At Useppa Island Club (Bokeelia, Fla.), members took that commitment a step further.
Last September, a group of homeowners purchased the historic private island club and began investing in its future, committing millions of dollars toward restoring infrastructure, rebuilding amenities, and preserving a destination that has been part of Florida’s Gulf Coast for generations.
Located on a bridgeless barrier island accessible only by boat, the club encompasses not only dining, recreation, and lodging, but also roads, docks, water systems, transportation services, and other infrastructure required to support island life.
That uniqueness helped shape the group’s approach to ownership.
Rather than concentrating control in a single individual or family, the new ownership group established a governance model designed to protect the island’s long-term future. The club now operates through an LLC governed by a board, with ownership limits intended to prevent any one family from gaining outsized control.
For Simon Bound, Chairman of Useppa Island Partners LLC, the structure reflects a simple belief that special places deserve long-term stewardship.
“Our objective is to restore Useppa to a world-class private island retreat,” Bound said.
That vision has guided both investment decisions and member communication. Ownership has prioritized transparency through regular town halls and direct conversations with members, helping build support for an ambitious restoration effort that includes improvements to docks, beaches, roads, recreational facilities, and the historic Collier Inn.
The story of Useppa is ultimately about more than capital projects. It is a reminder that a club’s greatest asset is often the people who believe in it. In this case, those members were willing to become owners, investors, and stewards to preserve a place they felt was worth protecting.