Nixon's Summer White House at Key Biscayne
One of my favorite vacation spots is Florida, which made me think of Richard Nixon's Florida White House, the name given to his compound in Key Biscayne, Florida. Nixon purchased the first of his three waterfront homes, 500 Bay Lane, during 1969 from his former Senate colleague George Smathers of Florida. He visited it at least 50 times while in office as President from 1969 to 1974. Nixon's compound was close to the home of Charles "Bebe" Rebozo who resided at 490 Bay Lane and of industrialist Robert Abplanalp (inventor of the modern aerosol spray can valve). Bebe Rebozo, president/owner of the Key Biscayne Bank, was later indicted for money-laundering a $100,000 donation from Howard Hughes to the Nixon election campaign.
According to journalist Don Fulsom, Nixon and Rebozo got bargain real estate prices from Donald Berg, a Mafia-associated Rebozo business partner. The Secret Service eventually advised Nixon to stop associating with Berg. The lender for one of Nixon's properties was Arthur Desser, an associate of Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa and mobster Meyer Lansky. Rebozo's Key Biscayne Bank was a suspected pipeline for Mafia money from casino in The Bahamas. By the 1960s, FBI agents monitoring the Mafia had identified Rebozo as a "non-member associate of organized crime figures."
The United States Department of Defense spent $400,000 constructing a helicopter landing pad in Biscayne Bay adjacent to the Nixon compound. When Nixon sold his property, including the helicopter pad, some accused him of profiting at taxpayer expense.
Another little known fact about this piece of real estate: Scarface, the 1983 gangster movie starring Al Pacino, was filmed there.
According to journalist Don Fulsom, Nixon and Rebozo got bargain real estate prices from Donald Berg, a Mafia-associated Rebozo business partner. The Secret Service eventually advised Nixon to stop associating with Berg. The lender for one of Nixon's properties was Arthur Desser, an associate of Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa and mobster Meyer Lansky. Rebozo's Key Biscayne Bank was a suspected pipeline for Mafia money from casino in The Bahamas. By the 1960s, FBI agents monitoring the Mafia had identified Rebozo as a "non-member associate of organized crime figures."
The United States Department of Defense spent $400,000 constructing a helicopter landing pad in Biscayne Bay adjacent to the Nixon compound. When Nixon sold his property, including the helicopter pad, some accused him of profiting at taxpayer expense.
Another little known fact about this piece of real estate: Scarface, the 1983 gangster movie starring Al Pacino, was filmed there.