As AquaPlex Fell Behind, Its Owners Were Buying a Mansion in Boca

Did the owners behind AquaPlex KeyWest buy a multimillion-dollar Boca Raton property just weeks before AquaPlex allegedly stopped paying rent at 711 Duval Street and before employees began publicly coming forward with claims of unpaid wages?

Public documents suggest they did.

Palm Beach County records show a property purchase earlier this year in the millions, followed just two months later by what appears to be an internal transfer into a LLC.

The property was marketed as a large luxury home in a gated Boca Raton community, according to real estate listing materials reviewed by Palm & Prejudice. How much does this set one back?

The Palm Beach County Property Appraiser lists a March 9, 2026 sale for $3,480,000. The warranty deed, made March 10 and later recorded in Palm Beach County, identifies the buyers as John Michael Barrett and Jonathan Barrett, a married couple as tenants by the entireties, with a mailing address associated with the Boca Raton property. The Barretts are also the owners of AquaPlex Key West and serve as the CEO and Director of Operations for Pride Holdings Group respectively.

Then, on May 20, 2026, John Michael Barrett and Jonathan Patrick Barrett transferred the property by quitclaim deed to MJ Media Holdings LLC for $10.

That $10 figure does not mean the house was sold on the open market for a couple of bucks to a random buyer. Because MJ Media Holdings LLC was no strange entity.

State corporate records show MJ Media Holdings was tied directly to the Barretts. In April 2026, the company amended its filing to use an address associated with the Boca Raton property. Jonathan Patrick Barrett was even added as manager and listed as “50% owner,” while John Michael Barrett signed the amendment. A month later, the Barretts quitclaimed the property to that same LLC.

Two professionals I spoke to, with decades of experience in both commercial and residential real estate, said transfers like this can be used for a range of reasons including estate planning, liability management, privacy, financing, or other business reasons. Neither said the transfer itself proves wrong doing.

So what is the possible significance of all this?

Why does this matter?

What began over the Fourth of July weekend as questions about the future of AquaPlex Key West, and really, the broader Pride Holdings Group around it, has now evolved into the actual closing of the 711 Duval Street drag club and bar and will soon include The Birdcage (formerly known as SideBar). All amid disputed unpaid rent, employee complaints, and a widening trail of public records.

Monroe County court filings show an eviction complaint against AquaPlex Key West LLC. The complaint alleges the monthly rent was just over $21K and that AquaPlex failed to pay rent for April, May and June 2026.

Separately, employees, some now technically former employees have begun alleging unpaid wages. Some have described relying almost entirely on cash tips, while others have considered public crowdfunding as an emergency stopgap.

So here is the timeline that is taking shape:

• At the start of 2026, the landlord of AquaPlex (the Barretts do not own the building, just the business) was already communicating with AquaPlex about overdue rent and a possible default.
• In March, John Michael Barrett and Jonathan Barrett purchased the Boca Raton property for $3.48M.
• In April, MJ Media Holdings amended its state records to use that property as its address and added Jonathan Patrick Barrett as manager and “50% owner.”
• In May, the Barretts quitclaim deeded the property to MJ Media Holdings LLC for $10.
• In June, AquaPlex Key West's landlord filed an eviction complaint.
• Weeks later, in early July, the iconic Duval Street venue came to a screeching halt.

What is the right question?

To be clear, the records specifically discussed here do not show that AquaPlex Key West money was used to buy the Boca Raton property. They also do not prove that the transfer was improper.

What they do establish is a timeline where the Barretts purchased a $3.48M Boca Raton home, moved it into an LLC clearly linked to them, and soon after faced court claims that AquaPlex Key West LLC had failed to pay rent.

All the while, some of their other holdings and establishments elsewhere in Florida, all connected through their wider Pride Holdings Group, were facing troubles of their own.

Now, the question is not whether private business owners are allowed to buy fabulous homes with many many bathrooms. Of course, they are.

The question is what public records reveal about stewardship, priorities and financial management at the time that a culturally important Key West venue was allegedly falling behind on rent and workers were claiming they had not been paid.

Gutting an institution

One source who has recently seen the shuttered premises, described AquaPlex after everyone vacated as totally “gutted.” As they put it, it looked like a bomb had gone off in the once colorful and lively spot. Booths, lighting fixtures, sound equipment, point-of-sale systems, and even a water heater were allegedly carried out. Who owned what remains in dispute, particularly because some items may have predated the Barretts’ acquisition of the business.

I wondered where all this stuff was headed. The source speculated that everything was likely sitting in a storage unit somewhere in the Keys. At least, close to home.

The fixtures may be in storage. There is a deed in Boca. But what, exactly, was left behind for Key West?