Bee’s Auto Repair Opens In Downtown Clermont

On Friday, Sept 4, the west end of Montrose rocked as owner, twenty-four-year-old Hailie Weatherbee and crew staged the grand opening celebration of Bee’s Auto Repair, located at 898 and 899 West Montrose, on both sides of the street. The party attracted about 100 well-wishers; some coming for the music, some for the car show, and some ‘just because.

Business founder Wayne Weatherbee, who died January 1, 2020, was also at the event. Wayne was an accomplished racer on the American Power Boat Association circuit. He had been heard on multiple occasions throughout the years saying that he loved his daughter Hailie more than anything else in the world — and that his racing boat came in second.

His boat, Lil Miss Budweiser, was parked on the premises for the event, with his cremated remains, in a cranberry-colored urn, at the helm. In the passenger seat, a blond female mannequin (Miss Budweiser) rounded out the effect.

The voice of the celebration was Tony Buzzella, who drove in from Lake City for the event. Many of the drivers who brought their collector cars to Bee’s were members of the Kings Ridge Klassic Kar Club. Some were not. Many cars were classics from the ’50s and ’60s, such as the 1967 Amphicar (car-boat) driven by Pat Rovetto (original owner) and the 1956 Chevy BelAir, nicknamed Fire and Ice, owned by Ken Carek. Ray Handloser, there with his 1967 Barricuda, was one of the car-guys who had known Wayne. Speaking of Wayne, Handloser said “If you didn’t know him, because of his size, you’d think he was intimidating. But he was the nicest guy. He was always helpful.”

Clermont mayor Tim Murry was one of the speakers at the ribbon-cutting part of their celebration. He congratulated Bee’s Auto on “continuing a great service to the City of Clermont.” Speaking more specifically of Wayne, Murry said that he (Murry) took his car into Bee’s years ago, and “he (Wayne) got my attention. I’ve been a fan ever since.”

Councilmember Jim Purvis also spoke at the event. Referring to Wayne as a “gentle giant,” he recalled that his first meeting with Wayne was rocky. That was the first time that Wayne and his protest signs came before the city’s code enforcement board. Purvis also recalled that when the case was finally settled by the Supreme Court of Florida, that the decision read, in part, that the “code board of the City of Clermont got it right”. “We bonded,” Purvis said.

Charlie Weatherbee fully intended to give those gathered a brief rundown of the beginning of Bee’s Auto, but when he was standing at the mike, staring at the Bee’s Auto Repair Sign across the street, he lost it, and could only say “I wish he were here.”

Margaret “Peggy” Weatherbee (Wayne’s mom) ended up giving listeners a hint as to just where Wayne’s love of speed may have come from. Wayne had just got his first car, a stick shift. He invited his mom to come to drive it. She declined. She was cooking. The young trash-talking Wayne suggested that his mom did not know how to drive stick.”I did demolition derby when I was 11,” she said. “I could take out a radiator from a mile out. I put the cooking up, I said ‘gimme the keys.’ We got in the car, I gave it just the right amount of gas … When we got to the stop sign he threw his hands up and said ‘whee, you can drive this.”

Bee’s Auto was founded in 1982 by Wayne Weatherbee. Wayne had been working on the expansion project for several years before he died. Daughter Hailie is still working on the project and is gradually growing the business to make full use of her now-doubled workspace. 

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The South Lake Tablet is happy to see Bee’s Auto Repair open for business and wish them success.