Palm & Hibiscus Islands Homes

Palm and Hibiscus Islands are guarded Miami Beach Islands interconnected by a bridge. The entrance to the Islands is off the MacArthur causeway, midway from Miami Beach to the East and Downtown Miami to the West. Palm Island sits to the South and closest to the causeway, Hibiscus Island is directly behind it to the North. These are exclusive residential neighborhoods with a mixture of waterfront and non-waterfront homes.

Palm Island has approximately 65 acres; The island was submerged land and filling it commenced in 1919 and was completed by 1921. Hibiscus, Island with approximately 55 acres, was started in 1921 and completed in 1924.

One of the Islands’ most famous residents was Al Capone, who owned several homes on the Islands, one of which was a Casino-Bordello. Many years ago I was showing homes on the island and my client’s father, upon entering the driveway of 210 Palm Ave., remembered having been there. The home has since been demolished, and although this property was used as a single-family home, its divisive floor plan resembled more of a multi-family complex than a unified home. My friend’s father, who was stationed in Miami on leave from the army when he visited this house, was the one who showed us the hidden pathway created under the elevated dock which allowed boats carrying bootleg liquor privacy to unload and transport it to the house! This was a sensational discovery after I had sold this house twice before and never knew of the existence of the secret passageway although I was aware of the Bordello story.

In the 1940s and 50s, Palm and Hibiscus Islands became the site of the Famous Latin Quarter Nightclub owned by Lou Walters father of Barbara Walters. The Latin Quarter was a mecca for entertainers performing for the snow bird tourist and celebrities arriving to spend the winter in Miami Beach. This Club was in existence for many years, but ultimately was torn down to make room for a house. Today, the Island is completely composed of residential housing with no public clubs.

Palm and Hibiscus Islands offer a wide variety of lot sizes; You will find smaller 7,000 Sq Ft waterfront lots along South and North Coconut Lane as well as on Hibiscus Island, and up to 30,000 Sq Ft lots with large mansions along Palm Ave. There is also a variety of lot and home sizes along the non-waterfront. The Island has just undergone massive renovations of the streets, with new updated pumps and infrastructure installed by the city. Its location and allure makes Palm and Hibiscus Island a lovely place to live.

Palm Island has a small well maintained waterfront park with tennis and basketball courts and a shaded playground.