Pine Island Crab Company freezer taken out by tornado

By PAULETTE LeBLANC pleblanc@breezenewspapers com

On Sunday, June 18, just short of 9 months after Hurricane Ian ravaged Southwest Florida, the Pine Island Crab Company was struck by a tornado Company general manager Dallas Ryan estimated concrete and labor costs at approximately $100,000 to $150,000 for a brand new freezer, that had been built in the wake of Ian; a freezer that hadn’t yet been used to store product, when the tornado took it out.

“It’s been almost a year in the making getting this freezer put in, between ordering it - because everything has been delayed since COVID, it took us a while to get product and permitting We actually just finally got the permit for the electrical to be installed so we could start using it,” Ryan said

Ryan, now an islander, came from “Tornado Alley” in Illinois, where he said it was not uncommon to take shelter from tornados in a closet as sirens were blaring He maintains resiliency, saying there’s no question about building another freezer, as that is the plan, regardless of Mother Nature.

“We are Pine Island strong We’re just a tough little community we’ll make it through,” Ryan said Pine Island Crab Company is at 5511 Doug Taylor Circle, St James City, FL 33956 For additional information, call 239-283-5101