent over $147 million on three separate properties on the island.
- Tom Brady: The NFL legend built a $17 million “eco-mansion” on the island following his move to Florida.
- Ivanka Trump & Jared Kushner: The couple purchased a $32 million estate shortly after leaving Washington D.C.
- Carl Icahn: The legendary activist investor has called the island home since the late 90s.
- Julio Iglesias: The Latin music icon is one of the island’s largest landholders, owning multiple prime waterfront lots.
World-Class Amenities (If You’re Invited)
The centerpiece of the island is the Indian Creek Country Club, an ultra-exclusive retreat featuring a sprawling Mediterranean-style clubhouse built in 1929. At its heart is a premier 18-hole golf course designed by William Flynn, often cited as being better “groomed” than Augusta National. Membership is by invitation only, and even being a homeowner on the island doesn’t guarantee you a spot at the first tee.
Because the property was never listed for sale, there are no public photos of Zuckerberg’s new estate. However, the video below of an undeveloped lot two doors down provides a glimpse into the scale of the waterfront views and the level of seclusion Mark just purchased:
Mark’s purchase comes just a few weeks after it was revealed that Google co-founder Larry Page had spent roughly $170 million snapping up two massive waterfront estates in Miami’s Coconut Grove neighborhood. Together, the back-to-back moves underscore how rapidly South Florida has become the preferred landing zone for Silicon Valley’s richest founders as California flirts with a one-time wealth tax on billion-dollar fortunes.
Around the same time, Larry’s Google co-founder Sergey Brin paid $42 million for a mansion along the shores of Lake Tahoe. Crucially, his Tahoe home falls on the Nevada side of the lake.
Mark, Larry, and Sergey are just the latest California billionaires to move out of the high-tax state. Larry Ellison and Jeff Bezos moved to Florida several years back. Elon Musk now calls Texas home.
Why are so many billionaires fleeing California?
California lawmakers are currently debating a proposed “billionaire tax” that would impose a one-time 5% levy on fortunes tied to ownership stakes worth more than $1 billion. On the surface, that sounds painful but survivable. For example, Mark Zuckerberg’s net worth is $240 billion thanks to his roughly 13% stake in Facebook. 5% of $240 billion is $12 billion. That’s not so bad. But there’s a catch.
Meta operates under a dual-class share structure that gives Zuckerberg outsized voting control relative to his economic ownership. Thanks to his super-voting Class B shares, Zuckerberg controls roughly 60% of Meta’s total voting power, despite owning far less than a majority of the stock.
That distinction is crucial.
Under Section 50303(c)(3)(C) of California’s proposed 2026 Billionaire Tax Act, ownership for tax purposes is presumed to be no less than a taxpayer’s percentage of voting or control rights, regardless of their actual economic interest. In practice, that means Zuckerberg would not be taxed as a 13% owner of Meta. He would be taxed as a 60% owner.
Apply that assumption to Meta’s $1.7 trillion market cap and Zuckerberg’s taxable “ownership” suddenly balloons from roughly $220 billion to approximately $1.02 trillion. Apply the proposed 5% one-time wealth tax, and the resulting tax bill comes out to about $51 billion.
In other words, a tax branded as 5% could realistically translate into a $50+ billion liability for Zuckerberg, forcing massive stock sales or a permanent dilution of his voting control over the company he founded.
And unlike income taxes, this would not be paid over time. It would be a one-time charge, triggered by residency status, with a proposed retroactive cutoff tied to January 1.
Seen through that lens, Zuckerberg’s $150 million to $200 million Indian Creek purchase looks far less like a trophy home and far more like cheap insurance.
Zuckerberg’s Global Fortress Portfolio
While the Indian Creek move is his latest chess piece, it is just one “cell” in a multi-billion dollar real estate organism designed for maximum privacy and total self-sufficiency.
1. The Palo Alto “Kingdom” (California)
Since 2011, Zuckerberg has spent over $110 million to effectively “occupy” his own neighborhood in Crescent Park.
- He purchased his initial 5,000-square-foot home for $7 million and subsequently bought the four surrounding houses to create a massive buffer zone.
- The compound features a 7,000-square-foot subterranean wing that locals have dubbed the “Bat Cave,” featuring a hydro-floor swimming pool and a pickleball court.
2. Koolau Ranch: The “Doomsday” Bunker (Kauai, Hawaii)
Zuckerberg’s most ambitious project is a 1,400-acre estate on the North Shore of Kauai, which has cost him an estimated $270 million in land and construction.
- It features two main mansions with at least 30 bedrooms and 30 bathrooms, connected by a network of 11 disk-shaped treehouses joined by rope bridges.
- The estate includes a 5,000-square-foot underground blast shelter with a concrete-filled metal door and its own water and food systems, leading many to label it a “doomsday bunker.”
3. The Lake Tahoe Retreat (California/Nevada Border)
In 2018, Mark quietly spent $59 million to acquire two adjacent historic estates on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe: the Carousel Estate and the Brushwood Estate.
- He recently received approval to demolish the older structures and replace them with a sprawling seven-building compound.
- Like his other properties, the Tahoe estate is designed for “seclusion at scale,” featuring massive timber-and-glass architecture that is largely hidden from the public eye.
4. The D.C. Power Base (Washington, D.C.)
Adding a political anchor to his portfolio, Zuckerberg recently acquired a $23 million mansion in Washington, D.C.
- A 15,400-square-foot red-brick estate designed with glass links between its main volumes.
- The property serves as a high-security base for his increasing engagements with national policy and government figures.
