The Dirt: Jimmy Buffett's homes in Palm Beach aren't exactly for run-of-the mill Parrot Heads

Welcome to The Dirt! I’m real estate reporter Kimberly Miller with the latest developments in the sizzling market.

What's going on with all the questionable behavior happening around our waterfronts? There's X-rated activities caught on night-vision video in Palm Beach and now "unsavory acts" on Flagler Drive along the Lake Worth Lagoon.

We know what the X-rated activities are, and sharing them would get a lot of clicks, but it would also get me sacked for sure (DM me later 😉. Not really though). The unsavory acts, however, were not defined in a letter that accompanied a request to gate off a portion of scenic Flagler Drive. I've seen a lot of fishing, dog walking and whatever this is, but the unsavory stuff must be happening past my bedtime.

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For those following along on the exciting Banyan Cay saga 😴, there's another chapter and a promise, pinky-swear, cross their heart pledge to finish the beleaguered project. Thank goodness senior business reporter Alexandra Clough was back to write this one.

And not everyone is so keen on the new $1 billion Nora extravaganza just north of downtown West Palm Beach. Find out who the grumps are in Jodi Wagner's Palm Beach Daily News story.

Also, for the folks headed down for the season and needing a place to rent, check out this dreamy blue charmer on South Olive in West Palm Beach. It's just $29,000 a month! The kitchen alone is worth a look. It's not quite Zillow gone wild, but...well you decide. 🧞‍♀️

West Palm Beach vetoes Flagler fence on private land despite concerns about dog fights and general shenanigans

There's been a lot of growing pains in West Palm Beach since the pandemic onslaught boost of new residents. Change can be hard and people have groused about monstrous homes, too much traffic and not being able to get a restaurant reservation or hair appointment from Labor Day through Easter.

But, a newish homeowner on West Palm Beach's scenic Flagler drive wanted to fence in his property east of the road and along the waterfront, and why not? He's got 7,600 square feet east of Flagler, according to the property appraiser. There's some unanswered questions in this story, like, why is the owner paying taxes, if they are, on land that is basically public.

Not even design royalty can get past Palm Beach's ArCom unscathed

Jim and Sara McCann are real estate and design gurus in the Palm Beaches with empires such as the Hive Collective along the Dixie corridor, but that means little in front of the Town of Palm Beach's Architectural Commission. The couple were hoping to get a new home design approved for the north end that would replace a 1956 property that has been in the family for decades.

ArCom members were polite, some called it "whimsical" and "fun." But, like the countless masses sacrificed on the ArCom alter before them, it was back to the drawing board to restudy the design.

Florida property tax law could save you thousands but you need a linear algebra degree to understand it

We've all heard of portability ...WAIT! Don't just keep scrolling. This is important and, it's just time to eat your vegetables. It may mean the difference between whether you are stuck in your current home the rest of your life or if you can move. Portability is a state property tax law that allows you to take some of the homestead exemption you've been banking all these years with you to the next house.

Just follow the subheads in the story. I know we've all got social media-induced attention deficit disorder these days.

Jimmy Buffett loved Palm Beach for the anonymity it offered

The Town of Palm Beach may not exactly fit the Parrot Head persona of Jimmy Buffett, but the late singer was also a businessman and owned several homes on the island. He said he liked Palm Beach because no one bothered him. He could walk around with "shocking anonymity" he told The Palm Beach Post in 2015.

Luxury real estate reporter Darrell Hofheinz profiled several of Buffett's homes in a story following his death Sept. 1 at the age of 76. The best are on Root Trail, a humble street with Key West vibes (Yes, in Palm Beach!) where you could see colorful surfboards propped up in one of the properties.

Sorry Nora, no advertisements on Palm Beach property

It was West Palm Beach's turn to get the veto last month when the Town of Palm Beach said it couldn't display advertisements for the Nora development on a small plot of land the town has owned across the lake since 1985.

Something about West Palm Beach making the request to promote a private developer just stuck in the craw of some council members. The developer in this case is not who you think it is. NDT Development of West Palm Beach is building Nora, among a few other projects.

Live lightly.

Kimberly Miller is a veteran journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers real estate and how growth affects South Florida's environment. Subscribe to The Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@pbpost.com. Help support our local journalism, subscribe today. 

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Portability law in Florida could get homes selling again if only people knew about it