'Million Dollar Listing' star opens office in billionaire-rich Palm Beach County

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

The Dirt has a dirty little secret to confess — it does adore it some reality TV. No, not the Real Bachelorette Housewives of Vanderpump's Love Island. Something educational, where you can learn a skill like sailing or cooking or hawking real estate.

That's why when the second, that's right, second reality TV Realtor decided to open an office in Palm Beach County there was a moment of swooning before I gathered my journalistic composure to write a hard-hitting story about the addition to the luxury real estate fray.

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Oh, wait, you want real Real Estate news? Well, The Dirt aims to please! Senior business reporter Alexandra Clough waded through mountains of legalese to give you the nitty gritty on a nasty little feud between powerhouse developers that involves the private Christian school Palm Beach Atlantic University. What's at stake? Only some of the most valuable waterfront land in West Palm Beach.

And if you thought Palm Beach couldn't get any richer, think again. Some new names were added to this year's billionaire's list compiled by Palm Beach Daily News luxury real estate reporter Darrell Hofheinz. A few people got chopped from the billionaire tally, but for legitimate reasons that don't necessarily include losing wealth.

Bank to Palm Beach billionaires and millionaires can't escape the financial shakes

Just because you have a swanky office on Bankers Row in Palm Beach doesn't mean you are immune to the ripples of concern unfolding in the banking world. In another important story by Alexandra Clough, she outlines how much money was yanked from First Republic Bank after its finances came under scrutiny.

Clough interviewed more than a dozen bank customers to get a sense of the sentiment on the monied island, proving, once again, that local journalism is important. It can't all be about Reality TV Realtors and fancy-pants mansions.

Million Dollar Listing's Ryan Serhant teams with Palm Beach County Realtor Christian Prakas to open a New York-south branch

Watch out Beverly Hills househusband Mauricio Umansky because Ryan Serhant is gunning for the same luxury sales as your new office in Palm Beach County. Did you know Serhant went to New York to be an actor? He was also a hand model, but when none of that panned out, he turned to real estate, which makes The Dirt wonder if a print journalist struggling in a TikTok saturated hell-dimension could make the same financially-rewarding pivot ... hmmmm.

Ultra-luxury waterfront condo in West Palm Beach could be back on track after judge says no racketeering occurred

One of the most expensive residential developments in the nation is planned for little ol' West Palm Beach on the Lake Worth Lagoon, but it had to get through a teeny racketeering accusation first. Who knew that three acres of lakefront land that once housed a couple of mangy dorms would be so valuable?

But it is! Because it's in Wall Street South, or Palm Beach West, or the most southern borough of New York City. Alexandra Clough has the skinny on where development of South Flagler House stands.

Billionaires abound in Palm Beach

In 2021, there were 47 billionaires in Palm Beach. Last year, there were 54. Today, there are 57, which may not seem like a huge increase but we're talking billionaires here and one billionaire is worth, well, a lot. Who joined this year's list? You'll have to read Darrell Hofheinz's analysis of the Forbes billionaires list to find out.

The stages of grass grief are real, and ridiculous

People in Florida take their grass very seriously. At least some people. The Dirt prefers to let the mutant groundcover that invaded several years ago just do its thing. But that's not the case for a lot of people, especially in gated communities where HOAs are battling lethal viral necrosis, which has no cure.

I had to giggle when horticulturalists said people experience the stages of grief when their grass is given a death sentence. I mean, it's GRASS people! There are better things to worry about like is there a happy hour special at The Breakers, and if so, can I wear jean shorts?

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: Palm Beach has a lot of billionaires, and Ryan Serhant opens local office