Another massive SWFL island hits market; and your questions on U-Pick farms and FM Beach

Another massive Southwest Florida island hit the market this past week.

We first told you earlier this summer about the availability of the only privately owned site on 350-acre Buck Key Island off Captiva for $21 million that has ties to Teddy Roosevelt. Your piece of the uninhabited isle would be about 14 acres.

Now, you can get your own entire 100-acre "local historic" island for $10 million off Bonita Beach between Hogue Channel and Estero Bay, according to Re/Max Realty Team's Darius L. Cochran.

It is Battista Island, and like the Buck Key grounds, has been on the block before and also been part of on and off negotiations for decades with Lee County government for preservation purposes but no deal was ever cut.

There is a little more momentum these days for the Silvio Battista family selling it.

"This is the last property to dissolve a trust," said Cochran, who just sold the last two other properties for the Silvio Battista Trust for $8.5 million. "The family wants to sell to a single-family home buyer and does not want to sell for a condo complex."

The latter might take some talking with government types on working out the particulars, but the family has said a roughly one acre of uplands there can handle four or five homes. The offering includes a 50-foot easement from Bonita Beach Road to the water at Hogue Channel, Cochran said.

"People can park and ride to the island. (That's) extremely important for island buyers," Cochran told me. "This local historic island could make an incredible home site."

What's the history of Battista Island in Lee County off Bonita Beach?

Among the largest of Estero Bay's 128 islands, its recorded history goes back to the mid-1800s when it was mapped by the U.S. Navy, which was patrolling the shore to prevent Seminoles from trading with Cuban fishermen and Mexican and European tradesmen coming into the Gulf of Mexico.

The late Battista purchased it for $95,000 in 1968 from banker Richard Wolfe and his wife, Catherine, one of the initial members of the Royal Poinciana Club and Naples Yacht Club after moving to Collier County in 1954 from Binghamton, New York, according to In the Know research.

Battista had big development plans for his sliver of paradise in the 1970s and began a little preliminary work, but other concerns derailed the endeavor, and his dreams for 80 townhouses, 52 homes and a bridge to Little Hickory Island died with him in 1989. He left it to his family who operated Battista Farms Nursery.

Reader question: What's moving into U-Pick Farm in south Lee County?

Readers Joe Jansen and Denny Fagan are among those who have been peppering me with questions on the Fort Myers U-Pick Farm at 8751 Gladiolus Drive that we've covered in the past. You all are doing a super job keeping an eye out for doings at that spot and elsewhere in Southwest Florida, and In the Know thanks you.

"Anything definite for the land floating out there?" Double J asked about the acreage off Winkler Road. "Keep up the good stuff."

There was no new lease agreement this summer for the 50 acres between Argentinian owners tied to the late South American mall innovator and real estate tycoon Juan Carlos García Badaracco and the agriculture operation that was also known as Biggar Farms, which is now seeking new digs.

Cropping up in the fields instead is Farmer Mike's U-Pick of Fort Myers, the second location for the organization to go with its Bonita Springs site near I-75 and Terry Street that debuted just before the turn of the century.

The business owners say it will largely mirror the original including as one of the hosts of its annual fall festival that's going into its 9th year. One exception is the corn maze that Bonita has at 26031 Morton Ave., but look for pumpkins and sunflowers in October.

While not ready to announce an official opening date for Fort Myers, they plan to launch the fall festival on Sept. 29 to run through Nov. 5. in Bonita, and the hope in Fort Myers is for the event to begin Oct. 7. The goal in Fort Myers is also to have U-PIck strawberries, tomatoes and other offerings in November as part of the season.

On the issue of agriculture, Shop Local Productions, which is behind a half-dozen or so Southwest Florida farmer markets, rolled out another one in the Times Square area on Friday. It’s slated to operate weekly from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and just the first of items we have this week related to Fort Myers Beach and its recovery.

Reader question: What's the Detroit connection to FMB's The Cottage?

We heard from reader Maureen Franey, who's an enthusiastic fan of In the Know, and we like that.:

"Love your column," she said. "I was wondering if the sale of The Cottage on Fort Myers Beach has been finalized. I’m curious who purchased it. We heard it was someone from the Detroit area (who) owns a bar/restaurant called Bumpers Landing in our old neighborhood in Michigan."

Indeed, Michigan-based Right Choice Investments LLC purchased the 1250 Estero Boulevard parcel decimated by last year's Hurricane Ian for $9 million, with plans still in the works to rebuild it in all its glory as The Cottage and The Cottage Beach Bar.

As we first reported earlier this summer, the LLC is tied to the Detroit area's Shamo family, which has been behind an auto dealership, real estate and entertainment venues such as the Harrison Township's Bumpers, a sports and tiki bar on the Clinton River.

Paul Shamo and Fort Myers Beach developer and Michigan transplant Joe Orlandini, who handled the sale and demolition of the remaining pilings and what little Ian left behind, said they'll be leading the operation. Realtor and Southwest Florida native Karl Faerber handled the transaction for the sellers, Colorado East LLC.

The owners have put in a request for a permit for a temporary fence "for security and construction to be determined at a later date," and the town was just waiting Friday for payment of it, according to public records.

Relief, sort of: For SWFL, Idalia was no Ian as residents clean up after their latest hurricane encounter

What's the latest on the Moss Marina, Neptune and Myerside projects?

At the same time, Moss Marina has officially submitted to town staff its plans we first told you about in April. The 4.5-acre mixed use redevelopment at the bayfront berth of 450 Harbor Court has called for three hotels totaling 400 rooms, 1,000-foot long community baywalk, marina, bars, restaurants, shopping, parking garage and other amenities.

As it weaves its way through reviews, the green flag for construction is at least a year or more away if it's approved. That enterprise is among numerous proposed on Estero Island that we've reported on since Ian's Sept. 28 devastation.

A key milestone for the rebirth of the vintage 71-unit Neptune resort we told you about in August should come later this month: "Our plan is to have a community information meeting likely towards the latter part of September," said Ken Gallander, vice president of Southwest Florida-based The Neighborhood Company, which represents Continental Hospitality Group, also known as CHG.

The Ohio firm wants to construct four floors of hotel units that could total double what it had, a restaurant and other resort amenities over two levels of parking garage space and hopes for a debut by 2026 at 2310 Estero Blvd.

In the Know: Rescuing 1,200 after Hurricane Ian's powerful punch, SW Florida boating brothers honored

On a smaller scale, The Neighborhood Company also represents the Myerside inn and cottage owners, who shared their plans just before Hurricane Idalia interrupted everyone's week, and then held a small community meeting Thursday night. While architectural plans are incomplete, the new Myerside Resort, 145 School St., would feature about 40 guest units plus retail space, with part of the building reaching four stories.

Through Myerside LLC, Canadian transplants Roland Weinmann and Bev Milligan purchased the plot for $545,000 in 2013 and grew it from seven apartments to a bed and breakfast with 14 units. Weinmann is a two-term board member of the Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce while Milligan founded the Estero Island Tax Payers Association and formerly served as president of the Fort Myers Beach Woman's Club.

Based at the Naples Daily News, Columnist Phil Fernandez (pfernandez@gannett.com), who grew up in Southwest Florida, writes In the Know as part of the USA TODAY NETWORK. Support Democracy and subscribe to a newspaper.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Your own SW Florida isle and answers to reader questions on farms, FMB