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Turtle Patrol gives end-of-season wrap-up

Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News.

Hurricane Idalia effectively ended the sea turtle nesting season this year, much like Hurricane Ian did last year. The good news is that most of the nesting season was already completed before either storm hit the area. 

This season the number of nests and hatchlings was down from 2022, according to Denise Juergens, marine turtle permit holder for the Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association (BGSTA), which covers the entire island except for the state park properties. She said, however, that there was good news with this year’s final tally of nests and hatchlings. 

“This year the depredation rate in our nests went from roughly 47 percent in 2022 to 12 percent,” she said. 

Depredation is the disturbance of the nests and hatchlings by dogs, seabirds, raccoons, ghost crabs and other predators. On Gasparilla Island, most of the destruction is done by coyotes, Juergens said.

Clinic holds first webinar of season, discusses updated potential renovation  

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Health & Wellness, News.

There was a lot of information to cover at the first Boca Grande Health Clinic “Welcome Back to the Island” webinar” on Thursday, Oct. 26. The doctors spoke about updates at the Clinic in technology, numbers and vaccinations. Fire Chief C.W. Blosser discussed emergency medical information and varying levels of emergency care. But the most intriguing part of the presentation was made by Clinic Executive Director Mark Driscoll and others, discussing their newest plan for the second renovation proposal that will go before Lee County and the Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board in the future.
After their initial plan was denied by the Historic Preservation Board in May of last year by a unanimous vote, Driscoll said the Clinic Foundation members have been listening to the people of the island, as have been the doctors. They’ve heard many comments, such as that the building was too big, there were too many entrances and exits, they didn’t like the windows and that there would be parking problems with a bigger facility.

Make it Grande! Royal Palm Players announces their 2023-24 season

Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Entertainment.

After three years of partial seasons, Royal Palm Players is poised and ready to entertain and excite you. They are back with a full season of four major productions starring over 40 different actors—some brand new to our stage—some familiar and beloved—all are committed to raising the bar of entertainment excellence.

The season is off to a “grande” beginning. The Crowninshield is the perfect setting for The Dining Room On Boca Grande, November 13th and 14th at 5pm. RPP’s opening show is adapted from A.R. Gurney’s dramedy of manners. This table reading literally takes place around a dining room table in a mansion on Gilchrist Avenue. Through a vivid mosaic of scenes, different families in different time periods, create a portrait of life on Boca Grande over the past 100 years.

A lack of south end dunes has led to a lot of flooding … so what can be done?

Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in News.

Back in July of 1967, the headline in the News-Press of Fort Myers was, “What to Do About Eroded Tip of Boca Grande.”

Then, as now, islanders were looking to beach nourishment to help prevent erosion on the southern tip of Gasparilla Island. At that time, the Boca Grande Conservation Council, headed by Homer Addison of The Temptation, was in favor of establishing a park at the tip of the island, as the Lighthouse was for sale from the Coast Guard through the General Services Administration. It seemed an ideal solution; the only challenge being the “erosion problem.”

Six decades later, the issue of erosion, while not fixed, is regularly addressed through a mix of federal, local and tourist tax monies. Gasparilla, and indeed all of the Gulf of Mexico islands in Florida, are under regular schedules for replenishment. But what is also a challenge is the flooding at the tip of the island, which hit the south end’s streets and historic buildings during hurricanes Irma, Ian and Idalia.

Disappearance of unknowns helps clear up real estate season

Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community.

As insurance issues and condominium assessments have cleared up, buyers and sellers have been getting a better picture of property values and what the upcoming property season will entail, both on island and off.

“There were so many unknowns,” said Olivia Jones of Parsley Baldwin Real Estate. “There was ‘unknown’ from insurance, from condos.”

She feels that we are now at the stage where “some of the unknowns are now known.”

New, faster catamaran offers jaunts to Boca Grande from Punta Gorda

Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in News.

Boca Grande will soon have a new excursion boat visitor, the “Miss Elissa,” courtesy of the Punta Gorda-based King Fisher Fleet. 

“Miss Elissa,” commissioned by King Fisher Fleet and built by Scarano Boatbuilding of Albany, N.Y., will be launched this week. She will hit the Hudson River and begin her trek down to Florida for the Christmas season.

Currently, Boca Grande is served by the King Fisher Fleet’s “Charlotte Lady” or the “Helen M.” The King Fisher line offers regularly scheduled excursions from Punta Gorda’s Fishermen’s Village. That seasonal service will resume Nov. 25. The line also offers charter excursions from Boca Grande.