The Miz Shirley was tossed up on shore on Fort Myers Beach by Hurricane Ian but is now back on the water. Photo submitted by Bill Johnson
When Bill Johnson and his wife, artist Ashley Johnson, came to Pine Island, to be near his parents after Hurricane Ian, they had no idea they would end up making the island their home.
Bill’s parents, Shirley and James Driggers, have been Pine Islanders, he said, for 30 years. Driggers owns a shrimp boat and business, the Miz Shirley, which got tossed up on the land on Fort Myers Beach during Hurricane Ian. According to Johnson, their home on Pine Island was also destroyed.
“We contacted a friend of ours that had a motor home and within three weeks, we moved here,” Johnson said.
Before news of Hurricane Ian brought them to Pine Island, Johnson was planning to retire from Sherwin Williams, where he’d driven a truck. Now, he sells shrimp on Pine Island to clients such as Barnhill Seafood and Tarpon Lodge, which he said was his first client after taking the job with Miz Shirley Inc.
“The people of Pine Island are a really big blessing,” Johnson said.
Family members behind Miz Shirley Inc., from left, James Driggers, Shirley Driggers and Bill Johnson. Photo submitted by Bill Johnson
Having three familial generations of shrimpers on the island is something in which Johnson takes a great deal of pride. There are three family operated shrimp carts currently on Pine Island — Johnson, his step-father, Driggers, and son, Greyson Johnson. Although Pine Island has always been home to Johnson, as he and the family were here pretty often.
“This has always been home. I was raised 45 minutes away in Arcadia, but even after I got married, we were always over here — weekends, Christmas, Thanksgiving, even after we moved to Georgia, this was a vacation destination. This was like a second home. Once you have saltwater in your veins, you’ll always have it,” Johnson said.
Johnson said he’s left Sherwin Williams to become part of the fishing community and that he has seen some of the struggles endured by local fishermen and truth be told, he has a heart for them, he said. They have to be tough, because it’s a tough business to be in. In the future, he said there has been talk of possibly purchasing crab boats.
“We just want to keep the family business going as long as we can. It’s a struggle that is worth it because this is a legacy. Everybody needs to get behind the fishermen and save the fishermen — we work hard to bring a great product,” Johnson said.
Bill Johnson and Grey Johnson with their stone crab cart. PHOTO PROVIDED
Somewhat obscured by other boats on top of it, the Miz Shirley, lower left, was among a number of boats damaged and tossed on shore on Fort Myers Beach by Hurricane Ian. PHOTO PROVIDED