A Newly Built Oceanfront Compound in the Florida Keys With Its Own Sandy Beach Lists for $40 Million

A newly completed waterfront compound in the Florida Keys hit the market last week for $40 million.

It’s the second-most-expensive listing in all of the Keys, topped by a property just down the road that’s asking $42 million.

The roughly 7-acre spread on Plantation Key was previously home to the five-house compound of the late naturalist Herbert Zim, the founder and editor in chief of the Golden Guides nature book series.

The main house and guest house are available separately or as a package. Ginger Monteleone

For many decades, it was both Zim’s family estate and where he produced his Golden Guides, according to the current owner, Todd Maino. He bought the property, which encompasses six parcels, from Zim’s estate, he said. Mansion Global couldn’t determine what Maino paid.

Over the course of about four years, Maino, a commercial and residential developer, transformed the property into a new compound that was completed last year. There’s a new 8,200-square-foot main house with five bedrooms and a renovated three-bedroom guest house. Maino said he left some cosmetic details unfinished to allow the next owner to personalize the home.

“They can make it their own instead of buying somebody else’s vision,” he said.

The pool stretches 120 feet long. Ginger Monteleone

Off the main house, there’s a 120-foot pool with a hot tub, and beyond that, a sandy beach extends along the property’s 480 feet of water frontage. There’s a dock within a grandfathered-in boat basin that’s larger and deeper than what would be allowed today.

“The drag is over 6 feet, so you can have a pretty large boat there,” listing agent Angel Nicolas of the Nicolas Group at Serhant said. He and his colleague Courtney Conley listed the property a week ago.

The property is full of Florida wildlife, from osprey and sandpiper nests to peacocks that wander around.

“I actually had a manatee have a baby in the boat basin,” Maino said. “It’s ecologically balanced with nature. It’s not concrete jungle—it’s not Miami.”

Because much of the property is open land and not covered in protected trees, there’s opportunity to further develop the estate, whether that be adding another house or amenities like a tennis court or a helipad.

The main house and guest house, which stand on their own waterfront parcels, are also available for sale separately. The lot with the guest house is priced at $15 million, while the main-house lot is asking $27 million, Nicolas said.

Australia’s housing debate is often dominated by affordability and supply, but a new collaboration between Brickworks and acclaimed architecture firm Kennedy Nolan argues the conversation should also focus on the quality and longevity of the homes being built.

The project, titled Our Next Neighbourhood, examines how suburban housing could evolve in response to shrinking block sizes, rising energy costs, increasing density and changing family structures.

Rather than proposing luxury dream homes, the initiative focuses on what its creators describe as achievable suburban housing models that are more flexible, sustainable, and better suited to modern Australian life.

Brickworks commissioned Kennedy Nolan to investigate what suburban housing might look like if “design, long-term liveability and enduring materials were placed at the centre of the conversation”.

The result is two housing concepts, known as the Street Terrace and Canopy Terrace, which explore higher-density living while maintaining access to green space, natural light and privacy.

The designs incorporate adaptable floorplans that can evolve as family needs change, along with passive design principles intended to reduce reliance on mechanical heating and cooling.

Brett Ward, General Manager of Marketing at Brickworks, said the company wanted to broaden the discussion around housing beyond simply increasing supply.

“Much of the housing conversation today is understandably focused on supply and affordability, but there is an equally important discussion to be had about the quality and longevity of the homes we build,” he said.

“We wanted to explore how thoughtful design, combined with durable, resilient materials, could create homes that not only function well today, but continue to support Australian families and communities long into the future.”

Kennedy Nolan said the project was partly inspired by concerns that contemporary housing often struggles to adapt to changing household structures and environmental pressures.

The architects said innovation in suburban housing was “essential” to address changing family groupings, energy use, urban heat island effects and growing disconnection from place.

According to the design team, the concepts draw on lessons from some of Australia’s most influential housing projects while seeking to create neighbourhoods with stronger links to landscape, community and local identity.

Rachel Nolan, founder of Kennedy Nolan, said the practice saw an opportunity to reimagine suburban housing as something “more connected to our climate, our landscape, our communities and our Australian identity”.

The project comes as policymakers, developers and planners continue searching for ways to deliver more housing without sacrificing liveability, neighbourhood character or long-term sustainability.

A Newly Built Oceanfront Compound in the Florida Keys With Its Own Sandy Beach Lists for $40 Million

The land was previously owned by the late naturalist Herbert Zim, the founder of the Golden Guides nature book series.

Brickworks has enlisted acclaimed architecture studio Kennedy Nolan to explore how homes could become more adaptable, energy-efficient and connected to community.