Page 32: of Marine News Magazine (March 2019)

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TOWING COMPANY PROFILE

Blood: thicker than water?

The late Capt. Beau Payne’s two ex-wives, Isabella and Heidi, unite to run P&L Towing to preserve their family legacy.

By Lisa Overing ehind every good man is a good woman. Or two? transition and his personal assets in the event of his de-

In the case of the late Capt. Beau Payne, founder mise, Payne made what he thought were appropriate ar- of P&L Towing and Transportation in Miami, Fla., rangements for his largely debt-free enterprise, which was

B there were three: his two ex-wives, Isabella Clark and Heidi reportedly worth more than $5 million.

Payne, and his sister, Cathy Sedano. Payne did it the hard way. Climbing the hawsepipe, he

A Miami River Rat, Payne’s sudden death at 52 was a also amassed quite an estate. Starting his career as a deck- shock to his family and friends. Cathy found her big broth- hand, Payne died with a feet of four tugs, a successful er, Beau, dead, apparently of arrhythmia, on March 6, 2017. business and an acre of coveted land directly on the Mi-

Payne was the type of man who never went to the doctor. ami River. He also established a trust for his three children

While Payne never saw a doctor, he did see an attorney. from his two families with ex-wives Isabella and Heidi.

A shrewd Payne took his best shot controlling from the Court was familiar terrain for Payne, who’d grown ac- grave as his last, loving act of paternalism. With a detailed customed to fghting with his ex-wives during his life. His last will and testament and his best friend, John Wilson, untimely death united the two women against the executor designated as his personal representative to oversee P&L’s of his estate. After launching a protracted legal battle, the

March 2019 32 MN