Born and raised in Naples, Chad McKimm enjoyed a second home in the Florida Keys while growing up. It was where he learned to fish. He knew he wanted to share the laid-back lifestyle afforded by our state’s largest island chain with his own family one day. He and wife Katie (and their four children) met Nick and Raynie Reizen (and their two children) when the Reizens relocated to Naples from Michigan in 2017. The two families bonded over a mutual love of fishing and the Keys.
When a 4-acre oceanfront resort in Islamorada with the alliterative appellation Pines & Palms Resort came on the market, the McKimms and Reizens decided to purchase it together. (The previous owners were hoping to sell to a family rather than a corporate hotel chain.) “We had no idea what we were doing when we bought the resort,” remarks Katie McKimm. “We learned how to do everything.” Running the resort became a full-time job. “It completely consumed us,” adds Katie. After numerous weekend and holiday visits, the couples realized the resort required major renovations. Then, serendipity intervened.
Bryan and Sarah Baeumler—a husband-and-wife team known for their renovation work on HGTV—learned about the aging resort in need of repair. The Baeumlers promptly scheduled a visit. After touring Pines & Palms, they offered to lend their design talents and time, thereby creating a new series (10 episodes) that revolved around overhauling the resort. The show will continue the story of Bryan and Sarah’s goings-on and air on HGTV network.
“It was an adventure of a lifetime,” says Katie. Renovations began in July 2024 and were completed five months later. Both families spent hours involved in all aspects of the remodeling project, providing real and raw dialogue for a reality television show set in paradise. “How many kids can say they left school on a Friday afternoon to go to the Keys to film a TV show?” asks Katie. “We all became characters for the show.”
Filming wrapped in March of this year. While an official date has not yet been confirmed, Katie says the show is expected to air sometime this fall. In television parlance, she adds, “Stay tuned.”
Continues Katie, “It was a stressful success; we are excited about how it worked out and hope it puts us on the map.” Perhaps best of all, the families remain good friends and still enjoy spending weekends in the Keys together. “We have lots to celebrate,” Katie says.
Facebook Comments