Meet Volunteer Joe Pisano

Volunteer Joe Pisano Monitors The River He Loves

Neither rain nor heat nor bugs have kept Florida Oceanographic Society volunteer Joe Pisano from his weekly mission these last 13 years. He’s given more than 650 hours as a Water Tester on the St. Lucie River – South Fork. “I’m on my dock three or four times a day looking at the water and what’s living in it,” says Joe, who has lived on the Treasure Coast for 40 years. “I’m an observant person and thought I could provide a benefit so I decided to volunteer.” Joe grew up in Ft. Lauderdale, spending a lot of time outdoors building bridges and forts in nearby swampy areas. In the Air Force after high school he worked on jet fighters in Texas. He eagerly returned to Florida, and worked as an electronics technician for 10 years. Joe eventually became an industrial electrician and worked at the Loxahatchee River Environmental Control District in Jupiter and the Palm Beach International Airport (PBI).

Joe retired in 2006. His wife Sandy is a retired teacher who still likes to substitute teach. They have a son and a daughter, and with their kids out of the nest, plenty of time to ride the open road on their 2021 Honda Gold Wing trike. They belong to the Gold Wing Road Riders Association, and love to head out for trips big and small. Their longest ride took them 9,000 miles over six weeks up the East Coast to the island of Newfoundland, then continuing west through Canada and into Michigan before the return trip south. They’ve ridden famous roads like the Great River Road along the Mississippi River and the Natchez Trace Parkway, and over to Bear Tooth Pass in Montana. On weekends, they like to ride all over Florida, discovering antique shops and the best local restaurants. Their favorites include C.J. Cannon’s in Vero Beach, Dixie Crossroads in Titusville, Marsh Landing in Fellsmere, and Lakeside Grill in Okeechobee.

Joe also likes to keep hands-on and up to speed with electronic repair. “We find all kinds of stuff in these antique shops, a lot of things that are modern but made to look old,” he notes. “There are always a lot of good repair projects to be found.”

Joe Pisano Snapshot

Born in: New York

Military service: Air Force, Jet Fighter Crew Chief

Free time: Boating, caring for his yard, home repair

2022 Travel: March - Altamonte Springs, FL; April - Pigeon Forge, TN; July - Shreveport, LA and autumn - Eufaula, AL; all on the Gold Wing trike