1 hour ago
3
It’s the lifestyles of the rich and famous — or at least their children — in Wellington, Florida.
And now, they’re helping turn it into an even more luxurious enclave with super-luxury developments in the pipeline.
The equestrian mecca, which is 40 minutes inland from the beaches of Palm Beach, has long been linked to big family names. It is home to Georgina Bloomberg, daughter of former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Jessica Springsteen, daughter of rock star Bruce Springsteen.
They are “accomplished and active equestrians who are drawn to Wellington for the same reason thousands of riders from around the world come here each season: the opportunity to train, compete and participate at the highest level of the sport,” said Wellington Mayor Michael J. Napoleone, who is a partner at law firm Day Pitney.
Bloomberg, 43, is a professional show jumper, and Springsteen, 34, had a strint on Team USA’s Olympic equestrian team.
Even Bill Gates, who now owns homes and other property in Wellington, started renting in the village in 2011 so his daughter Jennifer Gates could become a top show jumper, which she has accomplished, per Yahoo Finance.
“Everybody’s walking around in breeches,” said amateur rider Nancy Batchelor, a Miami-based Compass agent who has a second home in Wellington. “It’s a very laid back demure kind of place.”
Wellington and its roughly 62,000 people is widely renowned as the winter equestrian capital of the world, with the annual 13-week Winter Equestrian Festival kicking off in January.
If it all sounds fancy, that’s because it is.
Wellington’s median income is $110,294, according to the Bureau of Economic and Business Research, and the area has seen a cumulative real estate appreciation of nearly 118% over the last decade.
Recent Compass rentals went as high as $330,000 for a three-bedroom, two-bathroom equestrian estate for six months, or the equivalent of $55,000 per month, during the 2026-2027 riding season. The 5-acre property on Palm Beach Point Boulevard has an arena and a 23-stall barn. Meanwhile, an eight-bedroom, eight-bathroom equestrian facility on 46.96 acres was recently on the market for $48.5 million.
“The amount of money brought into that community is more than F1 in Miami,” Batchelor said of the Wellington event, which draws hundreds of thousands of spectators. Formula 1 Grand Prix of Miami was expected to have an economic impact of nearly $550 million this year, according to The Bull 104.7.
Yet, the village boasts shopping centers with ubiquitous retail and a Hampton Inn & Suites with room rates currently in the $200s per night.
For now.
An influx of equestrian-related capital has drawn high-profile real estate development.
Tiger Woods, Justin Timberlake and equestrian investor Mark Bellissimo have teamed up to build a 400-acre luxury residential club community in Wellington. The Wellington will feature 253 homes, a hotel, shops and restaurants.
Related Ross has plans for Village Landing, a 71-acre “walkable village center” between US 441 and Stribling Way with approximately 220,000 square feet of retail, more than 100,000 square feet for restaurants, a 180-room hotel, 90,000 square feet of office space and community outdoor space. The firm anticipates opening in fall 2028.
Ken Himmel, president of Related Ross, isn’t worried about the seasonality of the equestrian sport saying it “represents 10 to 15% of the market.”
The project — which will cost more than $400 million — will be “geared to a higher demographic as well as a moderate demographic,” Himmel said.
Just west of Village Landing there will be a new K-12 private school for 1,700 students, Napoleone said.
When Jennifer Oz LeRoy — daughter of legendary restaurateur Warner LeRoy — opened the now-shuttered Maxwell’s Plum in Wellington three years ago, she said of the village, where she has been riding horses for more than 20 years: “It’s a scene — with people from all over the world, because it’s the hub of international equestrianism. It’s the Springsteens and the Jobses and the sexy polo players and all that. Everybody is fabulous.”
Wellington’s success, the mayor said, comes from “decades of thoughtful, measured planning that has prioritized quality of life, strong schools and neighborhoods, green space, equestrian trails and farms, parks and family-oriented amenities.”
English (US)