Larry Ellison Buys $277 Million Florida Resort Near Mar-a-Lago, $450M Total Investment

Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison purchased the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa in Manalapan, Florida, for $277 million in August 2024, bringing his total real estate investment in the exclusive 400-resident island town to $450 million. Located approximately 20 minutes from Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, Ellison’s acquisitions position him as a major property owner in an ultra-wealthy enclave that has become a magnet for billionaires seeking proximity to Trump’s political power center.

The $277 million acquisition of the 300-plus room Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa represented one of the largest hotel purchases in Florida history. Combined with Ellison’s previous purchase of a record-breaking $173 million, 16-acre beachfront and lakefront estate in Manalapan (acquired in 2022), Ellison’s $450 million total investment demonstrates a strategic positioning in Palm Beach County’s most exclusive area. Ellison immediately announced renovations to the resort, installed a pop-up Nobu restaurant on-site, and began offering Manalapan property owners free beach club memberships without initiation fees or annual dues.

Ellison’s massive real estate investments in Manalapan coincided with his deepening political and business relationships with Donald Trump. Following his February 2020 fundraiser for Trump and Oracle’s subsequent selection as TikTok’s “trusted technology provider,” Ellison’s proximity investments near Mar-a-Lago facilitated regular access to Trump during both his post-presidency period and his 2024 campaign. Local officials acknowledged that “every place in that area is having a moment because of Donald Trump,” with Ellison’s resort acquisition catalyzing further ultra-high-net-worth property transactions in the area.

The strategic geographic positioning near Mar-a-Lago exemplifies how billionaire political donors cultivate sustained access to political leaders through real estate investments that enable casual social interactions, private meetings, and relationship-building outside formal lobbying channels. Ellison’s $450 million investment created a luxury hospitality and residential platform 20 minutes from Trump’s primary residence, facilitating the kind of informal proximity that translates into political influence and business opportunities.

Ellison’s Manalapan investments occurred while Oracle was executing multibillion-dollar intelligence community and Pentagon contracts, lobbying extensively on TikTok issues, and positioning for Oracle’s eventual stake in the 2025 TikTok deal brokered by Trump. The resort purchase provided Ellison with a Florida base for maintaining relationships with Trump and his political network, demonstrating how real estate investments serve as infrastructure for billionaire political influence operations that complement formal campaign donations and lobbying expenditures.