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A small key in Florida known as “Beer Can Island” (real name: Pine Key) is up for sale and one one prospective buyer is looking for people to join him in buying it for $1,000 each.
The 9-acre island got its name from the numerous parties thrown on the beach there over the years.
Located between MacDill Air Force Base and Apollo Beach, “Beer Can Island” is now over 80-years-old. It was created in the 1940s due to dredging in the area.
In March it was reported that the current owners of the island, friends Cole Weaver, Russell Loomis, James Wester and John Gadd, had been haggling with the county over zoning. They purchased the property in December 2017 for $63,500, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
The county wants to turn it into a private nature preserve, while the friends wanted to continue what they started when they added liquor sales, a food truck, concert stages for festivals, bathrooms, trash cans and walking paths to “Beer Can Island.” They have even been selling memberships with VIP privileges.
Now, however, they just want to sell it.
“If I had an extra $10 million to dump into it, I would beautify the place even more, but I just don’t have the resources for it. So that’s one thing,” Russell Loomis told WKMG News. “And then secondly, I live an hour and a half away, and getting over there is a chore. And it’s even worse coming home at the end of the night, you know? I’ll head out there at 6 a.m. and usually don’t get out of there till 9 o’clock at night.”
They currently have “Beer Can Island” listed for sale with a price of more than $14 million.
Prospective buyer Nick Lipidarov thinks he knows how to raise the money to purchase it.
He started the “Save Beer Can Island” project which allows anyone to buy a stake in the island for just $1,000.
“I don’t think too many people are gonna go out and purchase an island, so there’s an opportunity for all of us to own an island together, which is a pretty neat opportunity,” Lipidarov said.
People who do pony up $1,000 will be given voting rights on what the collective wants to do with the island including issues like public access to the island or building structures.
So far, over 200 people have already pledged $1,000, all of which has been entered into an escrow account.