The estate featured in the 1983 film Scarface is now for sale. John Devaney listed his waterfront compound in Key Biscayne for $237 million. It is now the most expensive home for sale in South Florida.
Devaney, founder and CEO of Miami-based United Capital Markets, listed his 2.4-acre property at 485 West Matheson Drive. He listed it with Jill Eber and Judy Zeder of the Jills Zeder Group at Coldwell Banker. Assuming you’re getting this and paying a mortgage, you’re paying $265,821/mo. That’s nuts!
This property is hard to ignore. The bright white, postmodern estate boasts 868 feet of water frontage. It includes a boat dock, an overwater helipad, and a piano-shaped pool. The home includes floor-to-ceiling windows with a view of the Miami skyline. It has five bedrooms and a steel-and-glass elevator.
That elevator is a big deal for Scarface fans. It was the centerpiece of one of the film’s most memorable scenes. This is when Tony Montana visits the home of his boss Frank Lopez. Elvira, played by Michelle Pfeiffer, descends in the see-through lift. Scarface fans “all want to ride in the stainless steel and glass elevator and take photos,” Devaney said.
The history goes well beyond Hollywood. In the early 1970s, it was part of a compound known as The Winter White House. Richard Nixon often stayed there. The house was built by pilot Roberto Striedinger. He was later convicted as a Medellín cartel drug smuggler. The home was then seized by the government and sold to new owners. Those owners then sold it to Devaney. He paid $15 million for the home and helipad. He then paid another $15 million to buy adjacent land from other sellers.
So why sell now?
Devaney points straight at the market. He said part of his reason for selling is the strong market for trophy properties in Miami. “I am an investor in real estate,” he said. Although he and his wife love the property, their three children are grown. Miami is seeing an influx of wealthy individuals.
If it sells near asking price, the deal would be historic. The current record was set in March. Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, paid $170 million for a mansion. This mansion was under construction on Indian Creek Island. Larry Page also bought two massive Miami estates for a combined $173.4 million in late December 2025.
The listing agents believe the price is justified. “We’re seeing prices now that we’ve never seen before,” said Eber. Zeder says the price is justifiable by the property’s size and 862 feet of water frontage. It features a marina and unobstructed views of Miami. “When you get a property like this that has so much land,” she said, “it’s truly a trophy property.”
Miami’s luxury market keeps climbing. This listing may be its most defining moment yet. You can check out the home on Zillow.
