Opinion
Gov. Scott directs FWC to ease regulations, waive fees for South Florida commercial fishing industry following Hurricane Irma
September 22, 2017
■ SUBMITTED BY THE OFFICE OF GOV. RICK SCOTT Governor Rick Scott directed the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to implement several changes to help South Florida’s commercial f…
Disaster planning for residents with pets
September 8, 2017
■ SUBMITTED BY CHARLOTTE COUNTY EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER Residents with pets face additional tasks when preparing for a disaster. All Charlotte County shelters accept pets except the special needs…
Never forget that Texas could have been us
September 1, 2017
■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE This week many of us watched in horror as Hurricane Harvey turned into a nasty houseguest who wouldn’t leave and left thousands of people in Texas and Louisiana homeless, displace…
Make Boca Grande quiet again … redux
August 25, 2017
To the Editor: Thanks for all the verbal support received concerning leafblower noise and health hazards. Remember … if daily and weekly leafblowing were done every other day and week, noise and po…
Letter to the Editor: Many thanks to Dr. Jeff for all of his turtle work
August 25, 2017
To the Editor: As his time on our island winds down, the Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association wishes to extend a generous thank you to Dr. Jeff Humbarger for his years of dedicated service to our organ…
Mote Marine launches new online game: ‘Who wants to be a Sea Star?’
August 18, 2017
■ PROVIDED BY MOTE MARINE Do you love trivia? Mote Marine Laboratory recently launched a new online game called “Who Wants to be a Sea Star?” on mote.org. This game was originally created for Mote’s…
Hey FWC, are you in it for the wildlife or are you in it for the profit?
August 4, 2017
■BY MARCY SHORTUSE – I’m sure most of you have heard social media mutterings regarding those kids from Manatee County who have appeared in multiple photographs and videos mishandling animals, fish a…
Many thanks to all who helped restore the Range Light
July 28, 2017
To the Editor: Having been a founding member of the Barrier Island Parks Society (BIPS), president of BIPS for a lot of years “back in the day,” and director/curator of the Lighthouse Museum from 199…
Do we need more signage at our southern beach access points?
July 21, 2017
■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE The time has come to start a new discussion on more specific signage at our southern beach access points. The two stories on the front page should testify to that, even if you’re…
Could the entire island be considered a historic district?
July 14, 2017
To the Editor: I am fortunate enough to have been coming to Boca Grande for 33 years. I have seen a lot of changes over the years. The charm and beauty of Boca Grande is a treasure to be preserved. I…