Ft Myers Beach - Good Neighbor

FMBGN-Icon-How Jameson the Sunglassed Beach Dog Built Community, Joy, and Hope on FMB

• "Cabo" Jim Schaller • Season 5 • Episode 31

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A tiny car, a pair of pink sunglasses, and a beachside town that decided to choose joy—meet Jameson, the Fort Myers Beach icon whose daily strolls turned into a movement of smiles and neighborly kindness. We sit down with Adrian and Alice Barrett to trace the unlikely path from a Sarasota pup to a community legend, and the surprising ways a dog can change how people show up for each other.

We dive into the practical origins of Jamison’s signature look—vet-mandated eye protection after a sandy scare—and how that small fix became a beacon on the shoreline. When the world shut down, the Barretts added a mini ride so Jamison could greet more people at a safe distance. That choice sparked a weekly ritual: Saturdays from noon to five, rolling from the pier past beloved spots like La Ola, DiamondHead, and tiki haunts, where staff know her by name and guests line up for quick photos and pets. Along the way, restaurants traded bacon for chicken, proving that a good-natured celebrity can nudge healthier habits and attentive service. Online, the “just-for-fun” Instagram, Jameson8670, quietly grew to thousands of followers who wanted real-world ways to join the story.

Resilience threads through the heart of this episode. After the hurricane, Jameson’s familiar presence turned attention into action—volunteers organized by a follower helped clear and demo the home in those first, overwhelming weeks. That response wasn’t a fluke. It came from the goodwill built during years of small, sincere moments—pets for toddlers and seniors alike, gentle visits with people who needed a calm companion, and the reliable comfort of seeing the little car glide by the surf.

If you’re hungry for a feel-good story rooted in real community, this one’s for you. You’ll walk away with fresh appreciation for how simple rituals create belonging, how local businesses can elevate hospitality through empathy, and how a dog in shades can remind us all to leave the crabby behind and lean into sunny, shared moments. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a smile, and leave a quick review to help more neighbors find the show.

Jameson
Alice & Adrian Barrett
Instagram-@Jameson8670

Ft Myers Beach-Good Neighbor
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Speaker 00:

Here's your host, Pablo Jimmy Geller.

Speaker 02:

All right, here we are. Welcome, Fort Myers Beach, good neighbors, to another session of our podcast. Today we've got Adrian and Alice Barrett and our little buddy Jameson. Welcome. Thank you. Yeah. Well, you know, Jameson's become an icon on the island. So uh we kind of want to share the story of how it all came about, right? So let's start off. You know, uh, how did you guys initially find Jameson?

Speaker 01:

Alice wanted a dog because it was lonely in the house by myself. Somebody else was outside playing all day and he wouldn't come in the house. So I wanted a companion. So um one night I talked to him about it, and he said no, and I got mad at him and I ordered her.

Speaker 02:

All right. Order what through Amazon? What'd you order on?

Speaker 01:

Um find a pub.

Speaker 02:

Really? Okay. She came from Sarasota. Really? So she's a natural-born Florida native. I love that. I love that. That's hard to find. And uh she ordered her, we were living in Illinois at the time. Okay. So she had her flown up to Illinois from Sarasota. And about three weeks later, we came down to Florida to be snowbirds again. Wow. Jameson came back home. Wow. And when did you permanently move down here then? Uh sometime between 2016, 2017. It took a long time to move, right? But uh yeah, we became full-time Florida residents legally in 2016, but it took till almost 17 before we got here permanently. Wow. Wow, and now you're Florida. Always Fort Myers Beach? Always Fort Myers Beach. Love it, right? Yeah, yeah. So I'm from Illinois originally too, so I understand. We don't like shoveling snow, we don't like me doing anything anymore. I love to see snow on Facebook in the and then tag your neighbor or your friends up north and say, Hey, uh, here's the beach view today. Yeah, yeah. Speaking of the beach, so how did Jameson become so famous here in Fort Mars Beach? Well, actually, it's the glasses. Okay. We had her out on the beach and she got sand in her eyes. Uh and it got infected, and we took her to the vet. The vet scolded us for not having eye protection for Jameson. Really? So we got her sunglasses, and she walked the beach for years with sunglasses, sometimes pink, sometimes razors, right? And uh then a covet came along and we got her a little car to drive. So now she drives a car on the beach because she doesn't walk that far, right? And she's got a lot of friends on the island too, then, right? Yes, she does. Yes, she does. A lot of different people out there. So I guess does she have any favorite spots or areas that she likes to go or likes to visit?

Speaker 01:

Every restaurant there gives her bacon.

Speaker 02:

We love bacon, right? She always comes out, they give her water, right? Before they serve us, she's they serve her water, and then she gets her bacon. Wow, it was it was kind of funny. Um, there was one restaurant uh that we went to, and uh I posted on her Instagram account that we were at that restaurant and uh Jameson didn't have bacon, and she was sad. The next weekend we went into that restaurant and the bartender brought her out bacon. They monitored their social media, and uh but he also informed us that that was the last time she was getting bacon. It wasn't good for her from then on. She got chicken breast. Oh, moving on. There you go. See, it's like prime river steak, right? That's good stuff for you. Healthy. Wow. So she's should she have any favorite places to to visit or stroll, or where do you usually take her?

Speaker 01:

Well, we usually walk from here up to the pier.

Speaker 02:

Okay.

Speaker 01:

Then we stop at La Ola.

Speaker 02:

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 01:

And then we go to uh the tiki hunt. Okay. We used to go to the whale when it was open.

Speaker 02:

Soon.

Speaker 01:

Soon and then we go to Diamond Head, Sandy Bottoms, and then we come home.

Speaker 02:

You've got the road, you gotta have a little road, you get some good exercising, exposure, and yeah, for her, as long as she's there with us, that's all that counts.

Speaker 01:

Somebody comes over and gives her a pet, more to it, right?

Speaker 02:

Because I say I see you guys grow up on quite a bit, you go out to the beach quite a bit, and yeah, you know, people love to come. People that come back year after year wanna want to see it. Yes, many of the people out on the beach say their visit will not be complete if they don't see Jameson, the pirate, and tuba boy. Well, see, there we go, right? Right, see, you're an icon here. People just love to see you, but she does have a uh Instagram page, right? Yes, yes, Jameson8670. Okay, very nice. I I created it almost as a joke, not dreaming that right people anything, right? Right, yeah, and I thought maybe 20 followers, yeah. Who's gonna follow a dog? She's got over 4,000 on her. See, it's it's funny what takes fire on what's catches on nowadays. But again, people are just looking for positive, good things to do down here in Fort Myers Beach, and Jameson is one of them. Put a smile on people's faces, and that's what it's all about.

Speaker 01:

That's why we started it. It was right after COVID. We got her the car, we took the little walk, and COVID, everybody was really crabby all the time. Because we're locked up in between COVID and the elections, they were really, really crabby, and we just kind of looked at each other and went, we got something that's gonna make people laugh and giggle. Right. Let's go make people laugh and giggle and feel good about themselves instead of so crabby. And that's what it's about, right? That's that's why we started the car.

Speaker 02:

The positive vibes and everything, and it's like it's like the way I dress, you know, people recognize me with my clothes. And if I don't wear them, people are like, You feeling okay? Are you okay? And I'm like, Yeah, fine. What are you talking about? Um, but they went, yeah, it's good to see the smile on their faces and their reactions. Yes, yeah, we can bring a lot of that to people. And that's like uh uh after the hurricane. Uh needless say she lost her cars. Oh, right. And uh they were out in the rubbish pile at the street. Uh Beach Talk Radio had a deal where they're giving out 30 generators. Oh, our daughter-in-law got online and she snagged us one of them. The people delivered the generators. They saw the car and they go, Oh, are you Jameson's daddy? Yeah. We got to watch the newscast and right, yeah. We knew it's no good. The house was yeah, the water was over the wow. So that's crazy. Yeah, but you know, we're up on three years with that right now. So yeah, we want to keep that in the past and move forward and be positive. So does uh Jameson have any local vets or groomers that we want to, you know, give any props to? Or well, her vet is an Indian Creek over here. Okay, yeah, they take good care of her, and uh needless say they all love to see her, and she comes in dressed with her glasses. Anytime she leaves the house, you know she has to have her glasses on. You're going out clothes, right? You gotta have them on. That's a good thing. And uh we go to Costco's, the greeters at Costco recognize her, right? They know her by name, right?

Speaker 01:

We go to public set everybody knows her there.

Speaker 02:

Oh, see, you're famous. Yeah, very good. So if Jameson could talk, what do you think she'd say about life on Fort Myers Beach? She'd go the struggle is real then. I prefer it here to any place north, right? Right? Who wouldn't want to be on the beach, right? Life on the beach is great. Bringing smiles to people's faces. So how has Jameson's popularity affected you guys now when you go out? Well, it affected us because uh after the hurricane, yeah, uh one of her followers who had met her barely a month and a half earlier contacted us and wanted to know did we need help? And I said, I probably need more help than what I know. She organized volunteers to come here every day for the first like three weeks to help clean the place up, demo it, and everything. Right? So her popularity has helped us what it is. Wow, exactly. Yeah, I could see that you know, recognition and people people want to help. And that's the good thing about the community here. Yeah, most people have good hearts, they want to help each other, and that's what community should be all about. Yes, and you know, it's I love what you guys do and sharing Jameson with the community and the tourists and everybody again. It's about putting smiles on people's faces. It's come to the beach, be happy. That's what it's about, right? Yeah, there's a lot of good things happening down here, so more people need to come here and then and visit.

Speaker 01:

So get that happy vibe. Yeah, leave the crabby one north.

Speaker 02:

Yeah, that's it. It's it's cold and crabby, and we don't want that down here, right? Exactly. And those good western people are good people, so it's gotta stick together and be happy and focused. So um, we mentioned Instagram. Where can uh people coming to visit or locals? I mean, you mentioned your little route, but what's the best time or way to catch Jameson out and about?

Speaker 01:

Definitely on Saturday.

Speaker 02:

Definitely on Saturday.

Speaker 01:

We leave here at noon on Saturday, so from noon to five o'clock. It takes us that long just to walk around.

Speaker 02:

Well, you can your exercise up there, right?

Speaker 01:

Exercising, drinking, and a lot of style.

Speaker 02:

I'm sure, I'm sure, right? People love to take pictures of her, right? A dog and a pink cheek. Yeah, right. Exactly. And she's so well behaved in there, too. She's so accustomed to it, it's great.

Speaker 01:

And she will want you to pet her, no matter you're a month old to a hundred and whatever. Right, right. Just pet me. If you have a special needs person, he's very good about taking the dog up and sitting right and sit him next to him so the person, the handicapped person could pet him too.

Speaker 02:

Right, that's beautiful. I love that.

Speaker 01:

Or elderly people, yeah, for both.

Speaker 02:

So, how long did it take to train her to be good in the energy? One day. Really? Uh, the first day we get her in the car going out. Uh-huh. When I would stop, she'd hop out. I'd put her back in. Yeah, the second day she's set in the car. Wow. Go forever. Smart, a quick learner. We love that. That is awesome.

unknown:

Yeah.

Speaker 02:

And how old is Jameson? A little over 13. Wow. Okay. All right. Very good.

unknown:

Yeah.

Speaker 02:

That's a that's it. She's a senior citizen now. Right, right. Did you get a discount? Extra bacon when they stop bacon. That's it. You know, you go to IHOP and get you know, you get extra bacon now. That's a good thing. Yeah. Well, very good. Any last words for our listeners today? Just enjoy life, enjoy the beach. If you see Jameson, give her a pet. That's it, right?

Speaker 01:

Yeah. Fine people. Really, there is people that come down just to see her for a lot of reasons.

Speaker 02:

Right. And like you said, it puts smiles on people's faces, puts them in a good mood. And that's why we're at the beach. Like you said, leave the Krabby behind, focus on the good vibes and the sunshine. It's sunny today. So yeah. Well, very good. Well, we will see you. We'll see Jameson out and about here in the Fort Myer's Beach neighborhood. But uh love if you're by, come by and stop by, say hi, take a picture, and uh put a smile on your face. And that's that's uh Beach Talk Radio has uh been by, right? And Jameson drove out to the street to see him. Oh, there we go. Very nice, very nice. See, you gotta say hi to everybody. You love that. Very good. Well, it thank you again for being such good neighbors. It's been a pleasure getting to know you and learn a little bit more about Jameson. And we'll see you out cruising the beach here soon, right? Yes. Very good. All right, thank you.

Speaker 01:

Thank you.

Speaker 02:

I just play that. I ended up later.

Speaker 00:

If you loved what you've heard, share it with a friend and keep the good vibes going. Until next time, stay salty, dominate a good neighbor. Also, dominate your favorite neighbor, like it's zero four.