- April 25, 2024
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Ron Rice's home was built in 1987. Photo courtesy of Realty Pros Assured
Ron Rice's home features oceanfront views and two outdoor pools. Photo courtesy of Realty Pros Assured
Mirrors line one of the bathrooms inside Ron Rice's home. Photo courtesy of Realty Pros Assured
Angel statues decorate the indoor pool, which connects to one of the outdoor pools. Photo courtesy of Realty Pros Assured
Ron Rice's home also has a bar. Photo courtesy of Realty Pros Assured
One of the homes five bathrooms is mermaid-themed. Photo courtesy of Realty Pros Assured
The main living area features many of Ron Rice's findings during his travels, as well as photos from previous Hawaiian Tropic pageant contestants. Photo courtesy of Realty Pros Assured
A kitchen was added in the '90s. Photo courtesy of Realty Pros Assured
Many of the rooms feature oceanfront views. Photo courtesy of Realty Pros Assured
Many of the rooms feature oceanfront views. Photo courtesy of Realty Pros Assured
Hawaiian Tropic founder Ron Rice loved to entertain.
And his Ormond Beach home is a reflection of that.
The 12,000-square-foot oceanfront home was listed for sale for the first time on Nov. 18 for $5,999,900. Complete with a disco dance floor, three pools — one of which is indoor and connected to one of the outdoor pools — and an indoor/outdoor bar and lounge, the home is a personification of Rice, said listing agent Bill Navarra, broker and owner of Realty Pros Assured.
"I think Ron was a born entertainer," Navarra said. "And I think he would want whoever takes over the home to entertain in it, and enjoy it and just celebrate such an amazing home and really celebrate such an amazing man."
Many celebrities have stepped foot inside the home at 175 Ocean Shore Boulevard: John Travolta, Paul Newman, Tim Allen, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan and Bill Clinton are among the names of those who attended a party by Rice over the years.
Rice, who died at age 81 in May, had the home built in 1987. It features four bedrooms — two of which are direct oceanfront "owners' suites" with private views — and five baths, unique woodwork throughout the living and entertaining areas, a three-car garage, a downstairs guest suite with access to the pool deck and a kitchen with a wraparound breakfast bar, which was built in the 90s. For many years, the house didn't have a kitchen, Navarra said, since Rice put so much of his focus on entertaining.
Navarra had worked with Rice for many years prior to his death. The main living area, he said, shows who Rice was.
"It's very eclectic, but Ron was a world traveler, and there's so many pieces local and then from worldwide," Navarra said.
The living area also has photos of former Hawaiian Tropic pageant contestants, to be sold separately. What stands out to Navarra the most, though, is the disco dance floor, which features lighting and electronic done by the same team who designed the New York City nightclub Studio 54.
Additionally, all of the rock and stone in the home's exterior was brought down by Rice from his home state of North Carolina.
Navarra said he's never had a listing garner so much attention as Rice's home. The listing was recently featured in Mansion Global's website.
It's a piece of Ormond Beach history, he added. Rice was part of the Ormond Beach community, and not just another client for Navarra — he was a friend, one Navarra said he always enjoyed sitting and meeting with for the past 12 years. Rice used to call him Brother Bill; he loved to give nicknames.
The property merits a unique buyer, Navarra said.
"It's on an amazing piece of property in an amazing location," he said. "So the property itself without the celebrity involvement to it, has an amazing value on its own, and then adding the fact that it was owned by a celebrity, I think just increases it exponentially."
