Briny Breezes’ few hundred residents enjoy all the perks of luxe beach living as their affluent neighbors who live in the Palm Beach villas next door – but at a fraction of the price.
Ten miles away is Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago. Nearby are dozens of multi-million dollar homes.
But in Briny Breezes there are no stately homes, only mobile ones.
And when a previously unknown developer wanted to change everything and offered more than half a billion dollars for the purchase, the local residents were almost unanimous in their answer: It must be a joke!
And even now, they don’t regret their decision to turn down the offer, as got an insight into the community and spoke to residents who turned down the $502,496,000 offer.
“This is paradise,” resident Chuck Swift told . “I mean, you’re sitting on my boat right now, and I’m living the same lifestyle as a mega-multimillionaire who’s six blocks south.” Obviously, it’s a trailer, but I can drive to the bay or the ocean or take a golf cart to the beach drive. Toes in the sand and lift up the paddle board.
“And where else can you have all that?”
Briny Breezes is a tiny beachfront trailer park in South Florida just 10 miles from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort and features oceanfront beach clubs and water aerobics at the community pool
got an inside look at the community and spoke to residents who turned down a $502 million offer from an unnamed developer hoping to buy the coveted property
“This is paradise,” resident Chuck Swift told . “I mean, you’re sitting on my boat right now, and I’m living the same lifestyle as a mega-multimillionaire who’s six blocks south.” Obviously, it’s a trailer, but I can drive to the bay or the ocean or take a golf cart to the beach drive. Toes in the sand and pick up the paddle board’
The community has oceanfront beach clubs, water aerobics at the community pool, clubhouse, library, and bowling nights
A resident shuffleboard area is one of the perks for residents of Briny Breezes
“It was just one of the most affordable places to live and enjoy a beach lifestyle and enjoy the ocean,” said one resident
Strikingly nestled between Palm Beach County mega-mansions and chic high-rise condos, the quaint coastal trailer park looks out of place
Briny Breezes is one of the last trailer parks on the coast between Miami and Palm Beach. The homes were purchased in 1997 for just $35,000
Strikingly nestled between mega-mansions and chic high-rise condos in Palm Beach County, the quaint coastal trailer park looks out of place.
The residents drive golf carts through the narrow streets, past palm trees and small, well-kept courtyards. They wave at each other and chat about the next trip to the neighborhood—or maybe a game of shuffleboard together, or whether they should join the surf club.
It’s one of the last trailer parks on the coast between Miami and Palm Beach, with homes bought as recently as 1997 for just $35,000.
The 43-acre city grew out of a strawberry farm in the 1920s, when Florida’s charm lay in its subtropical weather and quiet coastal delight — long before the state was known for Art Deco, Miami Vice and Disney World.
A group of regular visitors bought the property in 1958 and it was incorporated as a city in 1963. It is run by a board of directors as a public company and residents own shares based on the size and location of their property.
Briny – as it’s known locally – rose to brief fame in 2005 when it was used as the backdrop for the film ‘In Her Shoes’ starring Cameron Diaz, Shirley MacLaine and Toni Collette.
Real estate agent James Arena married and raised his children in Briny Breezes during the ten years he lived there.
Speaking to , Arena gushed about its community, saying, “Briny Breezes is in such a special place.” We have a beautiful ocean right next to Boynton Inlet. We have two airports very close by. We are in the heart of Palm Beach County, one of the wealthiest counties in the world.
“It was just one of the most affordable places to live and enjoy the beach lifestyle and enjoy the ocean.”
Speaking to , real estate agent James Arena gushed about his community, saying: “Briny Breezes is in a very special place.” We have a beautiful ocean right next to Boynton Inlet. We have two airports very close by. We are in the heart of Palm Beach County, one of the wealthiest counties in the world.
The 43-acre city grew out of a strawberry farm in the 1920s, when Florida’s charm lay in its subtropical weather and quiet coastal delight — long before the days of Art Deco, Miami Vice, and Walt Disney World
“We got $510 million.” [offer] in 2006. And while that deal fell through, it was a better deal than that deal,” Arena said. “Real estate values and the cost of living have increased dramatically since then.” So offering the same amount and even a little less is absurd.
Residents’ decision not to sell their community comes as South Florida faces a housing affordability crisis and high demand for real estate
“The people who live here have money. They are smart individuals. We’re not trailer park people. And that offer was very, very insulting,” Arena said
The residents drive golf carts through the narrow streets, past palm trees and small, well-kept courtyards
The $502 million bid to purchase the property was made last month.
Community managers emailed the 600 residents about the offer, warning them that there was “no clear idea of what the buyer is proposing for the redevelopment.”
Residents gathered for a meeting to discuss the offer, but many refused to even consider selling.
With 600 feet of oceanfront property and another 1,100 feet along the Intracoastal Waterway, land like this in Southeast Florida is worth its weight in gold.
Residents’ decision not to sell their community comes as South Florida faces a housing affordability crisis and high demand for real estate.
Arena called the offer “an embarrassment”.
“The people who live here have money. They are smart individuals. We’re not trailer park people. And that offer was very, very insulting.”
“We got a $510 million offer in 2006. And that deal fell through, but it was a better deal than that deal,” Arena said. “Real estate values and the cost of living have increased dramatically since then. So offering the same amount and even a little less is absurd.”
“As a real estate agent who was born and raised here, offering a $50,000 down payment on a $500 million deal is absurd.” First, I get a $50,000 down payment for single followers. Most of the time, buyers buy here just cash, spending $250,000 to well over $700,000 on these mobile homes. Cash.’
Residents wave to each other and chat about the next trip to the neighborhood — including playing shuffleboard games together and joining the surf club
The small town of Briny Breezes has its own library for residents
Arena said he believes former President Trump would be a good business partner to help revitalize the small town
Many residents drive their golf carts through the neighborhoods through narrow streets to and from the private beach
With 600 feet of oceanfront property and another 1,100 feet along the Intracoastal Waterway, land like this in Southeast Florida is worth its weight in gold
Arena said he believes Trump would be a good business partner to help with the small town’s rehabilitation. Some even believe that the former president himself was the one who had his eye on the country
“I was running for mayor, and my campaign was to allow the Trump Organization to convert Briny Breezes into the first presidential congregation in the United States, with our own congregation here.” “The owner of the city could name the city , and I know Donald Trump loves to name things after himself,” he said.
“It would be great for him to have a place to have his presidential library, hotel, and the first presidential church in the United States of America.”
Swift said of the place he calls home, ‘How can you replace that?’ Yes, you can’t!’