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Star Island is a Tiny Neighborhood of Massive Houses & Drama

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One of the smallest of all South Florida neighborhoods, Star Island is the site of a mere few dozen homes and yet it always seems to be in the news because of something or other one of its famous owners wants to do there. Its houses, some of which are very historic, always seem to be getting additions, renovations, moved (literally), or demolished for "bigger and better" replacements, including, most famously, that epic feud between Real Housewife of Miami Lisa Hochstein, her husband "boob god" Leonard Hochstein, and everyone else over the fate of 42 Star Island Drive. Spoiler alert: the Hochsteins won, but that's just the beginning of all the nutty stuff that goes down on Star Island.


· Star Island coverage [Curbed Miami]

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1 Star Island Drive

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Singer Gloria Estefan owns 1 Star Island Drive, which she operates and rents out as 'Nena's Villa'. Rent is reportedly $75,000 a month. Ms. Estefan herself lives just down the street.

5 Star Island Drive

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The notorious developer Thomas Kramer's wagnerian house is just as creepy as he is. Over the years he's had wild parties here, had the Real Housewives of NYC over, and in leaner years tried to make a buck off of it in any way he could, from renting it out to turning it into a hotel.

6 Star Island Drive

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Property records list the property in Trust of Brian Bilzin, partner at law firm Bilzin Sumberg, but that actually means its owned by Stuart Miller. [Photo via Bing]

7 Star Island Drive

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Stewart Miller, CEO of giant development company Lennar, owns this house. The Millers are major landowners on the island. [Photo via Bing]

10 & 11 Star Island Drive

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"Brian Bilzin Trust", a.k.a. Stuart Miller

21 Star Island Drive

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Pharmaceutical billionaire Phillip Frost's mega house is 37,240 Sq.Ft according to property records, on a 268,512 Sq.Ft piece of land. His lavish garden may or may not be on Leona Helmsley's former land, so don't quote us on that. [Photo via Bing]

22 Star Island Drive

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Lennar CEO Stuart Miller purchased this property, which contains a very historic structure that was originally a portion of the Star Island Yacht Club (now long defunct). He originally planned to demolish it and build a mammoth new estate next door to his mother's, but is reportedly now in talks with historic preservationists and the City of Miami Beach to preserve it, in some form.

23 Star Island Drive

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Susan Miller's house. She's Stuart Miller's mom. [Photo via Bing]

26 Star Island Drive

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This is the home of Russian oligarch and former beaux to supermodel Naomi Campbell, Vladislav Doronin. [Photo via Bing]

27 Star Island Drive

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27 Star Island Drive originally contained an historic Walter DeGarmo house that was recently moved to the side of the site and will now become the guest house for a massive new structure.

29 Star Island Drive

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Formerly shoe king Donald Pliner's house, this property now belongs to former Ambassador Paul Cejas.

30 Star Island Drive

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30 Star Island Drive was a spec house on the market for $35 million. It has been sold to a guy named Wayne Holman for just under $30 million.

31 Star Island Drive

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Wayne Holman also owns this place. [Photo via Bing]

33 Star Island Drive

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Gerald & Joan Robins, who, according to property records, purchased the property in 1974 for $326,000. Gerald was a developer, an the Robins' are the parents of developer Craig Robins, who is currently creating a fantasy shopping mecca in the Design District. This house is most likely where Craig grew up. It has since appreciated in value vastly. [Photo via Bing]

39 Star Island Drive

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Record producer Emilio & singing legend Gloria Estefan. The Estefans purchased the property in 1986 for $600,000. [Photo via Bing]

40 Star Island Drive

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Engin Yesil's house. This was originally the home of Jim Allison, one of Carl Fisher's partners in the development of Miami Beach and the namesake of Allison Island. [Photo via Bing]

42 Star Island Drive

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This was the location of an historic and well known house, due to its high visibility from the MacArthur Causeway. Plastic surgeon Leonard Hochstein and his wife Lisa, of Real Housewives of Miami notoriety, purchased it and began a long battle against historic preservationists to demolish it. They eventually won, and now are building their new home here. [Photo by Arthur Marcus]

44 Star Island Drive

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This is also a home of a Miami Beach pioneer, named John H. Levi. It is at risk of demolition by the current owners who want to build a 30,000+ square foot Star Destroyer shaped fortress house here. [Photo via change.org]

43 Star Island Drive

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Rosie O'Donnell's old house. Back in the day this was the headquarters of the Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church, which was a front for a marijuana smuggling operation. Currently it is owned by two people named David and Linda Frankel.

45 Star Island Drive

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45 Star Island Drive is owned by eminent attorney Roy Black and his wife Lea, one of the other Real Housewives of Miami. This is their second Miami area home. Their main house is in Coral Gables and is much nicer than this place, which is rather icky.

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1 Star Island Drive

Singer Gloria Estefan owns 1 Star Island Drive, which she operates and rents out as 'Nena's Villa'. Rent is reportedly $75,000 a month. Ms. Estefan herself lives just down the street.

5 Star Island Drive

The notorious developer Thomas Kramer's wagnerian house is just as creepy as he is. Over the years he's had wild parties here, had the Real Housewives of NYC over, and in leaner years tried to make a buck off of it in any way he could, from renting it out to turning it into a hotel.

6 Star Island Drive

Property records list the property in Trust of Brian Bilzin, partner at law firm Bilzin Sumberg, but that actually means its owned by Stuart Miller. [Photo via Bing]

7 Star Island Drive

Stewart Miller, CEO of giant development company Lennar, owns this house. The Millers are major landowners on the island. [Photo via Bing]

10 & 11 Star Island Drive

"Brian Bilzin Trust", a.k.a. Stuart Miller

21 Star Island Drive

Pharmaceutical billionaire Phillip Frost's mega house is 37,240 Sq.Ft according to property records, on a 268,512 Sq.Ft piece of land. His lavish garden may or may not be on Leona Helmsley's former land, so don't quote us on that. [Photo via Bing]

22 Star Island Drive

Lennar CEO Stuart Miller purchased this property, which contains a very historic structure that was originally a portion of the Star Island Yacht Club (now long defunct). He originally planned to demolish it and build a mammoth new estate next door to his mother's, but is reportedly now in talks with historic preservationists and the City of Miami Beach to preserve it, in some form.

23 Star Island Drive

Susan Miller's house. She's Stuart Miller's mom. [Photo via Bing]

26 Star Island Drive

This is the home of Russian oligarch and former beaux to supermodel Naomi Campbell, Vladislav Doronin. [Photo via Bing]

27 Star Island Drive

27 Star Island Drive originally contained an historic Walter DeGarmo house that was recently moved to the side of the site and will now become the guest house for a massive new structure.

29 Star Island Drive

Formerly shoe king Donald Pliner's house, this property now belongs to former Ambassador Paul Cejas.

30 Star Island Drive

30 Star Island Drive was a spec house on the market for $35 million. It has been sold to a guy named Wayne Holman for just under $30 million.

31 Star Island Drive

Wayne Holman also owns this place. [Photo via Bing]

33 Star Island Drive

Gerald & Joan Robins, who, according to property records, purchased the property in 1974 for $326,000. Gerald was a developer, an the Robins' are the parents of developer Craig Robins, who is currently creating a fantasy shopping mecca in the Design District. This house is most likely where Craig grew up. It has since appreciated in value vastly. [Photo via Bing]

39 Star Island Drive

Record producer Emilio & singing legend Gloria Estefan. The Estefans purchased the property in 1986 for $600,000. [Photo via Bing]

40 Star Island Drive

Engin Yesil's house. This was originally the home of Jim Allison, one of Carl Fisher's partners in the development of Miami Beach and the namesake of Allison Island. [Photo via Bing]

42 Star Island Drive

This was the location of an historic and well known house, due to its high visibility from the MacArthur Causeway. Plastic surgeon Leonard Hochstein and his wife Lisa, of Real Housewives of Miami notoriety, purchased it and began a long battle against historic preservationists to demolish it. They eventually won, and now are building their new home here. [Photo by Arthur Marcus]

44 Star Island Drive

This is also a home of a Miami Beach pioneer, named John H. Levi. It is at risk of demolition by the current owners who want to build a 30,000+ square foot Star Destroyer shaped fortress house here. [Photo via change.org]

43 Star Island Drive

Rosie O'Donnell's old house. Back in the day this was the headquarters of the Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church, which was a front for a marijuana smuggling operation. Currently it is owned by two people named David and Linda Frankel.

45 Star Island Drive

45 Star Island Drive is owned by eminent attorney Roy Black and his wife Lea, one of the other Real Housewives of Miami. This is their second Miami area home. Their main house is in Coral Gables and is much nicer than this place, which is rather icky.