WEEk of SEptEmbEr 18, 2024 FLIER INSIDE
Paying tribute Island organizations recognize islands’ and all first responders on 9/11 — INSIDE pINEISlaND-EaglE.com
VolumE 48, NumbEr 20
Island Bikeworks on the move and staying put! Business now offering tours in season By PAULETTE LeBLANC pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
Island Bikeworks owner Judd Payne said after five years the business had outgrown its former location and it was simply time to relocate to a bigger place. “We’re committed to staying here — staying on the island. The kids have gotten heavily involved with the business,” Payne said. Payne shared that his daughter, Kaelyn, 21, who is working on a master’s degree in accounting, runs the front desk and is in charge of all rentals, ads, Facebook and marketing, while his son, Kody, 18, is now a fulltime head mechanic. While the Paynes have owned a lot across from their previous location for the past few years, he said, the process of building there became too difficult.
“It wasn’t the county, it was just dealing with engineers, surveyors, general contractors,” Payne said. After meeting all the requirements on the new building project, Payne said he went back to request necessary changes and eventually he tired of having to chase those necessary for the job. After two years and approximately $100,000 invested in a project leading to seemingly nowhere, he decided the best course of action was simply moving on. After keeping one eye on the building for a time, Payne said, he was satisfied their new location would work fine in comparison to the headache he’d been dealing with in trying to build something new. See ISLAND BIKEWORKS, page 14 The sign at Island Bikeworks in Bokeelia. PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY JUDD PAYNE
Residents association making upgrades to clubhouse, swimming pool at Flamingo Bay
Celebrating Pine Islanders: Luretta Wilson By PAULETTE LeBLANC pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
apt’n Con’s Fish House owner Luretta Wilson said she would describe herself as a very hard worker who loves the restaurant business. Her family, she said, are some of Pine Island’s pioneers, having made their way to the island before the 1930s. Her immediate family’s journey began when her father came, almost unwillingly, to Pine Island on a fishing trip, and, much to his surprise, did not want to leave when the trip was over. He came back, not long after, this time willingly, and brought Wilson’s mother, she said. Wilson’s parents found work, running the pier and the local fish house, which would begin a life of hard work for her family on the island.
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Wilson planted her own flag at Capt’n Con’s, in 1995, with the restaurant becoming a favorite eatery to many islanders and daytrippers. She has made her way through disasters such as Hurricane Charley and Hurricane Ian, in addition to her own personal issues. A few years ago, Wilson fell and broke her hip and since then, she said, it’s been one thing after another. “I can still do prep work, but for years and years I cooked. Until the last year or so, I would go and do dishes for hours, I would bus tables — I don’t ask my
The Flamingo Bay Residents Association is in the process of doing upgrades to the swimming pool and landscaping around the Flamingo Bay Clubhouse on Curlew Drive in St. James City. The pool has been completely resurfaced after repairing leaks, resealing fixtures and replacing tiles. The work was contracted through Chuck Navy and his company SolutionFx. Work began Sept. 3. Dozens of new plants were added around the clubhouse and pool enclosure to beautify the facility. Flamingo Bay is a community on Pine Island with water access to Pine Island Sound, the Gulf of Mexico and the beaches of North Captiva and Cayo Costa. The Flamingo Bay Residents Association is a volunteer organization that provides social connections, activities, events and amenities to its members, the Flamingo Bay community and Pine Island. See FLAMINGO BAY, page 14
See LURETTA WILSON, page 14 From left above are Stephanie Dodge, Luretta Wilson and Rachel Wilson.
PHOTO PROVIDED
The upgraded pool and deck area provided by the Flamingo Bay Residents Association.
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