She Preserves St. George Island’s Tranquil Coastal Beauty
Today, real estate pioneer Alice Collins offers wisdom on how to take risks in building a business while being respectful of one’s environment, peers, and community. Get to know this inspiring FACE of the South!
You don’t often hear “real estate developer” and “nature preservation advocate” used in the same sentence, to describe the same person. But that’s the case for today’s FACE of the South. St. George Island, Florida — a pristine strip of barrier island flanked by the Gulf of Mexico and Apalachicola Bay — owes much of its natural splendor and protected turtle habitats to the vision of real estate developer Alice Collins, who moved to the island from Tallahassee in 1973.
When Alice arrived, the island was accessible only by a small ferry and inhabited by only 20 families. She saw the island’s potential and set out to develop real estate. Today, there are an impressive 300 properties under the umbrella of her business, Collins Vacation Rentals.
Alice’s influence has helped deter the proliferation of high-rises and shopping complexes, safeguarding the island’s wilderness. Every waterfront property even has amber, low-wattage lighting on the shoreline side to prevent turtle disorientation during nesting season. Get to know the queen of St. George Island real estate — and passionate turtle protection advocate — Alice Collins!
What drew you to St. George Island, and what was it like in those early days?
I was born and raised in South Georgia — I tell everybody I’m a Georgia peach. My husband and I lived in Tallahassee for several years, and he visited the island on a fishing trip with some of his work buddies. At that time, there was no bridge; you came by a ferry that could hold nine vehicles, and that is only if one of them was a Volkswagen or a dune buggy! He fell in love with it, so we could come and spend the day often. We eventually decided this might be a good place to retire.
I opened an office here in 1973, and we were an island of our own. It’s been wonderful; people are very friendly! We are constantly compared with Key West (as it used to be) or the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We have wonderful seafood, and 95% of Florida oysters came out of Apalachicola Bay until fairly recently.
Was leaving Tallahassee a big adjustment for you?
It was an adventure. I was already in commercial real estate and knew I could do that here. I drove back and forth for a couple of years, then finally decided I could make it without doing that, so I quit. When I opened my office here, I did everything I could to contact and hire the right people.
Through the years, we’ve met people from all over the world — from Europe to the Midwest, California, Texas, Nashville, and beyond. We’re being found by people from everywhere who keep coming back.
How have you controlled development to preserve coastal habitats and beaches?
We’re very interested in controlling density, and we don’t have any high rises. (The Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve is on Little St. George Island, separate from St George Island by a gap where fishing boats and shrimp fleets can pass between).
Back in 1973, an Alabama developer wanted to build high-rise condos on Little St. George Island. I was in the meeting when he unrolled his map and showed his plans to the county commission, which was composed of seafood people. And they said, “No, this is not happening.”
At that point, there was no zoning yet in the county. They contacted the Conservation Foundation, and people like myself and others worked with them on putting together what they needed to do to protect the area. They have controlled the density by what they did during that time.
What are some of your core business values?
Honesty, integrity, and professionalism. That’s what I am and have always been. Many of my team have been with me for more than 10 years, and some more than 30 years. They generally don’t leave me once they get here.
Have you found new strength, independence, or determination in going down this road?
Fortunately, I brought a lot of that with me. My father was very independent and a general contractor. So, I grew up around the construction industry. I had a basis for being independent, as I was an only child. I learned honesty, integrity, and professionalism from my father.
What advice can you share with fledgling female entrepreneurs or business owners?
I encourage anyone who wants to try something different to do so. It was a different world for me to come and live here, and I learned that people are very open to helping each other. For example, in 1986, I had a terrible problem. I’d just completed the second story on a new office building. I was serving on a governor-appointed committee in Apalachicola, and one afternoon, the deputy arrived and said, “You need to come with me.”
At that point, there was a turnstile bridge from Apalachicola to East Point and then the regular bridge from there. We sat on top of that bridge and watched the smoke come out — my building was gone within 45 minutes. The fire marshall determined that lightning had struck the transformer behind the office roughly two weeks before, and even though we had built it with the proper materials, the lightning traveled up to the second floor. Nobody thought that would ever happen.
The beautiful part is that 24 hours later, I was in a building next door and back in business. I had everything I needed to operate. People brought and sent what I needed, and they came and volunteered their time and worked hard. Normally, it takes months to build things — we thought we were going to have to do it ourselves.
We built a 3,000-square-foot building in 90 days. I had everything I needed to operate, and we survived. The building was like the Phoenix. It was a bad thing to have to deal with, but everyone pulled together, and everything worked.
The bottom line is don’t give up. You can do it. Put your best foot forward and treat people the way you want to be treated. That’s important to me and should be to everyone. And you can never have enough insurance!
Name three things you can’t live without.
The beach, fresh local seafood, and sweet cookies.
What are some of your favorite ways to spend time outside of work?
I like to take long walks on the beach, of course.
LIGHTNING ROUND
Last great book you read: Nine Lives by Danielle Steele
Favorite meal: A seafood platter with a side order of fresh homemade onion rings.
Your go-to gift to give: A bottle of my favorite Chardonnay
Destination at the top of your travel bucket list: I always love a trip to the mountains!
All photography courtesy of Collins Vacation Rentals unless otherwise noted.
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Amy Beth Wright
Amy Beth is an essayist and freelance travel writer, with an emphasis on art, architecture, food, spirits, and public lands. She also contributes to Wine Enthusiast and Fodors Travel, and teaches writing to undergraduates at Purchase College in New York. Visit amybethwrites.com to read more of her work.