Celebrating Pine Islanders: Jennifer Senary
Jennifer Senary said at least two of the most important things to know about her is how much she hates to see people taken advantage of and how loudmouthed she can be when it comes to her islanders, who she refers to as her people. Her grandparents came to Pine Island in 1970 and opened the General Store in Saint James City.
“I grew up coming to the island, so I have memories of the house they owned on 8th Avenue. I remember standing on that seawall, looking out and having dolphins come up to me. This place has always been like magic to me,” Senary said.
She said she had forgotten for a time how nice Pine Islanders are and how the community makes her feel. Although she had been visiting her whole life, it was around the time of the COVID pandemic that she and her husband decided to sell everything and relocate from Colorado. They moved into their Saint James City house in 2022, five months before Hurricane Ian blew into town. It was the resilience of Pine Islanders shining brilliantly in face of the storm that made Senary certain coming here was the right thing to have done.
“The amount of grit and stubbornness, along with the ability to still have fun and be authentic and unique, is how I knew I was with my people,” she said, adding the spirit of Pine Island is alive and well and was always in the world ready to welcome her back.
Senary said she always knew she would end up here and would fight fiercely to protect the island from anyone who means to do it harm. She described herself as a stubborn person who comes from a long line of stubborn people, which was underlined on her street after Ian.
A great supporter of Pine Island, Senary sees herself to be an intense member of the community.
“I will fight for this island as long as I have breath in my lungs,” she said.
Senary described Pine Island as one of the largest, undeveloped islands in Florida, adding all islanders are called to stay vigilant in order to keep it that way as it could easily become overdeveloped. She does not see Pine Island as a place where people will simply sit down and shut up.
If Senary could make one wish for the island, she said she would prevent overdevelopment and keep the island — as much as possible — in its natural state.
“I’m definitely with my people and we have to stay vigilant,” she said.
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