Jeff Bezos Announces He’s Moving to Miami

Jeff Bezos is moving from the Pacific Northwest to the Southeast.

The Amazon founder, 59, announced on Instagram Thursday that he is returning to Miami in the near future.

The post features a clip of Bezos from the early days of building Amazon. “Seattle has been my home since 1994 when I started Amazon out of my garage,” Bezos’ caption began.

After revealing that his father, Miguel Bezos, was behind the camera in the clip he continued, “My parents [Miguel and Jacklyn] have always been my biggest supporters. They recently moved back to Miami, the place we lived when I was younger (Miami Palmetto High class of ’82 — GO Panthers!).” 

Bezos explained the motivations behind his upcoming move: “I want to be close to my parents, and [fiancée] Lauren and I love Miami.” 

He added that his aerospace company Blue Origin’s operations are “increasingly shifting” to Florida’s Cape Canaveral.

Bezos recalled his time in Seattle over the past few decades, noting how it’s the city he’s lived in the longest.

“[I] have so many amazing memories here,” he wrote. “As exciting as the move is, it’s an emotional decision for me. Seattle, you will always have a piece of my heart.”

In the 1994 clip Bezos shared, the future billionaire is seen giving a tour of the office in his three-bedroom Seattle home. Bezos stood among loose papers and books, a giant whiteboard, fax machines and two desks with older computers in his home office.

“That’s about it,” he jokes as the camera pans across the office. “It doesn’t take long to tour the offices of Amazon.com.”

Bezos’ announcement follows his recent purchase of a seven-bedroom mansion on a small private island in Biscayne Bay. The mansion on the man-made island was purchased in September for $79 million, reported Bloomberg. 

The September purchase comes after the businessman’s purchase of a neighboring home in June, which he bought for $68 million. The two homes take up around 1.8 acres on the Florida island, reported Bloomberg.

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Before Bezos’ real estate moves, he proposed to his girlfriend, Lauren Sánchez, in late May. 

“Her friends are thrilled Jeff finally popped the question,” a source told PEOPLE. “They have been talking about it for a long time. All of her friends say this is her dream come true. She found the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with and they felt the time was right.”

The two first went public with their relationship in 2019 after Bezos announced his divorce from wife of 25 years, MacKenzie.