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Shell Bay: Golf’s Newest $1 Million Club Towers Above Miami Market

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Shell Bay: Golf’s Newest $1 Million Club Towers Above Miami Market


“There are way more people who want an amazing golf experience in the Miami region than there are available amazing golf experiences,” explains Alex Witkoff, the co-CEO of the Witkoff Group and a developer of one of the most unique new private clubs in the world.

In Hallandale Beach, Florida, just north of Miami, the Shell Bay Club is tucked on a prime piece of land between the Atlantic Ocean and Intracoastal Waterway. And golf is the focal point of the 150-acre luxury development, with a new championship course that demonstrates the delicate balance between supply and demand in a major market. Shell Bay is the first private club in the Miami area in more than two decades and the price of membership for what its founders are calling a “generational opportunity” is well over $1 million. And there’s a waiting list to get in.

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“People want the best of the best and, given that there hadn’t been an experience like this delivered in a few decades and it won’t be replicated, the response has been extraordinary,” said Ari Pearl, the founder and president of PPG Development, another founding partner in the Shell Bay project.

“It’s been global in nature,” added Pearl, who has been a prominent figure in the South Florida real estate and development industry for more than two decades. “We have people from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles. Also internationally, Europe and Asia, in addition to locally in Miami.”

The game of golf is unquestionably booming in popularity in recent years, but Shell Bay epitomizes the challenge of preserving golf on exceptionally valuable real estate in the heart of a crowded metropolitan market.

Consider that Melreese Country Club, about 20 miles away and the only municipal golf course in Miami (one of the most populous metropolitan statistical areas in the country), closed for good last year in favor of a redevelopment project that will include a Major League Soccer stadium, hotels, an office park, and a retail area with shops and restaurants. It’s a massive project, one that will create thousands of jobs and generate billions of dollars in rent payments to the city over the life of a 99-year lease. Melreese had a storied history and was a successful and beloved public golf course, generating hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual net revenues for the city. But what is the realistic lifespan for a facility in such a prime location, on land next to Miami International Airport?

In that case, and with the push and pull between supply and demand, it was demand for land that won out over the demand for golf – due to dollars signs.

So, to make golf at Shell Bay Club viable in such a prime location, it’s become an outlier in several respects.

The first is the cost to get in.

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Million Dollar Membership

At well over $1 million, Shell Bay has one of the most expensive membership buy-ins of any golf club in the nation, the byproduct of what Witkoff says is a “vicious dearth” of golf in the market.

“Land is very hard to accumulate in South Florida,” he said. “I don’t see this ever being able to be replicated in the Miami region because I don’t see where else you would get this amount of land close to the ocean. So, for us there was a kind of once in a generation opportunity to deliver a state-of-the-art golf facility and then with so much more — residences, tennis and so on and so forth.”

Among the luxury amenities at Shell Bay, which is also partnering with Auberge Resorts to provide a 60-room boutique hotel and spa on property, is a tennis facility run by the renowned Bryan brothers that has courts with all four grand slam surfaces, not to mention pickleball and Padel courts. There’s a basketball court, batting cages, bowling alleys, a billiard room, and a 48-slip yacht club.

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But the centerpiece is the golf course.

There was once another course on the property, part of the old Diplomat Golf Resort. That’s long gone, as all the original holes were blown up and sand-capped, with Greg Norman’s team adding elevation changes and creating a completely new design – one that includes an 18-hole championship course and a 9-hole Par 3 layout, along with a 12-acre, state-of-the-art practice facility. Every lake on property was moved, so Shell Bay’s golf course really was reconstructed from the subgrade up, and with 4,000 new trees added (along with 1,000 different plant species) every playing corridor has completely changed from what was there before.

With a variety of risk-reward shot-making options and waterfront challenges, the new course can stretch to over 7,200 yards, making it one of the longest in golf-rich South Florida. The property was designed with visions of hosting a professional tournament in mind — with contoured greens and sweeping Australian sandbelt-style bunkers — and the Norman ties certainly make a future LIV Golf event in Miami market a distinct possibility, especially when you consider that LIV golfers like Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed, Henrik Stenson and Lee Westwood are members.

“A No-Brainer”

Another unique element of the Shell Bay project that’s made keeping golf a component of the development a reality is the residential tower with 108 bespoke condominiums and penthouses. While more commonplace in some densely populated Asian countries, U.S. golf courses with a neighboring tower – whether residential, hotel or otherwise – is rare.

“Building a tower was a no brainer,” said Witkoff. “It’s very rare to have 150 acres in such a prime urban area within a major MSA. We’re able to build a tower and it makes sense to do it, more so than on a random Caribbean island or Montana or Wyoming. The opportunity to get this is unique.”

Residences are selling for between $2 million and $11 million, and while there’s a social membership to the club that comes with owning a home in the luxurious gated community, access to the golf course is separate. The course also won’t be an amenity for future guests of the boutique hotel when it’s completed.

A golf club with a membership costing more than $1 million is not common, by any means. But either is a new high-end course (and community) that’s water accessible in a bustling metro area like Miami. And it appears the demand is there at Shell Bay. For land and for golf.

“Golf is the background and canvas for the development,” said PPG’s Pearl. “The golf course is the backdrop but you’re also getting views of the ocean and the Intercoastal, with residences overlooking the marina and the tennis center. When you come through those gates, you’re in a real urban oasis.”



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Miami, FL

Kel’el Ware Scores 26 Points For Miami Heat in NBA Summer League

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Kel’el Ware Scores 26 Points For Miami Heat in NBA Summer League


Kel’el Ware is off to a good start with the Miami Heat in NBA Summer League action.

After scoring 12 points in his debut on Saturday, Ware led the Heat on Sunday with 26 points and 11 rebounds in a 102-86 win over the Sacramento Kings at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif.

The 7-foot center made 12-of-21 attempts from the field but went 2-for-5 from the free throw line and missed both 3-point attempts. He also added three assists and a block in over 29 minutes.

“This game I really wanted to show my offensive side more,” Ware said postgame. “I feel like the more I get comfortable, it’s going to be way better than it was today.”

Miami’s next summer league game is scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET against the Los Angeles Lakers on ESPN2 and ESPN-plus.

Miami drafted Ware with the 15th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft out of Indiana, where he played one season under coach Mike Woodson. As a Hoosier, Ware averaged 15.9 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.

“Kel’el is a three-and-D center,” said Adam Simon, the Miami Heat Vice President of Basketball Operations and Assistant General Manager. “It is not easy to find 7-footers that can play out on the perimeter offensively and also be able to defend with his ability to shot-block and defend the post. For us, that was very appealing. He’s gonna give us versatility on both ends and his skill set fits us. The things he does well are things that coach (Spoelstra) is going to be able to use. I think it’s a great fit — be able to block shots, defend the rim, shoot threes, he’s got a great touch in the post. I think his skill set will be great to play with Bam and as well as when Bam’s off the court.”

Now Ware joins a roster headlined by All-NBA guard Jimmy Butler and All-Star center Bam Adebayo. The Heat went 46-36, finished eighth in the Eastern Conference and lost to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. Ware will wear No. 7 for the Heat.

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Ware inked a four-year deal worth $22,512,733 million, with $9,542,760 guaranteed at signing, according to Spotrac. He is set to make $4,655,040 during his rookie season and $4,887,720 during his second season, both guaranteed.

Entering Ware’s third season in 2026-27, Miami has a club option worth $5,120,400. The Heat have another club option before Ware’s fourth season 2027-28, which is worth $7,849,573. The club option deadline is Oct. 31 both years. If Ware stays with the Heat for four seasons, he will become a restricted free agent ahead of the 2028-29 season.





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No Messi, no party? 10-men Miami suffer worst loss this season

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No Messi, no party? 10-men Miami suffer worst loss this season


In a crushing 6-1 loss against FC Cincinnati, Inter Miami suffered their heaviest loss of the season.

With important players Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi unavailable, Miami had a tough test played in front of a sold-out 25,513 at TQL Stadium. Things worsened when Sergio Busquets was sent out in the 62nd minute, resulting in his side playing with 10 players.

But the game did not start disastrously for Tata Martino’s players. After Yuya Kubo opened the scoring for Cincinnati in the 10th minute, Serhiy Kryvtsov managed to level the score in the 21st minute; providing a glimmer of hope for the visitors. Nevertheless, this optimism was fleeting as Cincinnati wasted no time stepping up their offensive game.

They have proved once and for all why they are a formidable opponent in MLS.

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Cincinnati showcased their offensive prowess in the first half, scoring four goals and effectively sealing Miami’s fate early on. Luca Orellano ran riot as a forward, assisting twice and creating numerous opportunities.

Luciano Acosta, a player poised to repeat as MLS MVP, scored in the 36th minute and provided two assists. This includes one for Pavel Bucha’s strike just two minutes later. Yamil Asad added another goal in the third minute of extra time, making it 4-1 by halftime.

The relentless pressure from Cincinnati continued in the second half. Kubo scored his second goal in the 57th minute, and Gerardo Valenzuela added a sixth goal in the 72nd minute. The match marked a record for the Orange and Blue, which equaled the highest number of goals scored in a single game since joining MLS in 2019. The last time they scored six goals was against San Jose Earthquakes on September 10, 2022.

A tough result for Inter Miami.

A tough result for Inter Miami.

Cincinnati took over Miami on top of Eastern Conference

Inter Miami were significantly weakened without Messi and Suarez, who were on international duty at the Copa America. Additionally, Jordi Alba was suspended due to yellow-card accumulation. These absences left Miami vulnerable, a situation exploited ruthlessly by Cincinnati.

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As the game progressed, Miami’s fortunes worsened after Sergio Busquets’ dismissal in the 62nd minute for dissent. The former Spain international received two yellow cards in quick succession.

First, it was for arguing a foul called on Leonardo Campana and then for continued protesting. This dismissal, only the fourth of his career, left Miami with ten men and compounded their defensive woes.

With this victory, FC Cincinnati not only overtook Inter Miami in the Supporters’ Shield race but also made a strong statement to the rest of Major League Soccer. Cincinnati improved their record to 15-4-3, amassing 48 points to Miami’s 47. This win positioned them as the top team in the regular-season standings, a title they hold from their triumph in 2023.

What’s next for Inter Miami?

Inter Miami coach Tata Martino reflected on the defeat, acknowledging the superiority of their opponents. “We had a period early in the season where we were vulnerable in back, we started to fix that. But this game we reverted defensively to how we played early in the season. Our opponent was better than us,” Martino stated. He also expressed hope that the team would improve with a full roster available in the final part of the season.

The Herons face a challenging period ahead with Messi likely to miss the MLS match against Toronto FC on July 18 due to his participation in the Copa America semi-finals. However, the superstar’s mid-season return could bolster Miami’s chances in their upcoming games, including a crucial match against Chicago Fire on July 21.

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Photo credit: IMAGO / Newscom World

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A day in the life of Robert Rivani, a 34-year-old real-estate mogul with $750M in deals who left LA to invest in Miami

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A day in the life of Robert Rivani, a 34-year-old real-estate mogul with $750M in deals who left LA to invest in Miami


Robert Rivani got a taste for business flipping shoes as a teenager in his hometown of Los Angeles.

At first, he said, he sold his own Air Jordan and Nike shoes to just afford other shoes, but when business took off, he was making $10,000 a month before he could legally drink. He dropped out of high school in the 11th grade. At 18 years old, Rivani said he was approached to sell his shoe collection for over $150,000 and he took it.

“The hustle came young because my family wasn’t wealthy or rich by any means, and I wanted to be able to afford nicer things in life,” Rivani, now 34, told Business Insider. “The only way for me to go about getting that done was by making it on my own.”

He started working in property management, helping run buildings in Los Angeles, and has stayed in real estate ever since. He specializes in buying more dated buildings, from restaurants to offices, and revamping them.

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“I consider myself somewhat of an artist when it comes to designing the properties,” he said. “Painting a building a certain way or making it more aesthetically pleasing, from the facade or the landscaping, and then being able to have tenants buy into the vision. It was an amazing thing to turn around these dilapidated properties into something special or unique.”

Rivani left California in 2022 to make his mark in Miami, where he’s grown his real-estate portfolio.

His investment group, Black Lion, has a portfolio of restaurants, office buildings, and mixed-use buildings in South Florida totaling 500,000 square feet of space owned.

His hospitality real-estate investment firm has completed $750 million in transactions, he said.

In April, he paid $62.5 million for a building in Miami Beach with stores at its base and offices above. He plans to renovate the interior and exterior and rebrand it at The Rivani. So far, West Elm and Williams Sonoma are retail tenants.

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“To buy my own office building at 34 years old for 60-some-odd million with no investors or no partners was a huge milestone in my career,” Rivani said. “It was a dream of mine since I was a kid to have that and then also have the building named with my last name.”


A man sitting on a white sports car in front of a mansion.

Robert Rivani posing in front of his former Beverly Hills mansion.

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Rivani is also known for his California home — a Beverly Hills castle inspired by “Harry Potter” and “Game of Thrones,” including a $50,000 replica of the latter franchise’s iron throne — which he sold for $22 million in 2023.

Rivani now lives in a 9,000-square-foot mansion in Miami. He let Business Insider take a peek inside a typical day, and described how he sets his life up for success.

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5:30 a.m.

Although Rivani left California for South Florida, he still sticks to his West-Coast rituals and wakes up around 5:30 a.m. or 6 a.m. While working in California, he still had properties to worry about on the East Coast, so he had to be up early to stay efficient. Now it’s just a habit.

“I get anxiety if I sleep until 8 a.m. or 9 a.m.,” Rivani told BI. “I feel like I’m missing things. I feel like I’m being disrespectful.”

6 a.m.

Once awake, Rivani immediately spends 30 minutes to an hour catching up on emails he didn’t get to the night before and researching current market trends. He also takes time to meditate and visualize what’s ahead in the day.

Around 7 a.m. every morning he has tea with his wife, Krystal.


A man and woman posing on a white couch.

Rivani and his wife, Krystal.

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Anna Orsborn



“I can’t stress how important it is to have a healthy, stable marriage when you’re trying to do what you do in real estate because you’re always so busy 24/7,” he said. “I make sure I spend quality time with her in the morning.”

8 a.m.

Rivani usually hits the gym in the morning for about an hour.

“I’m a big, big believer in going to the gym at least four to five days a week — or at least staying active, whether that’s hitting weights or playing paddle or tennis or physical therapy to keep my body,” he said. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that without your health, there’s no wealth.”

9 a.m.

Rivani leaves his home in Miami to his office in Miami Beach — which can take up to 45 minutes depending on traffic. Even that 45-minute drive is valuable time, so his personal assistant or wife drives while Rivani texts and takes calls.

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“I’d rather not text and be on phone calls,” he said. “A lot of the good old residential brokers do, and I see them on their phone. I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

10 a.m.

Rivani is a believer in intermittent fasting and has his first meal, usually a protein shake, at 10 a.m.

His next meal won’t come until dinner.

“I’m a big fan of intermittent fasting, so that’s why I decided to drink tea versus other drinks because I fast for 14 to 16 hours every single day,” he said. “I won’t eat any food or have any special breakfast routine.”

1 p.m.

On Mondays, Rivani is usually slammed with a gauntlet of meetings from the legal team, to the construction team, to designer meetings, so he’s usually in the office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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Throughout his meetings he’ll meet with his legal team and go over the status of pending deals. Meetings with the construction team checking in to see where they’re at with bids on new projects and ensuring current projects are on track. He’ll have interior design meetings to go over renderings for projects and help with furniture selection.

However, he’s a little more active every other day of the week. Tuesday through Friday, Rivani meets with tenant companies, potential vendors, and contractors.

Rivani has the luxury of having restaurants, including Delilah Miami, as tenants and can host multiple meetings in one location instead of bouncing around Miami.


A man posing in an all-red outfit.

Rivani posing in an all-red outfit.

Michael Timzil Nio

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“I’ll set back-to-back meetings at one of my restaurant properties where I’ll just have people coming there,” he said. “So I try to be as efficient with my time. I’m never lapping the city to go to a meeting and going to another meeting — that’s just an inefficient use of my time.”

7 p.m.

About 65% of the time, Rivani eats dinner at home, he said.

“My wife loves to cook, and if I decide to eat out too much she’ll kill me,” he said. “On the weekends, that’s when we’re going out and having dinners. I’ll be having dinners much later than that, unfortunately.”

After dinner, Rivani winds down by watching TV for about an hour — he’s on his third watch of the History Channel’s Viking-age drama “Vikings,” he said.

Rivani said that because of the nature of the job, he’s still fielding calls up until bedtime.

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“There’s no cutoff,” he said. “There are times when I’m talking to people right up until bed. I had a really bad habit where I would leave my phone on at night. But now it’s on silent and I don’t pick up anyone’s call. Once it gets to 9 o’clock-ish, my phone just goes on silent and time’s up.”

9 p.m.

It’s time for bed.





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