Agricultural Properties on Pine Island, Florida

It has been glorious this week on Pine Island, blue skies, pretty low humidity and temperatures from the low 60's to the low 80's.  I was lucky to spend some time the past two weeks, horse back riding with my friend Jeannie, on her two spotted walking horses.

Pine Island is pretty unique as far as islands in Florida go, because a lot of the land is zoned agricultural and there are a number of large vacant parcels of land where you can keep horses, as well as homes on land where you can keep horses.  On land zoned AG-1 or AG-2 you can use for most agricultural uses, such as pasture land, timber, apiaries (bee hives), aquaculture, crop land (peppers, vegetables, tomatoes, melon, squash etc.), horses, or nurseries.

The land may qualify for an agricultural exemption, if it meets criteria pursuant to Florida Statute 193.461(3)(a).  You can also visit the Lee County property appraiser's website for more info on the agricultural exemption: https//leepa.org/agriculture.  There are minimum acreage sizes and other requirements.

There are 14 homes for sale now on Pine Island on AG land, from $195,000 to well over a million. 

There are 39 parcels of land zoned AG for sale now, from $49,000., also to over a million.  Besides horses, cows, chickens, goats you might also want to keep a little burro, like my burro Sparky.

As an accredited buyer's representative (ABR) I specialize in helping home or land buyers find the property that is right for them, either in Bokeelia or Saint James City.  If I can help you, please contact me, Erika Foye, Florida licensed real estate broker, at:  ErikaFoye@embarqmail.com.

 

Signs of Spring and Sharktooth Jewelry on Bokeelia

Starting out foggy, it warmed up and was a mild day today, a great day for a bike ride up to the Bokeelia fishing pier.  There was a good crowd at the pier and Jim Forrest who is the owner of "The Tooth Fairy" a purveyor of interesting shark tooth and other fossil jewelry.  I bought a few pair of earrings from him year before last.  Usually you can find him at the Bokeelia fishing pier on Sunday.

If you are interested in some shark tooth jewelry, you can reach Jim at wannatooth@optonline.net.
Biking home I came across a Florida softshell turtle (large, more than a foot long!!) and a small gopher tortoise.  Maybe like the groundhog coming out of his den yesterday, the terrapins have decided there will be an early spring!

 

I enjoy exploring the natural world on Pine Island and am a real estate broker specializing in representing buyers of homes and land on Pine Island.  If I can help you or get you more information, contact me, Erika Foye, at ErikaFoye@embarqmail.com.

 

What to do on a rainy day on Pine Island Florida

 It's been an unusually cool couple of days on Pine Island, and raining the past 2 days.  We need the rain and cool weather is so rare it's nice to have sweater weather.  But if I were on vacation and didn't live on Pine Island, I might be a little at loss of what to do?

 

Hong Kong Orchid Tree in my backyard drinking up the rain

Here's a few things to do in cool and rainy weather here:

Visit the Museum of the Islands, at the corner of Sesame Drive and Russell Road at Pine Island center.  The gift shop has a great selection of books, both fiction and non-fiction, some by local authors.  Also there are some great photo exhibits of the history of the island, going back more than 100 years, as well as archeological artifacts from the cultures of the native Americans that first occupied Pine Island. Visit www.museumoftheislands.com.

Right next door to the Museum, it the Pine Island Library, has a good selection of books and periodicals and free internet.

Stop by the Greater Pine Island Chamber of Commerce Welcome Center at 3640 Pine Island Road, next to the new fire station being built in Matlacha.  A great resource to discover local art galleries; shops; restaurants; gift shops; accommodations; music, guides, real estate and much more.  The Welcome center is open Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can get brochures, events flyers, maps, menus and more.  The website is www.pineislandchamber.org.

The Pine Island Art Association meets at the park  at 4577 Pine Island Road, Matlacha, FL. 33933, www.pineislandart.com.

The Saint James Civic Association sponsors many activities including educational classes; games (ma jong, cribbage, bingo, bridge and ping pong); fitness (yoga, line dance and qui gong) and various workshops, exhibits and photography.  The website is www.SJCCAPI.ORG.

Even in rainy weather, a visit to our parks and conservation land is enjoyable.  Visit Randell Research Center, with walking trails and an interpretative trail exploring the culture of the Caloosa native people who lived here (www.flmnh.ufl.edu.rrc).

The Calusa Land Trust also preserves and manages hundreds of acres of conservation land on the island, some have walking trails.  www.calusalandtrust.org.

Bird Watching on Pine Island, January 2019

Well it's already a new year on Pine Island.  One of my new year's resolution (besides keeping up with my Pine Island Blog) is keeping a log or diary of the many species of birds I see here on Pine Island, and when.  In the first three weeks of January 2019 I have seen (and often heard) more than two dozen different species of birds.  These birds were all seen either in the upland pine lands and woods of Bokeelia, or in Pine Island Sound in Pineland or in or over Charlotte Harbor.

Cardinal, kingfisher, crows, roseate spoonbill, mourning dove, red headed woodpecker, cat bird, white pelican, mocking bird, blue jay, ospreys, pileated woodpecker, loggerhead shrike, sandpipers, yellow crowned night heron, hawks, vultures, bald eagles, little blue heron, egrets, ibis, wood stork, great blue heron, sparrows, anhinga, brown pelicans, ducks, oyster catcher.  I have heard the great horned owls resident in my neighborhood, but not seen them in a while.

One of my favorites are White Pelicans which usually arrive in great flocks around Veteran's Day, early November, and are usually headed north by Saint Patrick's Day.  So we get to enjoy these great birds about 4 months of the year.  According to my Audubon field guide, these birds get to be 5 feet long with a wing span of up to 8 feet!  I believe they are the largest bird you will see on Pine Island. Even the majestic bald eagles and great blue herons, that reside here year round.

Another of my favorites is the loggerhead shrike, with his silvery wings and black masks.  They are residents year round.

This photo is attributed to lanius-ludovicianus-texas-USA-8.jpg-Terry Ross. 
 

End of Summer on Pine Island

It's been a long and pretty hot summer, but I've been so busy with real estate I haven't been blogging.  But I wanted to share some of the photo's I've taken over the summer, enjoying the beautiful landscape and cloud formations around Bokeelia.  Also have been enjoying paddling out in Charlotte Harbor and Jug Creek, where fortunately we've been pretty much unaffected by the red tide.  I went out this morning and it was really nice, 80's and a light breeze.

Today I picked the last of the mangoes on my trees (leaving a few high up ones for our local squirrels) and gardenias from my bush.  So summer is officially on the way out, looking forward to fall on Pine Island.

Rains bring out the best of tropical Fruit on Pine Island

I've taken a long hiatus from my Pine Island blog, it was a busy winter and spring of 2018, but now that summer has arrived, along with our first tropical storm "Alberto" lurking off shore (heading towards Pensacola they say) I'm trying to get back to blogging about life on Pine Island.  This morning I visited my friend, Gabbie's,  tropical fruit farm.  All the trees were really enjoying the big rain of May (after a very dry winter).  She's got an amazing variety of tropical fruit including Bahamian cherries, pineapples, banana's, lychee, avocados, sapodilla, sapote, jack fruit and many different types of mango.

Through April, we only had a little more than 4 inches of rain this year.  But since May 1, we have had more than 9 inches of rain, and probably will get a couple more inches this weekend.  Gabbie gave me a fruit I've never tried "Star Apple", I will taste it and photograph and report on it later in my blog.  I am Erika Foye, Realtor and Real Estate Broker, living the island life in beautiful Bokeelia.  As an accredited buyer's representative, I enjoy talking about, blogging about, Pine Island, Florida.
To contact me, email erikafoye@embarqmail.com

Labor Day at Bokeelia Fishing Pier

It's been a while since I've posted to my Pine Island blog, I spent some time with family and friends going to the Great American Eclipse north of Kansas City, Missouri, in August.  It was awesome.

I plan to attend the next full solar eclipse to cross the continental United States, April 8, 2024, god willing.

Meanwhile, Pine Island is still awesome too.  Here is a beautiful Pineland sunset.  Also a few of the full Bokeelia fishing pier today, Labor Day, 2017.  The parking lot to the pier was full!  Some guys were "surf" fishing, out in the harbor up to their chests fishing.   I don't know if I would do that, carrying bait, considering besides fish and dolphins, there are plenty of sharks in Charlotte Harbor!
But, to each there own. 

Finally, the many mango's on my back yard trees are finally starting to get ripe...they are late!  Most mangos have already come and gone, but it looks like I will have Mangos throughout the month of September.

I just finished my real estate market update for the Pine Island real estate guide, here are a few of the results:

Bokeelia - Median Single Family Home Price this summer  - $290,000. (up 28%!)
Saint James City - Median Single Family Home Price this summer - $350,000. (up 2.5%)
Matlacha - Median Single Family Home Price this summer - $521,450. (up 52%!)

If you'd like a pdf copy of my full real estate market report, for the Pine Island communities of Bokeelia/Pineland, Saint James City, Matlacha, just email me at erikafoye@embarqmail.com.  I am Realtor Erika Foye, Broker for All Island Realty, Inc. and accredited buyer's representative.

Cloud Formations Over Pine island

We've had some spectacular thunderstorms the past few weeks over Pine Island.  On my morning bike rides through Pineland and up to Bokeelia, and over looking Charlotte Harbor, and have the chance to watch the clouds roll in.   At the fishing pier, frigate birds were soaring overhead.  I have heard that frigate birds head in from sea when big storms are coming.

 

 

 

Three of my favorite things about Pine Island:  the great water access and views, the long and uncrowded bike path, and the many encounters with birds and other wildlife.  For more information about Pine Island, and if you are interested in real estate here, call me, Erika Foye, Real Estate Broker for All Island Realty, Inc., based in beautiful Bokeelia, Florida. 

 

2017 Real Estate Sales on Pine Island

From January through June 2017 on Pine Island, there were 269 closed real estate transactions, with a total of $55,487,258. in sales.

Here is what has sold from January through June 2017 on Pine Island:

60 Waterfront Single Family Homes sold, with a median price of $385,000.
50 Off-water Single Family Homes sold, with a median price of $196,950.
8   Condominiums sold, with a median price of $222,000.
49 Manufactured homes sold, with a median price of $128,500.
3   Duplexes sold, with a median price of $165,000.
17 Water front lots sold, with a median price of $131,500.
68 Off water lots sold, with a median price of $20,750.

Single family home prices are up about 5.25% year over year.  Since the bottom of the recession in 2010, home prices have risen 46% on Pine Island, averaging a 6.57 percent appreciation rate over the past 7 years.

For more information about Pine Island real estate, contact me, Erika Foye, Realtor and Buyer's Broker, at erikafoye@embarqmail.com.  My company is All Island Realty, Inc.  My mailing address is PO Box 343, Pineland, Florida 33945.  Here are some beautiful sunrise photos I took this week in Pineland, and Bokeelia.

Mango Season Arrives on Pine Island

There are bumper crops of mangoes right now on Pine Island.  One of my favorite places to visit is Promised Land Mangos on Pineland Road, off Stringfellow Road in Bokeelia.  A great family grove, they have many varieties of mangos and it is one of the oldest groves on the island.

Besides fresh mangoes, you'll find mango butter, mango jam and mango chutney.  Also wonderful local mango and mangrove honey, and Stephanie's Farm Fresh eggs.  At this time of year, open most days except Sunday.  Call 239-369-3896 for hours.

Other farm markets are also brimming with mangoes, and at Fruitscapes on Ficus Tree Drive, you'll also find lychees, coconuts,  sugar cane, and other fresh fruit, local baked goods, and orchids and birds of paradise.  We on Pine Island are lucky to be surrounded by this beauty!  Mango season is roughly May through September and Mango Mania festival is in about a month, the weekend of July 22 and 23.

Launching your boat or kayak in Bokeelia

One of the best places to launch your boat in Bokeelia is at the Bocilla Island Seaport, right next to the Bokeelia Fishing Pier and Captain Con's restaurant.  Fees are affordable $5. for kayak launch and park, $10. for boat launch and park.   The back bay location leads right out to Charlotte Harbor, near Boca Grande pass.  Now is Tarpon Fishing Season, and Boca Grande pass is famous for tarpon fishing.

You can also rent a kayak or hire a captain for a half or full day fishing trip.  Bocilla Island Seaport is right off Charlotte Harbor.   

I got in a bike ride before morning thunderstorms rolled in across a glassy Pine Island Sound.  It's clearing up now, so I'm headed down to the Pine Island pool and library, two other fun and free or almost free past times to enjoy on Pine Island.

 

Hope the rain holds off so I can get out on the water tomorrow.  But it's good, we are getting the rain we've been missing all year.

Rainy Season Arrives in Bokeelia

At last we are getting a long steady rain in Bokeelia.  Most of Florida (including Pine Island) has been receiving below average rain fall since January, so it is a big relief to get some rain, even though it cut my morning bike ride short.

Here's a scene of some roll clouds moving in across Pine Island sound this morning.  Hopefully in the next couple days we'll make up the 6 inches of rain we are deficient.

 

Since it is a rainy afternoon, I updated real estate sale statistics for 2017 in the Pine Island communities of Bokeelia, Saint James City, and Matlacha.

 

From January 1, 2017 to June 5, 2017 the following properties sold on Pine Island:

13 Bokeelia Waterfront Homes sold for a median price of $396,500.

26 Saint James City Waterfront Homes sold for a median price of $390,000.

 12 Matlacha Waterfront Homes sold for a median price of $327,600.

37 Bokeelia Off-water homes sold for a median price of $199,000.

8 Saint James City Off-water homes sold for a median price of $215,000.

 

Island wide, the following properties sold:

15 Water front home sites sold for a median price of $131,500.

54 Off-water home sites sold for a median price of $19,500.

8 Condominiums sold for a median price of $222,000.

45 Manufactured homes sold for a median price of $128,500.

 

Through June 5, 2017, $47,188,558. in real estate sold on Pine Island, representing a total of 232 closed real estate transactions.  The price of real estate was up 8.4% over 2016, and the number of sales was up 14%, compared to 2016.

 

To find out more about real estate on Pine Island, visit my website: www.pineislandhomesandland.com, or email me, Erika Foye, buyer's agent and real estate broker at erikafoye@embarqmail.com.

Fishing Season in Bokeelia coincides with Memorial Day

The windy weather finally died down after last week's much needed rain storms and I had a chance to go paddle boarding yesterday off Bokeelia, along Calusa Island (traveling out of Shell Cut from the Portobello Road small boat ramp - launch fee is only $5).   We saw lots of fish including sheepshead, sting rays, many large snook, mullet, and lots of bait fish.  Also, just a few hundred yards from the marina, a beautiful soft gray dolphin swam up to us and under our paddle boards!

The fisherman are happy that the wind has laid down to and were bringing in boat loads of fish to the Pine Island fisheries at the north end of Tortuga Drive.  I biked up there this morning and came home with two fine snapper, one a yellow tale, one a red snapper.

The prices are great and the fish couldn't be fresher.  I highly recommend Pine Island Fisheries!
We'll be grilling these two for our Memorial Day Dinner.  

Also at 16111 Tortuga Street, I came across this cute white cottage called "The Quarterdeck" which is offered for rent on Air n B, see photo's above.  It is right down the street from the Jug Creek Marina and across from this colorful boat painted with an alligator.  The cottage is just behind the Poinciana tree that is in full bloom out front. 

Happy Memorial Day and thanks to all our veterans!  For more information about real estate here on beautiful Pine Island (Bokeelia, Saint James City, and Matlacha), contact me, Erika Foye, Real Estate Broker and Accredited Buyer's Representative, at erikafoye@embarqmail.com.