Opinion
EcoWatch: Make 2026 a New Year of kept promises and action
January 2, 2026
A resolution starts with a goal, A promise made within your soul, To grow, to learn, to start each day, To let old habits fall away. It’s not perfection that we seek, But steady steps, week by week…
SW Florida Fishing: Adventures around every turn…
January 2, 2026
BY CAPT. JOE LECLAIR
Fishing in and out of the boat recently has brought us to meet some new friends. Sometimes the fish we catch are only part of the story. The Dalai Lama defines sentient being…
Kiribati coconut drop; Rejoice Always this A. D. 2026
January 2, 2026
An interesting idea for New Year’s Eve 2026. What if, instead of a ball drop or some other countdown, we de-levitated a Boca Nut from the Boca Beacon at an earlier time, when some other island natio…
Christmas-time birthdays, a ‘December to remember’
December 26, 2025
One can get a pulse on Florida’s mood each year by looking at Publix’s annual Christmas TV commercial. The ads premiere after Thanksgiving annually during sporting events and live on, now seemingly…
Again, be patient, everything is slower when cold
December 26, 2025
Hard to believe it’s another New Year already, but ’26 is here.
We enjoyed a cooler early fall this year. Our recent winters have been milder, and cold weather is overdue. We need some mild froze…
History: Boca Grande property people, from Robert E. Lee to condo builders
December 18, 2025
BY JAMES J. BLAHA, DIRECTOR BOCA GRANDE HISTORY CENTER
In 1996, Michael Ingram, a Tampa lawyer and the son of Dr. James Ingram who had purchased the historic Journey’s End property in 1963, wrote…
Stay Frosty, who got lit this Christmas
December 18, 2025
There is a new giant snowman on the second-floor balcony of the Boca Grande train depot; Frosty got lit this week. We need more Christmas, always. And lights are good. More is better. The balcony is…
EcoWatch: Let us keep Christmas
December 18, 2025
Whatever else be lost among the years, Let us keep Christmas still a shining thing: Whatever doubt assails us, or what fears, Let us hold close one day remembering Its poignant meaning for the heart…
Letters: Dear islanders: Try a blower-free Christmas week
December 11, 2025
To the Editor:
Leaf blowers driving you inside? Glad you’re not home when your neighbors’ crews are scheduled? Have you had to restrict your activities due to the toxic cloud put at head height b…
Letters: Improved access to beaches with management
December 11, 2025
To the Editor:
Gasparilla Island State Park is an oceanfront treasure. This resource is currently underused. The state park has over one mile of beachfront land with five parking areas. There are…