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Letters to the Editor


January 9, 2025
BY RICK STAGER You may have seen a shopping cart abandoned on the side of Gasparilla Road near the billionaire’s airport on New Year’s Day and wondered how it got there. Let me tell you the story…

January 2, 2025
To the Editor: On behalf of our permit holder, Denise Juergens, I am writing this letter from the Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association (BGSTA) to acknowledge and thank the generous individuals, bus…

December 19, 2024
To the Editor: The damage caused by Helene and Milton in our area was unprecedented. While many communities received immediate attention and governmental support, Little Gasparilla Island has bee…

December 19, 2024
To the Editor: As we embrace this season, we are deeply grateful for the strength and generosity that define our island community. To our incredible clinic staff: After the storms, you showed…

December 12, 2024
To the Editor: Boca Grande has a newly planted Shady Lady community tree. The Boca Grande Woman’s Club and the entire community are so grateful to Michelle and Stephen Hazeltine for their gene…

December 5, 2024
BY GARY MARTIN It has just come to our attention that an elderly, but highly experienced, deer hunter was attacked earlier today, within his own home, by a 10-point whitetail buck. The hunter was…

December 5, 2024
Favorite Maine loafer, maybe tassels next? BY SUSAN HANAFEE I scrimped together the money for my first pair of Bass Weejuns when I was a senior in college and working part-time at Nathan Hale’…

November 21, 2024
BY CHRISTINE OLIVER Our beautiful Gasparilla Island, including Boca Grande and The Island School, has faced immense challenges in the wake of these back-to-back storms. While the facility and sta…

November 14, 2024
To the editor: My letter is written in response to an article written by Jay Feinberg and Cookie Potter. In recent months there have been many concerns about the parking situation on Boca. Simply…

November 14, 2024
BY DANA RYAN Like all of you, I watched with a heavy heart as Hurricanes Helene and Milton tore through our country, leaving devastation in their wake. My family lives on a small barrier island i…