Larry Ellison’s Florida real estate empire apparently comes with its own staff housing.

The Oracle billionaire quietly bought eight houses in the a single gated Boynton Beach community, shelling out nearly $10 million to put members of his family’s household staff within commuting distance of his sprawling Manalapan estate.

The buying spree unfolded over just weeks in 2023 at Palm Meadows Estates, a 288-home enclave about 30 minutes from Ellison’s oceanfront compound, according to property records. 

Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison quietly snapped up eight homes in a gated South Florida community for nearly $10 million, not for himself, but to house the staff helping run his family’s sprawling lifestyle. Getty ImagesThe properties in Boynton Beach’s Palm Meadows Estates, about 30 minutes from Ellison’s $173 million Manalapan compound. Palm Meadows Estates Homeowners Association

And Ellison wasn’t shopping for investment properties.

The homes were intended for employees who help keep the billionaire’s household running, including tutors for some of the five children he shares with his wife, Jolin Ellison, people familiar with the arrangement told the Wall Street Journal. 

The unusual setup offers a window into how the ultrawealthy are expanding their real estate footprints beyond mansions and vacation homes, increasingly securing separate housing for the employees who make their lifestyles possible.

For Ellison, 82, that meant effectively creating a satellite neighborhood for staff near his own South Florida base.

The homes were purchased through an LLC within weeks of one another in 2023. Google Earth

Ellison made a splash in Manalapan in 2022 when he paid $173 million for Gemini, a roughly 15-acre estate stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Intracoastal Waterway. The blockbuster deal set a Florida residential sales record at the time.

About 30 minutes away sits Palm Meadows Estates, a guarded community in West Boynton Beach surrounded by South Florida horse country. Its homeowners association says the development contains 288 homesites that all boast water views along with 24-hour staffed security and a clubhouse.

Ellison’s arrival there began with a mysterious house hunt.

Around March 2023, Palm Meadows resident and LuxeIQ real estate agent Kimmie Cruz said she received a request from another broker seeking immediate access to her listings for an unidentified buyer interested in acquiring roughly 10 houses.

Some sellers were persuaded to part with homes that weren’t even on the market. ulora – stock.adobe.com

The search wasn’t limited to properties already for sale.

Cruz said the buyer’s team was particularly interested in single-story ranch homes and eventually began pursuing houses whose owners hadn’t put them on the market.

That sent Cruz knocking on doors.

“I said, ‘Look, this is the chance to sell it without having to have it on the market,’” Cruz told the Journal. “‘This is a chance to have somebody very viable. The money is there.’”

The mystery didn’t last long.

Days later, Cruz was told the buyer himself wanted to tour the properties. Ellison showed up accompanied by bodyguards, and signed contracts soon followed.

An LLC connected to Ellison ultimately closed on all eight houses in May and June 2023, spending nearly $10 million in total, according to property records.

The houses are used by family employees, including tutors for some of the five children Ellison shares with wife Jolin, who are reportedly homeschooled and learning multiple languages. Pictured is Ellison’s sprawling Manalapan home he bought for roughly $175 million. Pictometry

The homes themselves are a far cry from Ellison’s trophy estate in Manalapan. They are relatively modest suburban properties with tidy yards, with some featuring private swimming pools.

For several owners, however, Ellison’s buying spree produced a hefty payday.

Paul and Yvonne Carozza sold their roughly 2,100-square-foot, three-bedroom home for $1.2 million after purchasing it for $567,000 in 2019, according to property records.

The arrangement is part of a broader luxury real estate phenomenon as billionaires, hedge fund executives and other wealthy homeowners increasingly secure nearby accommodations for nannies, tutors, chefs and other household employees.

Providing housing can also be a powerful recruiting tool in expensive markets where employees might otherwise face long commutes or steep housing costs.

“If you want them to get to work quickly and have a reasonable commute, investing in lodging can be a very smart decision,” Peter Mahler of Mahler Private Staffing told the Journal.

The buying spree reflects a growing luxury real estate trend in which the ultrawealthy buy or rent separate nearby homes for household staff, keeping workers close while preserving privacy at their main estates. Daniel Petroni

Keeping employees nearby but outside the main residence can provide another commodity prized by billionaires: privacy.

The concept is increasingly finding its way into luxury condominium developments as well, with smaller units sometimes incorporated into buildings to accommodate household employees separately from owners’ primary residences.

YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, better known as Mr. Beast, for example, purchased an entire neighborhood for his staff and family in North Carolina for the same reason, The Post previously reported.

At Ellison’s Manalapan estate, some of the buildings include areas used to homeschool his older children, who have multiple tutors and are learning several languages, according to people familiar with the family.

But buying eight houses in one relatively small community did not sit well with everyone.

Some Palm Meadows residents objected to one owner amassing such a large concentration of properties, and the homeowners association subsequently adopted restrictions designed to stop a similar buying spree from happening again, according to Cruz.

Ellison’s purchases were substantial enough to rattle some Palm Meadows residents, and the homeowners association later adopted rules aimed at preventing one owner from accumulating so many properties again. Daniel Petroni and Seth Zaluski

Ellison’s footprint remains visible around the neighborhood.

Residents said people living in at least some of the staff houses drive Teslas. County records also show permits were filed for Tesla Powerwalls at all eight properties after the purchases.

Ellison served on Tesla’s board from 2018 until 2022.

Meanwhile, his South Florida holdings have continued to grow far beyond staff accommodations. His $173 million Manalapan purchase helped put the tiny barrier-island town on the billionaire real estate map, part of a broader influx of technology and finance wealth into the region.