Want a piece of Beer Can Island? Man recruiting investors in effort to buy unique property

TAMPA - One man is on a mission to get Beer Can Island off the market and help keep its friendly, community vibe alive. Right now, it's on the market for $14.2 million, but he's hoping the public can help pay for it.

Have you ever imagined owning your own private island? Nicholas Lipidarov is hoping to make that possible for anyone in Tampa Bay who wants to.

"It's one of those islands that you get hang out and enjoy, bring your family to park as you're coming and going in Tampa Bay, you get to have a place to come by, swing by, hang out, and enjoy and I'd hate to see that serve any other purpose," Lipidarov said.

The former owners of Beer Can Island built a tiki hut on it. Image is courtesy Judge Public Relations. 

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That's why last month, when the owners of Beer Can Island put it on the market for $14.2 million, Lipidarov created SaveBeerCanIsland.com. It's an effort that makes it so anyone can purchase a share of the island for $1,000. All funds collected will go into an Escrow account and only able to be used for purchases relating directly to the island. By owning a share, you receive an ownership contract and have voting rights when it comes to what the collective wants for the island's future.

"Once we purchase the island, everybody gets to vote on what time it will be open and how it's going to be managed and that right there as an owner gets you those voting rights," Lipidarov said.

So far, Lipidarov says he has about 500 committed shareholders who have pledged a combined total of $500,000. Lipidarov, who has a background in development, says he simply doesn't want the island's laid back atmosphere to go away.

Aerial view of Beer Can Island. Image is courtesy Judge Public Relations. 

"We are talking about adding at least 31 acres instantly and doing some dredging or pulling from some other resources to get that island built back up and then retaining walls and retaining issues," Lipidarov said.

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One of the reasons the current owners are selling the island is because the county made it difficult for them to move forward with plans to build a permanent structure on the island with restrooms and a restaurant. Lipidarov is hopeful they can work something out with the county, so they don't run into the same issues.

"I believe they want it to be something that is looked at in Tampa Bay as something that is nice for family recreation and that's what we're looking at," Lipidarov said.

Lipidarov is collecting pledges through April 30th and currently working on submitting an official offer to the island's owners later this week.

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