Real Estate Industry News

Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump may be saying goodbye to Washington, D.C., next week, but they are landing in an enclave nearly as exclusive. In December, the couple closed on a $32.2 million lot on Indian Creek, a luxury island community in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The village’s population was last tallied at 86 people—several of whom are billionaires. 

The Kushners acquired the property from famed Spanish singer Julio Iglesias, who still owns multiple parcels of land on Indian Creek, a source familiar with the island tells Forbes. Money trumps politics, it seems. The 77-year-old Iglesias famously called the outgoing president a “clown” in 2015 over his anti-immigrant rhetoric. (He used another colorful moniker as well.)

And if you read the tabloids, you might expect a frosty reception from Indian Creek’s other wealthy residents. The New York Post’s Page Six reported this week that “Javanka need not apply” to the island’s country club, which has its own history of controversy. In truth, the couple will probably get along fine with their new neighbors. According to The Miami Herald, 79% of the island’s 53 presidential votes went to Donald Trump. 

And another new resident is a man long-approved by Ivanka’s father—Tom Brady and his wife, supermodel Gisele Bündchen, bought a $17 million Indian Creek property late last year.

So who are Jared and Ivanka’s other neighbors? A concentrated brew of wealth and influence: from activist investor Carl Icahn to the Emir of Qatar. On Indian Creek, you’re unlikely to see anyone mowing their own lawn. 

Here are 12 of the island’s most notable owners.


Tom Brady & Gisele Bündchen

After Brady left the New England Patriots for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last spring, he and Bündchen rented Derek Jeter’s 30,000-square foot mansion in Tampa—colloquially known as “St. Jetersburg.” In December they were revealed as the buyers of a $17 million lot on Indian Creek, making Bündchen the island’s most famous model; that title used to belong to Adriana Lima. The couple will reportedly tear down the existing home to build a new mansion.

Estimated property value: $17,000,000


Carl Icahn

One of the most successful dealmakers in Wall Street history, Icahn owns the publicly traded investment vehicle Icahn Enterprises. In 2014, Icahn acquired Donald Trump’s bankrupt Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City and sold it three years later to Hard Rock International—at a reported $100 million loss.

Estimated property value: $25,413,699


Norman Braman

A billionaire art collector who owns one of Florida’s largest car dealerships, Braman first got rich selling pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. He’s also has deep ties to the NFL: In 1985, he bought the Philadelphia Eagles—for whom had once been a waterboy—before selling the franchise for a $120 million profit nine years later.

Estimated property value: $26,748,601


Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani 

The 40-year-old Emir of Qatar was believed to be the buyer behind a $49.9 million mansion in 2019. A source confirms that Tamim is in fact the owner and has been spotted on the island multiple times. 

Estimated property value: $49,900,000


Julio Iglesias 

The Spanish singer-songwriter, one of the most successful recording artists in history, had listed one of his Indian Creek lots in early 2020 before Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump eventually purchased it in December. 

Estimated property value: $22,097,276


Robert Diener 

Best known as a cofounder of Hotels.com, Diener sold his interest in the company in 2003. An avid kiteboarder, snowboarder and triathlete, Diener will have some real athletic competition when Brady moves in.

Estimated property value: $33,066,728



Edward Lampert 

Until Jared and Ivanka bought a property on Indian Creek, Lampert was perhaps the island’s most controversial resident. Worth an estimated $1.6 billion, he bought Sears Holdings (Sears, Kmart, Kenmore) in 2013; the company’s collapse has sparked intense scrutiny over his management tactics and questions about whether he profited off of its decline. (Lampert’s firm has denied any wrongdoing.)

Estimated property value: $41,121,929


Mary Stephens Shula

The widow of Hall of Fame Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula, who died in May, she has lived on the island for many years. The couple have long been considered Miami royalty. 

Estimated property value: $24,521,496


Rakesh Gangwal

Worth an estimated $3.7 billion, Gangwal made his fortune in the airline business. The former CEO of US Airways Group, he cofounded IndiGo, now India’s largest budget airline, in 2006 with just a single aircraft.

Estimated property value: $26,880,629


Jaime Gilinski Bacal

The billionaire, whose main residence is in London, presides over one of the biggest banking empires in Latin America. A Harvard Business School graduate, he is working to redevelop a former U.S. Air Force base alongside the Panama Canal, which Forbes once dubbed “The Most Audacious Real Estate Project In The World.”

Estimated property value: $24,859,987


Jeffrey Soffer

Soffer’s father, Donald, started the hugely successful real estate development firm Turnberry Associates, which Jeffrey ran with his sister, Jackie, until 2019. Once married to supermodel Elle Macpherson, he currently serves as chairman and CEO of Fontainebleau Development.

Estimated property value: $29,236,269


*Estimated property values are based on local assessments or recent transactions. For individuals with multiple properties, only one was included.