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1:10 A.M. — Dawn Piper is sitting on a picnic table outside the Everglades Wonder Gardens in Bonita Springs, fighting back tears.
Her husband of nine years, David Piper, is talking about his reasons for putting the 3.5-acre Wonder Gardens — for 75 years a local landmark — up for sale.
He announced those intentions last week.
Piper, 47, has an inoperable tumor in his spinal column. He says he was misdiagnosed for almost seven years.
“I had bone scans, MRIs, you name it,” said Piper, who finally received a proper diagnosis during a recent trip to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. “It’s really affected my ability to work. I can’t stand on my feet for very long.”
Piper wants to set the record straight about wanting to sell.
“This is a small town and people like to run their mouths. It’s not about finances,” said Piper, noting he’s had numerous offers over the years — including a $4 million offer in 1997 and an $8.5 million offer in 2006. “No one will get a better deal on it than right now. The market is going to go back up.”
While Piper would not say how much he’s seeking, it’s believed to be significantly more than the $1.33 million market value listed by the Lee County Property Appraiser.
He said he has been in contact with interested parties, but nothing is under contract.
“I could pass it on, but this place takes so much work,” he said. “If we don’t sell it, Dawn will run it.”
But clearly, Piper wants to sell.
“I don’t want people fighting over it, and I don’t want my brother Buck or Dawn to go through any of that junk after I’m gone,” he said.
Uncertain future
Piper said physicians could try to remove the tumor, but the operation could leave him in a wheelchair or even kill him. He’s not sure how much time he has left.
“It could be quick, or it could be a few years,” he said.
“They can’t even go into that area because it’s too dangerous,” said Piper, who has been in pain since he began serving his second term on the Bonita Springs City Council in 2002. “I’ve been bitten by alligators, crocodiles, bobcats and even an African lion, and none of that compares to this. I haven’t slept well in seven years.”