When Jeff Bezos moved back to Miami, he made sure to do it in style. The Amazon founder didn't just rent a condo — he bought three neighboring mansions in Indian Creek Village, Miami's invitation-only "Billionaire Bunker," for a combined price tag exceeding $237 million. He's currently living in the $90 million property while the other two undergo renovations. Then again, this is someone who builds rockets for recreational purposes, so real estate excess is probably relative.
Speaking at the 2025 America Business Forum, Bezos was refreshingly direct about what drew him back. "I love the Latin part of the culture here," he said. "As soon as I land, I feel the energy." He also noted that Miami has undergone a complete transformation over the past four years, and he's clearly impressed by the change.
Family Ties and Personal History
When Bezos first announced his departure from Seattle, he emphasized personal reasons. His parents had recently returned to Miami, the city where he grew up and went to high school, and he wanted to be closer to them. "My parents have always been my biggest supporters… I want to be close to my parents, and Lauren and I love Miami," he wrote on social media.
His mother, Jackie Bezos, passed away in August 2025, and his stepfather still lives nearby in Coral Gables. The family connection is genuine and significant. But there's another aspect of Florida life that's hard to ignore: the tax situation.
The Tax Math That Changes Everything
Florida has no state income tax and no capital gains tax. Washington state, where Bezos previously lived, implemented a 7% capital gains tax on profits exceeding $250,000 in 2022. For someone regularly selling billions in stock, that difference becomes substantial.
In July 2025, Bezos sold nearly 3 million Amazon shares worth $665.8 million over just two days. Thanks to his Florida residency, he avoided state capital gains taxes entirely. Updated estimates suggest his move to Florida may have saved him around $1 billion in taxes from that single transaction. And with plans to offload up to 25 million shares by mid-2026, those savings will only multiply.
Florida also has no estate tax, which could preserve billions more for his heirs down the road. When you're managing wealth at this scale, state tax policy isn't just a footnote — it's a major consideration.
More Than Just Tax Strategy
Still, reducing Bezos's move to pure tax optimization misses the bigger picture. His spaceflight company Blue Origin operates from Cape Canaveral, just a few hours up Florida's coast. Miami offers him something rare: personal history, family proximity, oceanfront property, and geographic convenience to his aerospace operations.
At the business forum, Bezos also weighed in on artificial intelligence, predicting major industry disruption. "The fundamentals of what are happening are very powerful and it will impact every industry," he said. Then he delivered a line that reportedly brought down the house: frustrated by Miami's notoriously slow permitting process, he quipped, "Miami should have an AI app to give you a yes or no in 10 seconds." The crowd's reaction rivaled the reception Lionel Messi received at the same venue the day before.
Building Beyond the Move
Bezos clearly isn't settling into quiet retirement mode. Beyond Blue Origin and his continued Amazon involvement, he's backed Arrived, a real estate investment platform that allows ordinary investors to buy fractional shares of rental properties starting at just $100. It's the kind of democratized investing approach that fits his broader philosophy: make what was once exclusive accessible to everyone.
When someone who revolutionized e-commerce and is actively working on space travel endorses a particular investment platform, it's worth noting. Bezos didn't relocate to Miami just to enjoy the weather and avoid photographers. He's still very much in building mode, just with better tax advantages and Latin cultural vibes than Seattle offered.