Howard Schultz is trading Seattle drizzle for Surfside sparkle. The former Starbucks chief executive has closed on a roughly $44 million penthouse in South Florida and revealed that he and his wife have officially relocated to the Miami area. The splashy purchase at the Surf Club Four Seasons private residences in Surfside lines up neatly with Schultz’s announcement that he is “enjoying the sunshine of South Florida” and moving the family’s private office to Miami, while the Schultz Family Foundation stays rooted in Seattle. It is one of the latest headline-grabbing deals in South Florida’s white-hot luxury market.
The Surf Club penthouse
The condo is reported to be Penthouse 6 in the north tower of the Four Seasons Private Residences at the Surf Club and closed for about $44 million. According to The Real Deal, the aerie spans roughly 5,500 square feet and comes with multiple terraces and sweeping ocean views. The Four Seasons property page for the Surfside development touts its oceanfront amenities and private-club atmosphere, with hotel services and direct beach access highlighted by Four Seasons at The Surf Club.
What Schultz said
Schultz broke the news of the move in a LinkedIn post, reflecting on decades in Seattle before declaring, “We have moved to Miami for our next adventure together” and noting that he and his wife are “enjoying the sunshine of South Florida.” As reported by Local 10, Schultz said the family’s private office will be based in Miami, while the Schultz Family Foundation will continue its work out of Seattle. His message cast the cross-country shift as a personal, family-focused chapter rather than any kind of political or policy statement.
Billionaires heading south
The Schultz deal drops into an already busy year for South Florida’s ultra-luxury scene, where tech founders and financiers keep snapping up waterfront real estate. Forbes and other outlets have tracked a steady run of seven- and eight-figure purchases up and down the coast. At the same time, Washington state lawmakers have advanced a proposal for a nearly 10% tax on annual income above $1 million, a development reported by CBS News that some commentators say is part of the backdrop for certain high earners’ decisions to decamp to lower-tax states.
Listing and ownership
The Surfside penthouse had been sitting on the market in late 2024 and underwent price reductions before Schultz’s purchase finally closed. Property records and reporting indicate the unit was previously owned by Stockbridge Holdings, which paid about $18 million for it in 2018, according to The Real Deal. The listing was handled by agents associated with the building and the developer’s in-house sales team, underscoring the Surf Club’s status as a magnet for ultra-wealthy buyers looking for turnkey, resort-style living.
What comes next
For now, Schultz is publicly framing the move as about lifestyle and family rather than tax strategy. Local coverage notes that while the private office is heading to Miami, the Schultz Family Foundation is staying put in Seattle, as reported by CBS News. The timing raised some eyebrows in the business community, and the purchase and relocation were examined together by the Puget Sound Business Journal, which noted that the penthouse sale landed shortly after Schultz publicly confirmed his shift to Miami.
