We found Casey Key in 1998, renting a house from a friend. He said Casey Key was “special,” and we would see. That was an understatement! It was our first family vacation, ever, and we ended up extending our stay, twice, and finally dragged ourselves away after 3 weeks! Our children were 5, 3, and 6 months so the idea of a single family home and a private beach appealed to us for many reasons. From that trip forward, owning our own home on Casey Key became our dream. Every time we came we would pretend to pick out "our" future home.
Fast forward to Spring break 2016, the last day of our vacation, and it was raining. Sitting out on the lanai of the home we were renting, (because when you’re from Chicago and in Florida on Spring Break, you’re outside no matter what!), we had the IPad out looking at homes online. 2508 Casey Key Road came up as new to us and after quickly swiping through the pictures, my husband said, “hit that button that says ‘request a showing.’” Seconds later, my now favorite Florida real estate agent, Rob Hunt of Hunt Brothers Real Estate, called to set up the showing. I think we were both afraid the house would actually be as good as the pictures...and it was better! As soon as we opened the front door, we knew.
We closed in May and brought our family down once again, this time the kids were 22 (Washington University in St. Louis Grad), 21 (junior at DePauw University in Greencastle, IN) and 18 (soon to be a freshman at DePauw). We’d never experienced Florida in June and were somewhat skeptical. Now, however, we are big fans of Florida’s Summer weather. The water in the gulf was amazing! We’d never spent so much time in the water before! Gulf breezes kept us out from the morning sunrises from our lanai and dock to the evening sunsets on the beach. Now is our opportunity to pay it forward and share our home with you, whether you already know how “special” Casey Key is, or are soon to discover it's many charms.