Ultra-private $16 million island with own helipad available in Florida Keys: Salt-life lovers dream

An idyllic private island retreat in the Florida Keys that is accessible only by water or air has returned to the market for $16 million, offering up a rare opportunity to enjoy the best of both worlds: “extraordinary privacy” and metropolitan proximity.The beautiful isle sits just a quarter-mile off the coast of Marathon, FL, and is surrounded by beautiful turquoise waters that serve as the ideal spot for “snorkeling, swimming, kayaking, paddleboarding, fishing and watersports.”And, while boats, jet skis, and helicopters are the only real methods of transport to the island, residents and guests can be on the mainland in mere minutes using one of those options, creating a level of convenience rarely enjoyed at properties of this kind.According to Vladimir Rochebrun, who is co-listing the property with Aaron Rosenthal, both of The Chad Carroll Group at Compass, the island’s location on the Atlantic Ocean side of Marathon also comes with several other advantages.“It’s on the ocean side so you don’t have a lot of the issues that you deal with on the Gulf side, where you’re dealing with all these bugs and all these things that impede on your quality of life,” Rochebrun explains.“If you do own an island on the [Gulf] side, there’s so many more things that are nuisances that kind of impede on the value of being able to freely be outside and be comfortable.”The impressive property is currently home to a three-bedroom primary residence and a separate one-bedroom guesthouse, as well as a private helipad and a large dock that can house a sizable boat.Yet there is much more to the property than meets the eye.In addition to the land that is easily viewable above the water, the property also comes complete with approximately 5.8 acres of seabed that surrounds the island—creating a private underwater paradise that only a few have had the chance to enjoy.“You have to factor in the surrounding seabed, which you have ownership and rights to, s...