Property Address
7883 Breakwater Court, Bokeelia, Fl. 33922

Use
Vacant Residential lot

Size
75 w x 100 d Click for survey


Information about Bokeelia and Pine Island


Comments
Pine Island (in Lee County) is the largest island (17 miles long and 2 miles wide) on the west coast of Florida, just 15-20 minutes from Cape Coral, 30 minutes from Ft. Myers and one hour from Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW). Pine Island's secluded, quaint and "country waterfront" atmosphere is a huge part of its charm. Fringed with mangroves rather than white sand beaches, Pine Island has escaped the concrete, blacktop and skyscrapers found in the more touristy, beachy communities. Current legislation prohibits high density, high-rise development in the foreseeable future . . . designed to preserve our unique, rural island heritage for generations to come.


History
Florida and Pine Island rose from the receding seas some 24 million years ago. While it is not known when man first arrived on our island, skeletal remains have been unearthed dating back some 6,000 years.

The Calusa Indian civilization had its cultural center in Southwest Florida, with many shell mounds discovered on Pine Island. Other mound sites were located in the Charlotte Harbor area to the North and extending down to the Ten Thousand Islands near the Everglades. An important, periodically-worked, archeological site is located in Pineland on the northwest edge of Pine Island. The Randell Research Center (below) offers tours and information and is located next to the Pineland post office.

It is likely that the Calusas inhabited Pine Island until 1513 when it is believed that Ponce de Leon landed on the west side of the island. The Spanish skirmished with the Calusas and imported serious, European diseases to which the natives had little immunity. By 1750, the Calusa culture had vanished, leaving behind only shell mounds and empty villages. Except for occasional pirates or fishermen, Pine Island was basically uninhabited until 1873 when a Russian sailor named Captain John Smith arrived after having survived a hurricane on nearby Punta Rassa. He decided that Pine Island would be a safer haven against future storms since it was protected from the Gulf of Mexico by the outer islands of Sanibel, Captiva and Cayo Costa. Other settlers followed and they, too, lived off the substantial bounty of the sea, while beginning to develop the beautiful, island paradise that we now enjoy.