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    Rosie O’Donnell’s Onetime Miami Beach Mansion Sells for $36 Million

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    A sprawling property on Miami Beach‘s celeb-studded Star Island that was previously owned by Rosie O’Donnell has officially sold to Rockstar Energy founder Russell Weiner for $36 million.

    That’s a lot less than the family of now-deceased owners David and Linda Frankel originally wanted, but it’s still $19.5 million more than the $16.5 million the couple—he a doctor and real estate investor, and she a former Vogue fashion editor and the sister of broadcast journalist Diana Sawyer—paid O’Donnell for the Mediterranean-style mansion 12 years ago. It’s also a whopping $29 million more than the comedian and talk show host bought the place for back in 1999.

    A spacious living area opens to a veranda via wood-trimmed French doors.

    Mike Ruiz/Legendary Productions

    RELATED: Rick Ross Just Dropped $35 Million on a Waterfront Mansion on Miami’s Star Island

    The Frankels gave the 1920s residence an extensive makeover during their tenure, and, after hitting the market in late 2024 with a hefty $54 million ask and then undergoing a price drop to $48 million, the house sold at a substantial discount to Weiner, who plans to expand and renovate the estate to around 15,000 square feet and add luxury amenities like a spa, gym, cabana, and padel court. Both sides of the deal were repped by Liz Hogan of Compass.

    Tucked away behind a gated motor court on over an acre, the residence features a main home and two separate guesthouses, for a total of eight bedrooms and 11 baths in roughly 11,000 square feet. There’s also a freeform pool with a slide and an air-conditioned four-car garage, plus a boathouse and a private dock sporting a 40,000-pound boat lift along more than 200 feet of Biscayne Bay frontage.

    Inside the primary dwelling, a large living area sports wood-trimmed French doors opening out to a covered veranda. A formal dining room flows to an updated kitchen outfitted with an eat-in island, high-end Miele, Viking, and Sub-Zero appliances, and a breakfast nook. A luxe primary suite flaunts a balcony and an office, while the upper level holds an additional kitchen and a family room.

    A private dock with a 40,000-pound boat lift rests beside the palm tree-laced grounds.

    Mike Ruiz/Legendary Productions

    RELATED: ‘Real Housewives of Miami’ Alum Lea Black Relists a Waterfront Miami Beach Home for $37.5 Million

    O’Donnell, who recently relocated to Ireland with her child Clay because of American politics, finally offloaded her New York City penthouse in Midtown Manhattan’s Turtle Bay neighborhood in April for around $7 million after two years on the market. As for Weiner, who sold Rockstar Energy to PepsiCo in 2020 for $3.9 billion, his holdings include a home in L.A.’s illustrious Beverly Park enclave that he’s owned since 2007 and an investment property in the Hollywood Hills.

    True to its name, Star Island has had many high-profile people take up residence behind its guarded gate through the years. Current owners within the exclusive enclave are hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin, who has quietly spent some $169 million on seven contiguous parcels spanning over six acres since 2023, as well as musicians Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Rick Ross, and Sean “Diddy” Combs. Earlier this year, Russian-born developer Vlad Doronin sold his estate that once belonged to retired NBA star Shaquille O’Neal for a record-breaking $120 million.

    Click here for more photos of the Star Island residence.

    Mike Ruiz/Legendary Productions

    Authors

    Wendy Bowman

    Wendy Bowman is a real estate writer at Robb Report. Before that, she was a freelancer for Modern Luxury and several other media outlets, where she primarily covered luxury properties for…

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      ‘Real Housewives of Miami’ Alum Lea Black Relists a Waterfront Miami Beach Home for $37.5 Million

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      Around nine years after it first hit the market with a nearly $18 million price tag, Lea and Roy Black’s sprawling waterfront mansion on Miami Beach’s guard-gated Star Island enclave overlooking Biscayne Bay has once again popped up for sale.

      On and off the market since 2015 with prices ranging from $15 million to $40 million—and also floated as a rental for as much as $150,000 per month—the former Real Housewives of Miami star and her attorney husband are now seeking nearly $38 million for the one-acre spread they picked up in spring 2011 for $7.1 million and initially planned to renovate. The listing is shared by Saddy Abaunza Delgado of ONE Sotheby’s International Realty and Elena and Stefano Iturriaga of London Real Estate Company.

      The hacienda-style home is tucked between the island’s single bridge and a multimillion-dollar mansion currently under construction.

      LuxHunters for ONE Sotheby’s International Realty

      Built in the early 1980s and resting amid a one-acre pie-shaped parcel that flares out to the bay, the premises include a main home fronted by a circular motor court bolstered by a tiered fountain, along with a separate guesthouse—for a total of nine bedrooms and 12 baths in a little more than 9,700 square feet. There’s also a recently added swimming pool and an attached four-car garage, plus a private 60-foot dock resting along 180 feet of water frontage.

      Though interior photos are scarce, likely due to the abode’s decidedly dated state, previous online reports show a 10-seat movie theater, a sauna, and an office space. Other highlights include a voluminous living area sporting a fireplace and wood-trimmed French doors opening to a bar-equipped veranda, as well as a formal dining room and a kitchen featuring an eat-in island, Viking and Sub-Zero appliances, and an accompanying breakfast nook. The primary retreat comes with a marble-clad bath boasting dual vanities and a built-in soaking tub.

      The one-acre property hosts a whimsical pirate-themed treehouse for kids.

      LuxHunters for ONE Sotheby’s International Realty

      The Black’s estate at 45 Star Island joins Rosie O’Donnell’s former mansion listed for $54 million as the only residences for sale in the pricey neighborhood. Lea, who appeared on the first three seasons of RHOM from 2011 to 2013 and went on to launch an eponymous beauty and skincare business, and Roy, a civil and criminal defense lawyer who has represented the likes of Jeffrey Epstein and William Kennedy Smith, maintain a primary Miami-area residence. They also own properties in California and Texas, along with another in the Florida Keys that’s pending sale.

      Click here for more photos of Lea Black’s Star Island home.

      LuxHunters for ONE Sotheby’s International Realty More

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      Rosie O’Donnell’s Former Waterfront Miami Beach Home Lists for $54 Million

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      A little over two decades ago, David and Linda Frankel paid comedian and talk show host Rosie O’Donnell $16.5 million for this sprawling estate directly overlooking Biscayne Bay on Miami Beach’s celeb-studded Star Island, off the coast of South Beach.

      Now the family of the recently deceased doctor and real-estate investor and his wife, a former Vogue editor and the sister of broadcast journalist Diane Sawyer, is returning the Mediterranean-style mansion to the market, The Wall Street Journal first reported. The asking price is a hefty $54 million, with the listing held by Liz Hogan of Compass.

      A fireside living area is lined with wood-trimmed French doors opening out to a covered veranda.

      Mike Ruiz/Legendary Productions

      RELATED: David and Victoria Beckham Drop $80 Million on a Waterfront Mansion in Miami Beach

      Tucked away on a parcel spanning over an acre, the stucco-and-terra-cotta-roof structure was originally built way back in 1923. O’Donnell acquired the property in the late ’90s for nearly $6.8 million from a so-called religious organization known as the Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church. Per The Real Deal, she listed the place just days after The Rosie Show on Oprah’s TV network was canceled.

      Extensively renovated by the couple during their tenure, the premises include a main home fronted by a motor court centered around a towering banyan tree, along with two separate guesthouses—for a total of eight bedrooms and 11 baths in a little more than 11,100 square feet. There’s also a freeform pool with a slide and an air-conditioned four-car garage, plus a boathouse and a private dock sporting a 40,000-pound boat lift resting along more than 200 feet of waterfront footage.

      The palm tree-laced grounds host a pool and a private dock with a 40,000-pound boat lift.

      Mike Ruiz/Legendary Productions

      Other highlights include a spacious living area lined with wood-trimmed French doors spilling out to a covered veranda, as well as an elegant formal dining room and an updated kitchen featuring an expansive eat-in island, top-notch Miele, Viking, and Sub-Zero appliances, and an accompanying breakfast nook. A posh primary retreat comes complete with a balcony and an office, with the upper level holding another kitchen and a family room.

      While the 43 Star Island Drive home is the only one currently available in the pricey neighborhood, there have been many recent sales to high-profile individuals. In 2023, LoanDepot CEO Anthony Hsieh doled out $57 million for 27 Star, while rapper and record executive Rick Ross paid roughly $35 million for 37 Star. Ken Griffin also repurchased an almost one-acre lot he had previously owned at 14 Star from retired Yankees star Alex Rodriguez as part of a land-swap deal, giving the billionaire hedge funder a total of 6.5 contiguous acres on the Miami Beach island.

      Click here for more photos of Rosie O’Donnell’s former Miami Beach home.

      Mike Ruiz/Legendary Productions More