Former Bad Company singer Brian Howe plans to sell Fort Myers Beach house, donate to dogs
Charles RunnellsNOTE: This story has been updated with new information since its original April 25 posting.
There’s a lot of history in Brian Howe’s house on Fort Myers Beach.
It’s where the rock singer wrote and recorded many of the songs for his old band, Bad Company. It’s where he records his podcasts with people like former band mate Ted Nugent and Moon landing conspiracy theorist Bart Sibrel. And it’s where he lives with his beloved birds and dogs, including a particularly friendly “Florida brown dog” named Rosie.
But now, Howe plans to say goodbye to that house — and to Fort Myers Beach, too.
He’s moving to the Nashville area, where he wants to buy a bigger piece of property, collect more animals and perhaps start a new career as a songwriter.
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“There’s mixed emotions,” says Howe, 65, about leaving Fort Myers Beach after living there for 34 years. “But I do believe that every now and again in life, it’s good to shake things up and to make a change. And it’s good to explore new pastures.”
His love for animals
Before he goes, though, Howe wants to do one last thing for the animals he loves. After he sells his beach house, he’ll give a portion of that money to Boca Raton dog rescue group Have A Heart, Inc.
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Howe says he’s loved animals since he was a small boy — particularly dogs. That’s why he devotes a lot of time to helping those animals, including recording songs for animal charities and serving on the board of both Have a Heart and Guatemala nonprofit AYUDA (Spanish for “help”).
“Animals don’t really have a voice,” Howe says, sitting with Rosie in his upstairs music room full of guitars, amplifiers and recording equipment. “They don’t have anyone that can speak up for ‘em.
"I’m not pretending I’m some sort of animal hero — because I’m not. But I do love ‘em.”
Open house
Howe will hold an open house for his two-story Fort Myers Beach house from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Saturday. The 4,100-square-foot Old Florida-style house — including 2,300 square feet of air-conditioned living space — is listed for $749,000. The property features a wrap-around porch, a downstairs apartment and an Olympic-sized swimming pool.
Howe will be attending the open house, says Realtor Trish Kelly of Advantage Florida Real Estate. Plus there will be food, drinks, live entertainment and a silent auction that includes a signed guitar owned by Howe, a gold Bad Company record, a private acoustic concert and dinner with Howe.
There will also be a collection jar for donations to Have A Heart. All the money raised at the open house will go toward the charity, too, Kelly says.
“I think it’s a neat idea,” she says about the charity event/open house. “It shows how much he cares for animals.”
One possible snag for the sale: Howe is involved in a foreclosure lawsuit filed by Synovus Bank (formerly Florida Community Bank) in Lee County Circuit Court. According to court records, the bank says Howe hasn’t made a payment on his mortgage since March 2018 and still owes more than $400,000 on his home loan. But Howe characterizes it as a dispute with the bank, and he says he stopped paying his mortgage on the advice of his attorney.
Howe and the bank are expected to engage in settlement talks, according to court records. His lawyer, Matthew Toll, didn’t immediately respond to a message requesting comment.
A charity close to his heart
Despite those legal problems, Howe insists he’ll have enough money after the sale to buy a new house and help Have a Heart, and that the foreclosure lawsuit isn’t why he’s selling the house. “I don’t want this to hurt the animals,” he says.
Janice Green, founder and president of Have a Heart, says Howe's donated money will be used to help many of the charity's rescued dogs with surgery and other medical needs, including dogs with broken legs and heart worms.
Howe has helped the charity many times over the years, including playing fundraising concerts. “He’s very generous,” Green says, “and he helps us whenever he can.”
Howe says he’s leaving Fort Myers Beach for several reasons. He’s annoyed with the constant construction on nearby Estero Boulevard. Red tide has been causing him breathing problems. And ever since his 2017 heart attack, he can’t endure the heat as much.
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Trying something new in Nashville
Another reason for the move: After years as a rock singer — including recording and co-writing Bad Company’s hit albums “Dangerous Age” and “Holy Water” — Howe’s thinking about trying something new. He’s hoping to start writing with other songwriters in Nashville, and perhaps try his hand at country music or become a full-time songwriter.
"I think I’m more of a songwriter now than I am a singer, although I still love to do shows," he says. "I think I’ve explored most of the avenues of rock that you can go down, I think.
“It’s been a fun ride, but classic rock now is considered to be prehistoric, you know?”
He’s also toying with the idea of starting an animal rescue of his own, once he has a big enough piece of property to house all those animals.
“I really want to donate more time to helping more animals — and having more animals, I think,” he says. “I love the idea of having a donkey or two, rescuing a donkey. And maybe a pony. Chickens, you know."
He grins. "I want to become a farmer!” he says,
Howe doesn’t know how much he’ll be giving to Have a Heart. It depends on what the place sells for. He still needs enough money to buy his new place in Nashville, where he says property sells for much cheaper.
“It’ll be a good chunk, though,” he says.
He says he’ll likely visit Southwest Florida occasionally, since he has lots of friends and family members here (including his son Michael and granddaughter Kira). But he’s looking forward to this new chapter in his life.
“I’ve reached the age now where I really want to do something a bit more substantial with the things I love in life,” he says. “Although I do love music, of course, I love animals so much. And they’ve been predominantly a major part of my life.
“And I just feel that I could offer them more and rescue more animals if I make a move and buy property further north.”
Saturday’s open house is free and open to the public. To get the address, call Kelly at (941) 916-4079 or email HoweOpenHouse@hotmail.com.
— The News-Press reporter Bill Smith contributed to this article.
Connect with this reporter: Charles Runnells (Facebook), @charlesrunnells (Twitter), @crunnells1 (Instagram)