You know times are tough when one of Bellevue’s richest families is looking to unload its private island at auction.

The Fluke family, whose fortune came from patriarch John Fluke’s electronics company, has owned Vendovi Island just north of Anacortes for 43 years. But on Sept. 30, the little plot of paradise, which a year ago was listed for sale at $14.5 million, will go to the highest bidder.

According to auctioneer J.P. King, the 216-acre island includes six beaches, a “cozy” home (1,800 square feet), and a treehouse, and is accessible only by boat or seaplane.

Surprisingly, King doesn’t mention the island’s potential as a place where supervillains might hatch evil schemes, but it seems ideally suited to that as well.

So if you somehow managed to escape the recession’s grasp, or find a few million in quarters behind the couch cushions, be at the Hyatt at Olive 8 downtown by 11 a.m. on Thurs., Sept. 30 and put in your bid.