Pine Island, FL

[tropical1]

Ok, after this last deep freeze I think I want to take plunge and buy some land on Pine Island. Does anyone on the board who lives down there have an opinion of what to look for in terms of a good palm growing property. I have heard the north end was warmer but during this year it seemed the temps were higher on the south side by St. James. i assume also that the damage out there was minimal this year.

K

[mike in kurtistown]

Hi K,

I bought some acreage on Pine Island in 2002 and sold it in 2005 to finance a land purchase on the Big Island of Hawaii. My land was in the St. James area, about 5 ft above sea level, a couple thousand feet from the ocean, but no view, and had rather poor drainage during rain storms. Long dry spells are common. Bookelia stays the warmest because it is surrounded by water. A big hazard is storm surge during tropical storms, which gives an advantage to being in the interior where land elevations approach 12 ft above sea level, but there it is several degrees cooler during cold events.

[spockvr6]

Ok, after this last deep freeze I think I want to take plunge and buy some land on Pine Island. Does anyone on the board who lives down there have an opinion of what to look for in terms of a good palm growing property. I have heard the north end was warmer but during this year it seemed the temps were higher on the south side by St. James. i assume also that the damage out there was minimal this year.

K

I love Pine Island.....regardless of palm growing, its old Florida at its best!

If you take a drive there, youll instantly see where its warmer. Just look at where all the commercial palm and tropical fruit growers are located. Every one of them that I know of is located on the north end (north of where Pine Island Rd meets Pine Island).

Although it is just about as warm as it gets on the west coast of FL on Pine Island, it is definitely colder there than SE Florida.

In any case, there are some DEALS on land out there right now.

[tropical1]

First off, I would say trading up to the Big Island would be a good move.

However, Pine Island is definitely old Florida at its best. It reminds me of the Redlands with the palm farms and tropical fruit groves. During this freeze I think the temps were about the same as Miami, but I agree SE Florida is warmer overall. The land prices are great right now so I am going to take a close look. It would be good to take a look now after the cold to see if any of the areas have damage.

[cfkingfish]

Well, Rusty lives on Pine Island, and my nursery is on Pine Island, so I could give you some pointers. There was little damage to anything, as most of the island stayed above 35F the entire event.

[spockvr6]

During this freeze I think the temps were about the same as Miami, but I agree SE Florida is warmer overall.

I think the overall amount of time spent in cool weather when fronts come in is a little higher on Pine Island. Things like the Heating Degree Days show this.

But, believe me, and no offense to SE FL (as I used to live there and its a fine place), but Ill take Pine Island anyday!

Great....now youve restoked my Pine Island fires tropical1

[galveston1602]

Cough

Big island

Cough

Cough

I know, it may not be an option for many but, my dreams of moving to FL are forever gone after visiting the big island last spring.

</threadjack>

[cfkingfish]

Here are some pictures today of the bones of my new shadehouse on Pine Island. Definitely the most laidback place in Southwest Florida, probably all of South Florida for that matter.

[spockvr6]

Cough

Big island

Cough

Cough

I know, it may not be an option for many but, my dreams of moving to FL are forever gone after visiting the big island last spring.

</threadjack>

I was hooked on Hawaii too after I watched Magnum PI

[spockvr6]

Here are some pictures today of the bones of my new shadehouse on Pine Island. Definitely the most laidback place in Southwest Florida, probably all of South Florida for that matter.

Lookin' cool Christian. Where on the island are you setting up?

[Mike Evans]

What type of well water is there on Pine Island? Salt water intrusion? That is becoming a big problem along the coast.

[Rusty on Pine Is.]

Late on chiming in on this and you already have a lot of info, so i might be repeating:

The north end of the island usually is warmer during cold events if the wind comes from the N or NW...

The south end is about the same even if the wind shifts NE....

Avoid the mid island (where i live) since Little Pine is to the east and is colder by a few degrees depending on the wind......

So far there is no problem with sodium intrusion in the wells that i have, but the island is drier than just a few miles inland, so it is a real possibility during drought.

There was frost on the island last week, apparently here and also where Mike owned his property and in other spots, but the damage was slight and much less than areas in the Cape an Fort Myers.

If you have any specific questions or can help in any way feel free to PM me.

Rusty

[pg6922]

We bought .75 acres back in 08. The late Richard Krieg of Pine Island Realty gave me some invaluable advice when we purchased.

1. Stringfellow Rd which runs the length of Pine Island is the highest point in Pine Island. Think of it as the top of the hill. So, the further away you get from Stringfellow Rd moving towards the water, the lower in elevation. All the water and drainage moves away from Stringfellow.

2. Pine Island "City water" is available (about $4000) or you can drill a well for about the same.

3. The lower your elevation the higher your septic mound will be...closer to Stringfellow smaller septic mound.

4. Lots of residential roads are gravel. If you live on a long gravel road without a dead end, your house will be covered in dust. There are subdivisions with publicly maintained paved roads.

5. Several subdivisions have privately maintained roads therefore you and the others in your subdivision are the ones who maintain it.

6 a privately owned road means that your property line goes to the center of the road....this reduces your buildable area.

7. a half acre lot on a privately owned road has a very small buildable area due to the easements and offsets.

8. Its important to find a realtor with elevation maps.

9 Pine Islanders are very resistant to change and like the island the way it is.

There is lots to think about when buying on the island.

let me know if you have any other questions,

PG

[tropical1]

Thanks to all for the info. Christian I didn't realize you were setting up shop out there. When will your nursery be complete? Thanks for posting the pics.

Rusty, so coconuts, veitchias, etc. came through with little damage, particularly on the north side?

PG thanks for all of the info this is really helpful. Is there reclaimed water out there too or better to drill a well?

K

[cfkingfish]

I need a few finishing touches like my shadecloth and some benches, and I need to tap out the existing irrigation. It is actually visible from Stringfellow Road, I will divulge the exact location when its finished. It is on the property of a much larger wholesaler.

As far as damage, yes there is some. I don't know if Rusty drove up and down the island yet, he is a busy guy. All damage is minor and is on weaker plants such as sickly Coconuts, or recently planted, shade grown Adonidias in full sun with no irrigation! I don't see any noticeable damage on any other palms, but Im sure there are some spots here and there.

[Alicehunter2000]

I just Google mapped Pine Island......wow, I didn't realize you were so far north....your north of Orlando's lattitude! Just out of curiosity, what does an acre of land go for there? Looks like a pretty desolate part of Florida.....maybe some good hog hunting to the east

[pg6922]

I just Google mapped Pine Island......wow, I didn't realize you were so far north....your north of Orlando's lattitude! Just out of curiosity, what does an acre of land go for there? Looks like a pretty desolate part of Florida.....maybe some good hog hunting to the east

I think your looking at the wrong Pine island. Type in St James City,FL in Google and that gets you to the right one...quite a bit different.

[redbeard917]

7. a half acre lot on a privately owned road has a very small buildable area due to the easements and offsets.

Just out of curiosity, what are the easements and offsets? Are you not allowed to build on part of your land?

[Alicehunter2000]

Ok....your off of Ft. Myers. The other Pine Island looks pretty interesting too.....land prices are cheap. Wonder what their temps got this past freeze?

[pg6922]

7. a half acre lot on a privately owned road has a very small buildable area due to the easements and offsets.

Just out of curiosity, what are the easements and offsets? Are you not allowed to build on part of your land?

I know with a privately owned road, there is a 30 ft Right of way from the approx center line of the road then a 25 foot easement from the right of way. And I believe the utility easement is 10ft from all property line outside the right of way and 25 ft easement.

FYI: On beautiful Pine Island, your palms will struggle without irrigation. It can be surprisingly dry during the winter months.

Edited January 15, 2010 by pg6922

[mike in kurtistown]

As I recall, water was provided to Pine Island from a desal plant on Little Pine Island, using brackish groundwater. The SWFWMD was thinking about putting a stop to private well construction, but maybe they never followed through with that.

In the center of the island, the "high" elevation land continues well east of Stringfellow Rd. You should get some USGS topo maps (7 1/2 min) for reference. The way the maps are divided up, you will need three for full coverage of Pine Island.