Simon Bound, Chairman, Useppa Island Partners LLC
How do you improve a place without changing it? It is a question many club leaders are wrestling with as they invest in aging facilities, respond to evolving member expectations, and plan for the future.
At Useppa Island Club (Bokeelia, Fla.), that question became particularly relevant last September when a group of homeowners purchased the island and began planning its restoration.
Located on a bridgeless barrier island off Florida’s Gulf Coast, Useppa is home to approximately 120 residences, a private club, marina, lodging, dining venues, and the infrastructure required to support an island community.
Its relative isolation has helped preserve a character that has become increasingly difficult to find along much of Florida’s coastline.
The decision to purchase the island came at a critical time.
In the years leading up to the acquisition, Useppa had endured a series of hurricanes, including Ian, Helene, and Milton, while infrastructure across the island fell into disrepair.
The challenges were visible throughout the property. Docks required rebuilding. Roads needed repairs. Beach areas had deteriorated. The historic Collier Inn, one of Useppa’s most recognizable landmarks, required stabilization and restoration. Critical infrastructure systems also needed attention.
The scale of the work ahead shaped nearly every aspect of the acquisition.
Bound said the ownership group had to raise capital, navigate legal complexities, and secure support from the broader island community before the transaction could move forward.
“We had to get the members to agree to double their dues and assessments,” he said.
That support was essential. The island’s future would require a long-term commitment to reinvestment.
The group ultimately purchased the island for $16 million and began preparing for the work ahead.
Since then, ownership has invested millions of dollars into marina improvements, dock reconstruction, road repairs, beach restoration, infrastructure upgrades, and the ongoing restoration of the Collier Inn.
For many organizations, a project of that scale might be viewed as an opportunity to reinvent the property.
The ownership group sees it differently.
“Our objective is to restore Useppa to a world-class private island retreat,” says Bound.
Achieving that objective required more than capital. It required support from the broader island community.
The ownership group was asking homeowners to embrace a long-term vision for the island while also supporting the financial commitments needed to make that vision possible. Bound said that reality made governance and communication critical from the outset.
Rather than concentrating ownership in a single individual or family, the island now operates through Useppa Island Partners LLC, a board-governed structure that includes limits on individual ownership stakes.
Bound said the model was designed to support long-term stewardship and provide confidence that decisions would be made with the island’s future in mind.
Communication became equally important.
“I work on the assumption that most people ignore most email,” he says.
Instead, leadership relies heavily on town hall meetings and virtual discussions to keep homeowners and members informed about projects, priorities, and long-term plans.
“Zoom is an incredibly effective communication tool,” Bound says. “Offering them town hall meetings every couple of months to say, this is what’s going on. What concerns have you got for us?”
Those conversations have helped maintain support for a restoration effort that continues to evolve as projects move forward across the island.
Bound acknowledges there are easier ways to approach an asset like Useppa.
“The only response when you look at it from a purely commercial perspective is you have to massively commercialize the island for anything to make sense,” he says.
The ownership group chose a different path.
“There are so few places left like this,” Bound says.
