Is Useppa Island Private?

Useppa Island is a 100 acre bridgeless private island club located within the waterways of Pine Island Sound. Our island is the premier destination for Floridian boaters, seasonal out of state residents and international travelers. The island’s history is vast and begins thousands of years ago with the Calusa Indians.

Can you drive to Useppa Island FL?

The 100-acre subtropical barrier island, offering an upscale yet low-key atmosphere, is just a 20-minute ride on the Useppa Club Launch. The boat leaves from Bocilla Marina, in Bokeelia on the northern tip of Pine Island. The island is accessible only by boat or seaplane—and has golf carts instead of automobiles.

Are there alligators on Useppa Island?

While the trip to Useppa Island takes only 20 minutes we could imagine ourselves journeying back in time as the modern houses of the mainland quickly slipped from view, replaced by mangrove forests inhabited only by birds and alligators that haven’t changed in appearance since time immemorial.

Where is Useppa Island Florida?

Pine Island Sound
Useppa Island is an island located near the northern end of Pine Island Sound in Lee County, Florida, United States. It has been known for luxury resorts since the late 19th century, and it is currently the home of the private Useppa Island Club.

What is it like to live on Useppa Island?

In short – Useppa life is as active or relaxed as you like. Start your morning with a paddleboard or kayak… tennis game or full-sweat workout at the fitness center… bike ride or croquet with the family… then ease into the evening for cocktails with friends or dinner at the historic Collier Inn.

How many homes are on Useppa Island?

115 homes
With only 115 homes on Useppa, people know each other or welcome those they don’t know. “We can be at the pool and meet a family we have never met before and they will say ‘come on over for dinner tonight. ‘ Everyone is so helpful, so friendly and so kind. Every time we go to the island we make new friends.”

Are there cars on Useppa Island?

The island has no cars and no roads, but there is a long list of activities for Useppa Island Club members and guests to enjoy. Many are water-based sports that involve boats, including kayak excursions, catboat races, deep-sea fishing charters and nearshore fishing for species such as tarpon, snook and redfish.

Who lives on Little Bokeelia?

Tom and Elizabeth Munz have lived on the island for 25 years. Three years ago they put the property up for sale at the whopping price of $29.5 million. Last year the price was reduced $5 million and last month an entrepreneur purchased the property for $14.5 million.

What is the population of Useppa Island?

If you don’t have your own boat, there’s a launch from Pine Island. When I think of what makes southwest Florida attractive, I think of storied, unspoiled Useppa, a virtually private enclave of the 600-member Useppa Island Club.

How did Useppa Island get its name?

Legend has it notorious pirate Jose Gaspar used Useppa to imprison a Spanish princess named Joseffa. When she refused to return his advances, he killed her, and the island became known as “Joseffa’s Island,” which eventually evolved into Useppa.

What does Sanibel mean in Spanish?

It all started when Juan Ponce de Leon, who is thought to have discovered Sanibel in his search for the Fountain of Youth, named the island upon his arrival in 1513. He called it “Santa Isybella” after Queen Isabella. The name was later noted on Spanish maps as “San Ybel” or “S.

Is Sanibel Island man made?

Sanibel and Captiva Islands were formed by rising sea levels that separated them from the mainland a few thousand years ago. It has continually been shaped by centuries of currents and storm activity. Dating as far back as 2,500 years, the native Calusa Indians were the first-known residents of the island.

Has a hurricane ever hit Sanibel Island?

Sanibel Tropical Storm and Hurricane History Hurricane Charley, striking on August 13, 2004, with winds of 131 mph, has been the most destructive hurricane to hit the City of Sanibel since it incorporated in 1974 and after Hurricane Donna in 1960.

Does it cost money to go to Sanibel Island?

Sanibel Causeway, Sanibel Island, Fla. The basic toll for most passenger vehicles on the Sanibel Causeway is still $6. But as of Oct. 1, 2021, vehicles crossing the causeway without an eligible transponder will be charged an additional $3 administrative fee.