Russell Weiner bought a Florida estate for $35.3M

Star Island has a new Rockstar resident. 

Russell Weiner, the billionaire behind Rockstar Energy drinks, bought Rosie O’Donnell’s former waterfront estate in Florida for $35.3 million.

The Star Island home’s value more than doubled from its previous sale price, lending further cachet to the coveted Sunshine State enclave. 

Compass agent Liz Hogan represented both the seller and the buyer in the transaction. The sale was first reported by South Florida Business Journal. 

Star Island’s exclusive 32 properties, protected behind a guarded gate, are populated by an impressive roster of A-listers and high-profile moneybags. Gloria Estefan, Ken Griffin, Rick Ross and Jennifer Lopez count among the enclave’s current and former residents. 

Billionaire developer Vlad Doronin set a Miami-Dade record in March when he sold his Star Island abode, formerly the home of Shaquille O’Neal, for $120 million.

O’Donnel took up residence at the 1920s Star Island villa in 1999 — two years before Rockstar Energy came into existence — for just $6.75 million. The actress and comedian went on to make a tidy profit on the 11,104-square-foot home, selling it for $16.5 million in 2013 to the late Dr. David Frankel. 

Frankel, a prominent doctor and real-estate investor, was married to the late Linda Frankel, a former fashion editor at Vogue and the sister of Diane Sawyer. 

The Frankels undertook substantial renovations during their tenure at the property, the Wall Street Journal previously reported, including opening up the entryway, redoing the kitchen and updating the landscaping along its 200-foot Biscayne Bay frontage.

The Mediterranean-style main house features eight bedrooms, a bar, a workshop and a rooftop terrace. The 1.1-acre property also boasts two guesthouses, a bean-shaped pool with a slide and a private dock complete with a 40,000-pound boat lift.

Weiner bought the waterfront home at a fraction of its original listing price — the property hit the market in November for an ambitious $54 million. It was reduced to $48 million in March. 

Weiner, who is the son of conservative talk show host Michael Savage, made his personal fortune in the energy drink game, selling Rockstar Energy in 2020 to PepsiCo for $3.85 billion. 

Weiner has a history of investing in multimillion-dollar real estate across South Florida, as well as Beverly Hills, California and Park City, Utah. Weiner plans to expand and renovate the estate to approximately 15,000 square feet, making room for luxury amenities like a spa, a gym, a cabana and a padel court, according to a source familiar with the deal.