Soccer star Lionel Messi snubs Palm Beach County, but Guy Fieri doubles down in Riviera Beach

Celebrity chef Guy Fieri pouring shots of Santos Tequila during an after party at Rocco's Tacos in West Palm Beach.
Celebrity chef Guy Fieri pouring shots of Santos Tequila during an after party at Rocco's Tacos in West Palm Beach.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

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

It was a celebrity real estate Lolapalooza last week in South Florida, and although a soccer megastar snubbed Palm Beach County, a famous spiky-haired chef doubled down on his investment in the 561, as the cool kids say😎.

Lionel Messi choosing Broward County over Palm Beach is just fine and dandy with The Dirt, really, we understand, it's not us, it's you.

In the Town of Palm Beach, a vacant piece of land sold for $9.95 million. This story generated A LOT of interest. Is the price too low, or too high? Is it just right? What's with all the clicks? To be fair, it isn't waterfront, so meh.


Want to get The Dirt?

Stay up to date on South Florida's sizzling real estate market and sign up for The Dirt weekly newsletter, delivered every Tuesday! Exclusively for Palm Beach Post subscribers.


And speaking of waterfront, the yachting and/or marine industry is facing some chop in its attempts to expand the extreme boat empire in South Florida. First, West Palm Beach was all gung-ho for a marina makeover until it wasn't.

Then Riviera Beach narrowly rejected a proposal after residents raised concerns about, among other things, partyers ralphing 🤮near their backyards. That detail is not specifically mentioned in the recent story, but someone did bring it up at a previous meeting.

And there's an update on Avila Road in West Palm Beach. We previously wrote about the ramshackle homes selling for nearly $1 million. Well, another 1955 tear down just went for a whopping $1.01 million!🤑 It's not waterfront either.

Gus Ferrari, no, Guy Ritchie, no, Guy Fieri buys another property in Palm Beach County

A limited liability company with ties to celebrity chef Guy Fieri paid $7.3 million in June 2023 for this home on Singer Island in Riviera Beach.
A limited liability company with ties to celebrity chef Guy Fieri paid $7.3 million in June 2023 for this home on Singer Island in Riviera Beach.

We break news here at The Dirt, and yeah, sometimes it's slightly delayed, but we still break it, at least this time we did. Celebrity chef Guy Fieri is now a homeowner of fine waterfront property in Lake Worth Beach and Riviera Beach. The most recent purchase on Singer Island has a well-equipped summer kitchen, much like my own, which consists of a 10-year-old gas grill in my backyard.

The homes were purchased under a limited liability company called Gus Ritchie 1, which is a mashup of names Fieri said he has been mistakenly called by fans.

All The Dirt can say is thanks Gary Fiat for believing in Palm Beach County!

Unreal Manalapan estate with two pools on the market for the low, low price of $65 million

Seen with the red roof in the foreground, an estate at 1400 S. Ocean Blvd. stretches between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway in Manalapan near Palm Beach. The property was just listed for $64.995 million.
Seen with the red roof in the foreground, an estate at 1400 S. Ocean Blvd. stretches between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway in Manalapan near Palm Beach. The property was just listed for $64.995 million.

Get those checkbooks ready because you will not want to miss out on this stunning ocean-to-lake estate in Manalapan. The furnished home has about 200 feet of oceanfront and lakefront, plus a concrete dock, and, be still my heart, a summer kitchen! The summer kitchen alone is worth $65 million when you consider our recent feels-like temperatures of 790 degrees. (Again, sarcasm. Don't go all Greta Thunberg on me).

The estate last sold for $48.37 million in January.

Beautiful green grass lot sells for $9.95 million in Town of Palm Beach

324 and 332 Eden Road Palm Beach September 12, 2023.
324 and 332 Eden Road Palm Beach September 12, 2023.

The buyer of the luscious lawn at 324 Eden Road is keeping his plans for the lot on the down low for now. The property was owned by next door neighbors Gregory S. Hayt and his wife Mardi.

Although the lot was under contract in about two months, it sold for about $1 million less than the original list price of $10.9 million. It's not beachfront, but it does have promised beach access. We're on the cusp of the traditional snowbird season so the lot could be ripe for a flip.

Riviera Beach nixes Safe Harbor's grand plans to expand its yachting domain

The Grand Classica returns to the Port of Palm Beach past boats in the Riviera Beach Marina.
The Grand Classica returns to the Port of Palm Beach past boats in the Riviera Beach Marina.

Safe Harbor has not had a great summer. It won, then lost, an early vote for a new marina in West Palm Beach, and now lost a bid to in Riviera Beach for a superyacht repair facility. Even superyachts break down, and an increasing traffic jam of the floating mansions are expected with the Town of Palm Beach's $40 million marina upgrade.

Two yacht brokers recently opened offices in West Palm Beach and Palm Beach to be closer to their customer base, they said. But for now, it's back to the drawing board for Safe Harbor.

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: Boating in Palm Beach County sees setback after superyacht repair facility nixed