I toured a private island in Miami known as 'Billionaire Bunker' due to its insane security measures — see inside

Hannah Towey 

Dec 15, 2022, 5:00 AM

A rendering of 37 Indian Creek in Miami Beach, FL. 

Todd Michael Glaser/Dina Goldentayer

• Miami's Indian Creek Village was ranked in 2021 as the most expensive neighborhood in the US.
• The exclusive private island is home to celebrities including Ivanka Trump and Tom Brady. 
• I got a tour of the high-security enclave and saw why it's earned the nickname "Billionaire Bunker."

Despite only having a few dozen homes, Miami's Indian Creek Village is a separate municipality with its own mayor and local government.

Google Maps

Source: Florida State Government

In 1939, the Florida legislature incorporated Indian Creek under a now-defunct law that allowed 25 or more neighbors to form a town.

A man rows past Indian Creek homes. 

Jeff Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Source: Florida State Government

Today, the man-made island is home to celebrities, including Ivanka Trump and Tom Brady.

Todd Michael Glaser/Dina Goldentayer ᐧ

Indian Creek is the most expensive city in the US, according to 2021 data from Zillow. In 2019, a 10-bedroom mansion sold for a record-breaking $50 million.

Todd Michael Glaser/Dina Goldentayer

Source: Zillow, Insider

To enter the island, your need to be a resident or have your name put on a verified visitor's list. At the gate, security scanned my Uber driver's license before letting us through.

Hannah Towey/Insider

The island's one entrance is heavily guarded, with the Indian Creek Village Police headquarters immediately to the left.

Hannah Towey/Insider

13 full-time police officers secure the island by land and sea.

Hannah Towey/Insider

I was also told there had been discussion of implementing a laser beam security system around the island's coast to prevent any water-bound intruders.

Hannah Towey/Insider

My Uber driver dropped me off on the other side of the bridge. While waiting for Dina Goldentayer, the realtor giving me the tour, a policeman stopped to ask who I was waiting for.

Hannah Towey/Insider

As I wandered around, the only other people I saw on the streets were construction workers. Several homes, including a mansion Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner purchased last year for $24 million, were under construction.

Hannah Towey/Insider

Source: New York Post

Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen, who recently divorced, paid $17 million for a home they demolished in order to build an "eco-mansion," Page Six first reported.

Construction of the mansion appeared to remain underway, despite reports that the couple had paused the project. 

Hannah Towey/Insider

Source: Insider

A total of 41 property lots are wrapped around the Indian Creek Golf Club at the center of the 300-acre island, meaning every home has water views.

Todd Michael Glaser/Dina Goldentayer

After meeting up with Goldentayer, we drove around the eerily-quiet neighborhood.

Hannah Towey/Insider

The median listing price on Indian Creek is $21.2 million, according to Realtor.com.

Hannah Towey/Insider

Source: Realtor.com

37 Indian Creek Road, Goldentayer's listing, was put on the market for $59 million in May. Originally, the property's developer, Todd Michael Glaser, said he would accept offers in bitcoin.

Todd Michael Glaser/Dina Goldentayer

Source: Insider

The home is currently off-market, but will be re-listed once construction is complete, Goldentayer said. Following the collapse of FTX, they no longer plan to accept payment in cryptocurrency, she told Insider.

Todd Michael Glaser/Dina Goldentayer

One of the more surprising details I learned during the tour was that purchasing property in Indian Creek does not guarantee admittance into the neighborhood's ultra-exclusive golf club.

Hannah Towey/Insider

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner were told by local residents they "need not apply" to the club after buying their $30 million Indian Creek home, according to Page Six.

Hannah Towey/Insider

Source: Page Six

In the early 2000s, the country club was accused of discriminating against Black and Jewish residents, local outlets reported. The club denies the allegations.

Hannah Towey/Insider

Source: Orlando Sentinel (2000), Wall Street Journal

Beyond the club, not much else is on the island. Indian Creek Road is the neighborhood's single street — and it's a dead end.

Hannah Towey/Insider

"There's no action here," Goldentayer joked. "But you're 10 minutes from the action."

Hannah Towey/Insider

Most of the homes had private docks. But unlike other high-end Miami neighborhoods, there's no direct beach access.

Hannah Towey/Insider

Some residents own or rent additional properties on Miami's mainland, Goldentayer said, like Ivanka and Jared's $18.8 million rental condo in nearby Surfside.

Hannah Towey/Insider

Source: New York Post

Other notable residents on the island have included Wall Street tycoon Carl Icahn, supermodel Adriana Lima, and singer Julio Iglesias.

Hannah Towey/Insider

Source: Insider

Privacy was obviously top-of-mind for the billionaire residents. Some mansions were especially well-hidden from the street.

Hannah Towey/Insider

Combined with the over-the-top security measures, this "quintessential privacy" is what makes high-profile names so attracted to the community, according to Goldentayer. By the end of the tour, it was more than clear why the neighborhood is likened to a bunker.