Pine Island, Florida

Did you know there are (2) Pine Islands in the State of Florida?

Many don't know this, but there is a Pine Island located in Hernando County and then there's another Pine Island in Lee County, which is the largest island in the state of Florida.  Both islands are on the West Coast, the Gulf of Mexico side, where the water is warmer.

Pine Island, FL (Lee County)

Pine Island, FL (Hernando County)

For the sake of this article, we'll be exposing the larger island of the two, Pine Island in Lee County, Florida which is further South than the other.

First, a small geography lesson. Pine Island itself is 18 miles long and 2 miles wide and nestled within a group of smaller islands that surround it - truly a water lover's paradise.

The mainland of Cape Coral/Ft Myers is the Metro area of Southwest Florida in which Pine Island belongs and Matlacha, on West Island is the gateway to Pine Island which is accessible by bridges.



There are 3 small villages on Pine Island that are fairly different from one another.  "Bokeelia", at its north end on the Charlotte Harbor side is lush and includes most of the island's agriculture.



"Pineland", facing West to Pine Island Sound has great historical significance with the Calusa Indians, archaeology and the historic, Tarpon Lodge. 






Finally, there's the most populated "Saint James City" on the South end of the island with more than a few restaurants, shops, a spa, marina and more recreational activities.






Not to confuse readers, but there is one other community. It doesn't have its own zip code.  It's technically Bokeelia, but the locals call it "The Center" which is around the 4 way stop at the "center" of the island and it has more shops, restaurants, the island's only grocery store, a museum, community pool and park.

Although Pine Island is laid back, there are plenty of things to do.  Fishing is huge, but so are a host of other activities including kayaking, paddle boarding, boating, hiking, biking, birding, golfing, tiki pub crawling with live entertainment,  and excursions to the very near outer islands that feature some of the best beaches in the US.











If you have your own boat, you won't get bored as there really is so much to explore.  If you don't have your own boat, no worries as the island does have taxi/ferry service to the outer Island's of which the most recognized is Tropic Star Cruises.

Calusa Heritage Trail

Preserves, parks, trails and nature walks on the island are plentiful. One of the reasons for this is that islanders really care about preserving the character of what coastal areas looked like in the old days.  The island has no real beaches which helps in keeping development down and there are active organizations that continually buy land to preserve for future generations, so the island stays naturally pristine and looking like olde Florida for years to come.


Housing on Pine Island is low key, meaning there are no high rises at all.  Condos on Pine island are only 2 stories tall and a lot of the single family homes are eclectic being major developers or one size fits all builders have not trounced on the island's character as of yet for the most part.

active listing on Pine Island in Bokeelia

All said, Island life is not Florida life and Florida life is not Island life.  For those choosing the island lifestyle, there's a bit of heaven in that choice, but there's also much responsibility in keeping the attitude positive and the island as pristine as it can be.

-written by Jennifer Russell, Pine Island Resident of 19 years and key contributor to "Things to DO on Pine Island".