GIWA prepares for election of directors at Jan. 16
The annual meeting for the members of Gasparilla Island Water Association, Inc. will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024. During this meeting, the election for three open seats on the Board of Directors will take place. Although nominations are also permitted from the floor, the three current nominees proposed by the Board are as follows:
Ashley Scott – Ashley has been coming to Boca Grande since the 1980s. Her family built a house here in 2002, which she now owns with her husband, Bob. They are Florida residents who summer in Boston and have two daughters, Lilly and Eliza. Ashley is a partner in Niles-Scott Interiors, an interior design firm with offices on the island in the Italiano Building. Because of her business on the island, Ashley makes trips down here during the summer.
Jack Hollis – Jack is the general manager of Hollis Family Enterprises. Jack and his wife MaryLee are full-time residents of Boca Grande and still maintain a residence in Lakeland. Jack’s family had deep ties to Publix Grocery Stores. His father was the president of Publix, and Jack was third- generation in management. After his time at Publix, he bought the Computer Renaissance Company, which had 140 retail computer stores. He sold the business and retired in 2008.
Dennis Johnston – Dennis is from Houston, Texas but with deep roots in Boca Grande, as he is married to Mary Farish, one of Will and Sarah’s three children. Dennis graduated from the University of Texas with degrees in real estate and finance. He spent 40 years in real estate brokerage, working for companies like Cushman and Wakefield before becoming a partner and president of a smaller real estate company. For his last ten years, he was with a real estate development company. He retired some time ago and resides for a significant time each year in Boca Grande. He’s been coming here since 1996.
In addition to these elections, President R.W. Caldwell III has reported in a letter to members that GIWA’s temporary office at 2000 E. Railroad Avenue is up and running, and that GIWA staff are currently working with legal consultants to resolve the committee’s insurance claims following the destruction caused by Hurricane Ian. President Caldwell hopes to eventually recover as much as possible from their claims and rebuild the main office, and he has requested a mitigation grant to protect their off-island shallow- well field against future flooding.
The repairs to the water reclamation facility located on The Gasparilla Inn Golf Course are also well underway, with the new treatment and filtration equipment currently being tested by GIWA staff. Future plans involve the removal of old steel tanks and the implementation of brand-new infrastructure which aims to increase the facility’s efficiency. Although the process has been challenging for the group, President Caldwell is confident that the finished plant will both exceed current standards and be equipped to meet any anticipated regulations that may come in the future.
The annual meeting will commence at 5 p.m. at the Boca Grande Community Center.
