Profiles
Profile: Evan Merritt
September 20, 2019
■ BY SUE ERWIN Evan Merritt has been coming to Little Gasparilla Island since he was a baby. His parents would come here on the weekends and for several weeks each summer. “We used to rent places …
Profile: Dencina Ihlanberg
September 13, 2019
■ BY SUE ERWIN Dencina Ihlanberg is an amazingly strong woman – emotionally, physically and spiritually. Over a few short years she was forced to deal with a great amount of tragedy. In 2003 she lo…
Profile: Renee Maines
September 6, 2019
■ BY SUE ERWIN Renee Maines trusts her faith when it comes to making decisions about her next move in life. She has been a teller at Englewood Bank on the island since April, and she’s currently tr…
Profile: Steve Rinaldi
August 30, 2019
■ BY SUE ERWIN
Steve Rinaldi remembers when there was a campground at the north end of Gasparilla Island. As a kid, he would visit Boca Grande with his family every few weeks. He also recalls when …
Profile: Lisa Sims
August 23, 2019
■ BY SUE ERWIN Lisa Sims, manager at Gasparilla Adventures, has been associated with Boca Grande since 2008. The first time she came to the island was to help with the wedding of Sarah Blakely (fou…
Profile: Mike Bower
August 16, 2019
■ BY SUE ERWIN If you’ve visited Hudson’s Grocery recently, you might have noticed a new face helping to run the store. Sporting a bright pink T-shirt, Mike Bower has been working hard at the store…
Profile: Mary Mazyck
August 8, 2019
■ BY SUE ERWIN Mary Mazyck spent almost four years in Ecuador serving with the Peace Corps before returning to her hometown of Tallahassee, where she spent a year riding horses for a living. “I wan…
Profile: Carolyn Madden
August 2, 2019
■ BY SUE ERWIN Carolyn Madden has been coming to Boca Grande for 25 years. She’s always appreciated the unique shops and restaurants on the island, and she’s wanted to start her own business for ye…
Profile: Todd Hampton
July 26, 2019
■ BY SUE ERWIN Todd Hampton may have spent much of his life in Winter Haven, Florida, but he’s been coming to Boca Grande for almost than 30 years. Todd is the friendly face behind the bar inside S…
Profile: Christopher Robin
July 19, 2019
■ BY SUE ERWIN Capt. Christopher Robin is a former New Yorker who moved to Florida after finding a very special boat. Even though he had no nautical experience whatsoever, he knew the little abando…