Profiles
PROFILE: John Edwardson
April 17, 2020
BY OLIVIA CAMERON – Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association board member John Edwardson came to Boca Grande as a jack of all trades. The former business leader also volunteers fo…
PROFILE: Karen Snyder
April 10, 2020
BY OLIVIA CAMERON – Stage lights and scripts are familiar to Royal Palm Players’ actress Karen Snyder, who enjoys taking part in the entertainment aspect of Boca Grande.
Before ever wintering on th…
PROFILE: Skip Branin
April 3, 2020
BY OLIVIA CAMERON – Francis ‘Skip’ Branin has dedicated his work to preserving financial stability within the community of Boca Grande. His skillset has allowed him to monitor the funding for islan…
PROFILE: Gretchen Holla
March 27, 2020
BY OLIVIA CAMERON – Boca Grande’s Englewood Bank has just hired a new manager to keep their tellers in good hands. Gretchen Holla has been in the banking business since her career history began and…
PROFILE: Phil Hubbard
March 20, 2020
BY OLIVIA CAMERON – family, business, sports and nonprofit work in a partnership capacity was a way of life for Phil Hubbard long before he and his wife Patsy began to winter in Boca Grande.Growing…
PROFILE: Deputy April Tomyn
March 13, 2020
BY OLIVIA CAMERON If you thought the flare of the island would stop with the cops, think again. When a certain squad car rolls by the Loose Caboose, you can see the glitter of a pink steering wheel…
PROFILE: Whitty Ransome
March 6, 2020
BY SUSAN ERWIN Boca Grande resident Whitney “Whitty” Ransome has dedicated a good portion of her professional career to helping motivate young women to realize their potential and recognize their s…
PROFILE: Pauline Lord
February 28, 2020
BY MARY BESS – It’s a problem most of us would like to have but, despite what Mae West says, too much of a good thing is not necessarily … wonderful. “There are pitfalls of having too much money,…
PROFILE: Dr. Bruce Rougraff
February 21, 2020
BY MARCY SHORTUSE – Bruce Rougraff is a self-proclaimed beach bum from way back. When he was a child, living in Houston, his family would head to the Galveston Bay beach almost every weekend, and s…
PROFILE: John Paul Turner
February 14, 2020
BY SUE ERWIN – John Paul Turner may have been born in Sarasota, but he’s a true Boca Grande local. “I think as soon as I could leave the hospital we were headed toward the bridges back to the islan…