Billy Joel cut $15M off Florida oceanfront home as hurricane season approaches
In a bid to unload his lavish Florida abode, Billy Joel has once again chopped the price tag on his sprawling estate, now listed at $49.9 million, The Post has learned.
Nestled in the upscale enclave of Manalapan, the Piano Man’s Mediterranean-style mansion boasts a staggering 13,350 square feet, nine bedrooms and 11 bathrooms.
Joel’s real estate rollercoaster began in February when he set the asking price at $54.9 million, a significant drop from the $64.9 million he initially sought six months prior.
With this latest reduction, the estate’s value has plummeted by a staggering $15 million, signaling Joel’s seeming urgency to offload the property.
It’s unclear the reason why Joel is selling his home. The Post has reached out to his representatives for clarification.
But as the relentless heat, destructive hurricanes and perilous wildlife continue to plague Florida, thousands of pandemic transplants are hastily packing their bags, seeking refuge elsewhere.
Census data cited by NBC News reveals that while more than 700,000 flocked to Florida in 2022 — enticed by its balmy climate, tax benefits and lower living costs — nearly 500,000 disillusioned souls bid adieu to the state, citing unmet expectations and yearnings for a return to familiar northern comforts.
Among those disenchanted with the Florida dream is Louis Rotkowitz, a New Yorker who endured a mere two years in the Sunshine State before bidding it farewell.
“Like every good New Yorker, this is where you want to go,” lamented Rotkowitz as he embarked on his journey to greener pastures in Charlotte, North Carolina, in an interview with NBC News. “It’s a complete fallacy.”
The listing has been described as a “spectacular ocean-to-lake Light and Bright Modern Mediterranean Compound.”
The home features gourmet kitchen equipped with an island, china and silverware closet, and butler’s pantry to its theater room adjoining a full bar-equipped pub.
The sprawling estate also features a paneled library with an intricately detailed fireplace, an expansive primary wing boasting dual baths, walk-in closets and breathtaking ocean vistas, plus a finished basement housing a 12-plus car garage and a temperature-controlled wine cellar with a wet bar and tasting table, according to the listing.
Guests are treated to a separate guest house flaunting two bedrooms, a kitchenette, washer and dryer, and an elevator.
Meanwhile, the full staff house comes with two additional bedrooms and a kitchen.
Outdoor enthusiasts will delight in the estate’s amenities, which include a deep-water concrete dock, an oversized oceanfront columned loggia boasting a summer kitchen, al fresco dining, a TV, and a fireplace, as well as covered and open balconies, a fountain, and a pristine pool.
Meanwhile, the Palm Beach Post reported that Joel has since purchased a property in Boca Raton’s exclusive Sanctuary development.
He jokingly quipped at a New Year’s Eve concert that he would be spending more time in Florida like “old Jewish guys from Long Island do.”
Meanwhile, he briefly listed his longtime 26-acre Long Island estate on Centre Island before taking it off market amid renovations, The Post previously reported. It is unclear when the home will surface back on the market.
