Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has a $500 million megayacht, a $75 million support vessel with its own helipad and a pilot wife who loves flying helicopters. But when the couple’s new Miami estate is ready, Lauren Sánchez may have to leave the chopper behind. Jeff Bezos appears to have met one problem that even his fortune cannot simply buy away.
Bezos famously owns the $500 million sailing yacht Koru, a 416-foot Oceanco vessel whose towering three masts leave no room for a conventional helipad. The solution was suitably extravagant: a roughly $75 million support vessel called Abeona, complete with a helipad and helicopter hangar, allowing his wife, Lauren Sánchez, to fly in and out while the couple cruises the world.
But their new home in Miami's ultra-exclusive Indian Creek Village, better known as the “Billionaire Bunker,” comes with a very different set of rules. And one of them could be particularly inconvenient for Sánchez: helicopters and private helipads are not allowed.
Bezos can buy a yacht with a helipad, but not one at home
The contrast is almost comical. At sea, Bezos has a dedicated $75 million solution for the helicopter problem. On land, however, the rules of Indian Creek Village leave him with considerably fewer options.
The couple has spent about $234 million on three properties in the exclusive enclave, according to reports, with Bezos' purchases beginning in 2023.
Their future compound is expected to be one of the most expensive residential holdings in the area. Yet despite the enormous price tag, Bezos cannot simply add a helipad to the property.
Indian Creek's 103-page Land Development Regulations specifically prohibit helicopter landing or storage areas as an accessory use. The rule states that “in no instance” can such an area be permitted.
Lauren Sánchez is no ordinary passenger
The restriction is particularly notable because Sánchez is not simply someone who occasionally takes a helicopter. The former television anchor is a licensed helicopter pilot and founded Black Ops Aviation, an aerial film and production company, in 2016. She has also spoken about the importance of flying regularly to maintain her skills.
Her aircraft of choice has included a Bell 429, while she has also been seen flying an Airbus H145.That makes the helipad aboard Abeona especially useful.
