Miller tells of rising tides at Cannons Marina

Cannons Marina owner David Miller’s family visited Fort Myers Beach every February in the 1950s. His father, Paul Miller, was in the dredging business outside of Detroit. Then, in 1954, his job kept him from making the trip — so he decided to quit his job and do something he really wanted to do. In 1955, the family stayed at the Sheraton Beach Hotel, on Lido Key, and during that visit, 4-year-old Miller took a day trip with his father to Longboat Key.

“I don’t know why he chose to stop here,” Miller told the Longboat Key Historical Society Thursday, April 21, at the Longboat Key Center for the Arts, a Division of Ringling College of Art and Design. “But I’m glad he did.”

During that trip 55 years ago, the Millers stopped at the Cannons boat dock, where owner Ernie Cannon was sitting outside. But the place was closed and had no bait, so they headed up the road to the old Johnson’s restaurant. On the way back, they stopped and talked to Cannon again, and Paul Miller bought the place on a handshake.

Last week, Miller broke down Cannons’ history on Longboat Key by decade and shared historic photos and the marina’s milestones.

But some of his memories showed how some things stay the same. In 1963, Miller’s father was president of the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce. Today, Miller is chairman of the board of what is now the Longboat Key, Lido Key, St. Armands Key Chamber of Commerce. The marina is also the oldest family-owned business on Longboat Key.

Miller showed a picture of a wooden boat from 1956 and described it as the nicest boat the marina had at the time. An audience member joked, “It still is,” which drew laughter from the crowd, because they knew how much things had changed.

After his presentation, Miller said that today the marina’s flashiest boat would probably be a 36-foot Grady White priced at $400,000.

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected]