$218M Man-Made Island Is for When Billionaire’s Row Is Not Enough, Perfect for Your Fleet

Tarpon Island is the legend other waterfront properties on Billionaire’s Row in Palm Beach, Florida, look up to, dreaming to grow up to be just like that. It is a man-made island, and the only private island in Palm Beach, made all the more special by the fact that it still has the original 1935 Colonial-style mansion that was built on it. These days, the mansion has been relegated to guest house status, but that’s another thing.

Tarpon Island is not just a secluded, completely private paradise for whoever has enough money to buy it, but a dream home for either a budding car collector or an aspiring seafarer. Or both, they’re not mutually exclusive.

Tarpon Island was built in the 1930s by dredging crews, and offers some 1,300 feet (396 meters) of waterfront on all four sides. Access to it is possible only by a narrow bridge or by boat, so it sits completely isolated from the rest of the world – a not-so-small piece of private, self-contained paradise. In 1935, the mansion was built on an original design by architect Howard Major.

In July 2021, developer Todd Michael Glaser bought the island for $85 million and immediately announced plans for a remodel of the home. That same year, the island was listed for $125 million, in case someone wanted to do the remodel themselves. A buyer did not show up, so the property is now in the final months before completion – and has been relisted, with an asking of $218 million, an increase over the $210 million price list of last year.

Christian Angle, of Christian Angle Real Estate, tells the New York Post that the hike in price is down to a reevaluation of the market. The development will be completed next year, which is when a new owner could move into the perfect, single-family home – and one of the most expensive and exclusive properties in the United States at the moment.

So what exactly does $218 million buy? With Tarpon Island, it’s not just the privacy guaranteed by the fact that it’s a whole island to yourself, but also the luxurious amenities. The new mansion, designed by by West Palm Beach architect Roger Janssen of Dailey-Janssen Architects, is 21,406 square feet (1,989 square meters) and would perhaps best be described as a five-star resort you’d never have to leave.

It offers 11 bedrooms, 15 full bathrooms and seven half-baths (powder rooms, by their fancier name), as well as two separate spa areas for rest and relaxation, a home gym, an entertainment room, a custom library, and an elevator to spare you from walking between all these.

It also comes with a five-car garage that is state-of-the-art and a sizable motorcourt that can easily hold another dozen vehicles, at the very least. Granted, there isn’t enough space to store your entire fleet of collectibles, but it’s a good place to start. Two boat docks are integrated into the waterfront, so you can come and go as you see fit.

The library is all clad in wood and features a wet bar and humidor cigar display as the centerpiece. One spa area is indoor and integrates a massage room, sauna and steam room, and a hair salon, while the other is outside, built around a large lap pool. Another wet bar is in the gym, which includes separate rooms for cardio and weight lifting, and a fireplace. Adjacent to the house is a lighted tennis court, the only one of its kind to be granted a permit for nighttime illumination in Palm Beach. As you can see, comparisons to a five-star hotel are not gratuitous.

The listing doesn’t go into specifics or, for that matter, offer any interior shots of the mansion. That could be partly because the home is not yet completed and partly because this is not the kind of transaction that can be done over the internet, by looking at pics and clicking Add to cart. Any billionaire looking to make all the other billionaires green with jealousy will have to see the place for themselves before committing to $218 million.