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EDITORIAL: Something to be remembered by; would you be willing to leave a legacy to the people of Placida and Boca Grande?

BY MARCY SHORTUSE – Just across the little bridge by the Fishery is a 91-acre piece of land that for many of us is a piece of old Florida eye candy. You’ll recognize the parcel I mean by mentioning the cows and the long driveway that leads to a little farmhouse, right on the other […]

LBHS prom will carry on, thanks to parents and sponsors

BY MARCY SHORTUSE – A few weeks ago, when the Rowe family heard that prom for Lemon Bay High School seniors might be canceled, Kim Rowe’s daughter had something to say about it.  “You’ll do something, right Mom?” Rowe’s daughter implored. “You can do it, right?” “Of course,” Rowe said. In the course of just […]

GICIA Mercabo Cove seagrass planting effort brought to light

SUBMITTED BY THE GICIA – In January 2016, the Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association successfully acquired the Mercabo property located at the entrance to Gasparilla Island. It was in late 2015 that a rumor began to circulate that an offer had been made by a resort developer to purchase the 30 acres, armored by […]

PROFILE: George Benisek

BY TONYA BRAMLAGE – This is no fish tale of that you can be sure, although George Benisek has no shortage of fisherman tales to tell. An avid, lifelong fisherman,  he began fishing when he was just a young boy. George and his late wife Barbara of 63 years were living on Captiva when they […]

Historic Preservation Board meeting begins with request for NHR input from community

BY SUSAN HANAFEE – The chairman of the Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board on Wednesday urged all residents to let their voices be heard on a proposal to nominate a section of the historic district to the National Register of Historic Places. “Since a national listing would create an attraction and additional tourist interest in […]

BGHS takes note of a rare ‘Magna Carta’

BY SUSAN HANAFEE – Jim Blaha calls the mountain of material the Boca Grande Historical Society received from the attic of a woman in Tennessee late last year the “Magna Carta.” And, indeed, the collection of books and documents contains the names and signatures of such notables as Albert Gilchrist, Peter Bradley and other “movers […]

GIBA re-elects Watkins as chair, talks financials at quarterly meeting

STAFF REPORT – Ginger Watkins was re-elected as chairman and Drew Tucker was elected as vice chairman of the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority, when they held their quarterly board meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 10. The Engineering Committee also gave their report, which included a discussion on the recent bridge inspections. The inspectors did not note […]

GICIA partners with Mote on acoustic tagging at Mercabo Cove

SUBMITTED BY THE GICIA – In October 2015 the Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association realized that the perfect storm was brewing; an offer had been made by a resort developer to purchase the Mercabo property located at the entrance to Gasparilla Island. The 30 acres, armored by 4,700 linear feet of seawall, boasted potential […]