Google co-founder Larry Page has made a significant move into Miami’s luxury housing market, spending a combined US$173.4 million (about AUD$262 million) on two high-end waterfront estates in the tightly held enclave of Coconut Grove.
The purchases, finalised in December and early January, come as some of Silicon Valley’s wealthiest figures reassess their ties to California amid growing opposition to a proposed state wealth tax targeting billionaires.
WSJ reported that property records show Page paid US$101.5 million (about AUD$153.5 million) for a 4.5-acre Biscayne Bay compound that had long been owned by the Lewis family, before securing a second nearby estate for US$71.9 million (about AUD$108.5 million) from heiress Sloan Lindemann Barnett and her husband, Shaklee chief executive Roger Barnett.
The proposed California ballot initiative would introduce a one-off 5 per cent tax on the worldwide assets of billionaires who were residents as of 1 January 2026, applied retroactively.
Since its announcement, Miami agents say demand from West Coast buyers has intensified, particularly for off-market trophy homes.
Realtor.com reports that the larger of Page’s two acquisitions was previously the longtime home of Jonathan Lewis, son of the late Progressive Insurance chief executive Peter B. Lewis.
Designed in the 1920s for former US Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan, the estate includes two main residences, a private gym, spa facilities and a resort-style pool overlooking Biscayne Bay.
It was originally listed for US$135 million (about AUD$204 million) before being discounted.
The second property, less than a mile away, was built around 2015 and spans roughly 17,000 square feet with seven bedrooms, according to PropertyShark.
It was not formally offered for sale at the time of the transaction. The Barnetts purchased the home in 2021 for US$45.9 million (about AUD$69 million).
Sloan Lindemann Barnett is the daughter of billionaire industrialist George L. Lindemann.
In 2024, she and her husband sold a San Francisco mansion to Laurene Powell Jobs for around US$70 million (about AUD$105 million), setting a record for the city.
Page co-founded Google with Sergey Brin in 1998 while the pair were students at Stanford University. They stepped back from day-to-day leadership of Alphabet in 2019.
Page retains a residence in Palo Alto and was granted New Zealand residency in 2021. Bloomberg estimates his net worth at about US$270 billion (around AUD$408 billion).
Miami’s ultra-luxury market has strengthened in recent years. In 2025, Florida recorded 19 residential sales above US$50 million (around AUD$75 million), compared with 12 in New York and 10 in California, according to Miller Samuel.
Coconut Grove has become a focal point, following major purchases such as hedge fund founder Ken Griffin’s US$106.8 million (about AUD$161 million) estate acquisition in 2022.
View the Instagram listing of 3585 Anchorage Way, Miami by Douglas Elliman here.
