What is the Billionaire Bunker and who lives there? – NBC 6 South Florida

After news broke that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is leaving his longtime home of Seattle for Miami, many may be wondering just where a billionaire like Bezos might end up.

The answer is — a private island that’s one of the most exclusive celebrity-occupied neighborhoods in the United States.

Indian Creek, also known as Billionaire Bunker, is a man-made, 300-acre barrier island in Biscayne Bay — home to some of the biggest names in sports, entertainment and business.

Paul George, Historian for the History of Miami Museum, spoke to NBC6 on the history of Indian Creek and told us the development initially came about during the real estate boom of the 1920s.

It was created as an Italian-Mediterranean community in terms of style, George said.

Indian Creek Village did not become a municipality until 1939; in which the area then received its own police force and marine patrol — through the Indian Creek Village Police Department.

Today, the island holds dozens of homes, a country club, golf course and of course, a few high-profile residents.

“The centerpiece was a golf course and a clubhouse, and that’s what you always see when you come to the island,” George explained. “That becomes the first of everything there.”

In October, Bezos had purchased a mansion in Indian Creek for $79 million, just two months after buying a neighboring estate for $68 million, according to Bloomberg News.

The island village is reportedly only accessed by a two-lane bridge closely monitored by armed guards.

Bezos will now be joining other A-list celebrities like NFL legend Tom Brady, singer Julio Iglesias as well as Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.

Tom Brady moved to Indian Creek back in 2020 with then-wife Gisele Bündchen and their children.

Julio Iglesias is reportedly one of the neighborhood’s longtime residents, purchasing his first Indian Creek home back in 1979.

Ivanka Trump and her husband became residents in 2021, reportedly purchasing a home previously owned by Iglesias as well.