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.
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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.
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Designed by MHN Design Union, the building would deliver a mix of one, two and three-bedroom homes, along with a resident gym, landscaped communal spaces and three levels of basement parking.
The elevated site looks out towards the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the CBD skyline, with north-easterly views across the harbour. It sits within walking distance of Drummoyne Sailing Club, Birkenhead Point, ferry services and the Bay Run.
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