Mansion elevated to evade sea-level rise

By Robyn A. Friedman

A newly constructed Tropical Modern estate on Rivo Alto Island in Miami Beach has hit the market for $25 million, and it has two features that reflect current trends in construction and design.

The first is a detached office geared to those who work from home. In addition, the house is elevated 16.5 feet, a feature that allows it to better respond to potential sea-level rise due to climate change.

“Most new homes are at nine to 10 feet, so this one is significantly higher than the overwhelming majority of new homes,” said Danny Hertzberg, a real estate agent with The Jills Zeder Group at Coldwell Banker Realty in Miami Beach, who holds the listing.

Hertzberg said that the detached office was not in the original design of the house, but that the developer pivoted in response to the pandemic. “A lot of people have a home office, but if they have a meeting, they don’t want someone in the house, so we modified the floor plan and created an exterior entrance,” he said. “It’s a feature that buyers really love.”

The t h r e e - s t o r y, 5,500-square-foot home, at 40 W. Rivo Alto Drive, is located in the Venetian Islands, a chain of man-made islands in Biscayne Bay that span Miami and Miami Beach. It has six bedrooms, five full and one half baths.

Visitors to the home are greeted by a specimen tree surrounded by a water garden. The second floor features an open-concept living room, family room, dining room and kitchen, all with floor-to-ceiling views of Biscayne Bay.

The MiaCucina-designed gourmet kitchen features Statuario marble countertops and Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances. Custom finishes include white oak and marble floors throughout and Carrara marble accent walls.

The third floor includes the primary suite and three guest rooms.

Outside, there is a custom outdoor kitchen, a waterfront pool that overlooks the private dock and 60 linear feet of water frontage on Biscayne Bay.

Developer Francisco Perez Yoma, founder of Empresas FPY, a construction and real estate group in Chile, built the home.

A look at South Florida’s high-end real estate The three-story, 5,500-square-foot home has six bedrooms, five full and one half baths. The second floor features an openconcept living room, family room, dining room and kitchen, all with floor-to-ceiling views of Biscayne Bay.