Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY SUSAN HANAFEE When architect Rick Thurkow bought Boca Grande’s infamous “Hotel Hell” in 1986, he never dreamed he would be entering his own permitting purgatory. Before he finished his $150,000 renovation of the 70-year-old structure, Thurkow would spend two years “haggling with building and zoning officials” to get the approvals he needed. “Rick […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
■ STAFF REPORT This year the 24th annual Gasparilla Island Flyfishing Tournament, (G.I.F.T) will benefit the Boca Grande Pass Web Cam and Sunset Web Cam project. As always, the G.I.F.T tournament will be held on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, November 21, and everyone is invited to participate.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Editorial, Featured News, Letters to the Editor, News, Opinion.
To the Editor: Susan Hanafee has done our island a great favor by researching and describing for us the tortured history of the Gasparilla Island Act. I hope our residents have taken the time to read her articles, because too many of us will tell you that our island is protected by the Act so […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE From Bocaween to the Halloween Carnival, our island has always held the Halloween holiday in high esteem. We may not have residential trick-or-treating, but we do have our own variety of haunting festivities to make the spookiest of nights complete. Many years ago Halloween was – shall we say – an […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
■ BY SUE ERWIN The fate of an old Florida fishing property just off island was discussed at a public meeting held by the developer on Wednesday, Oct. 18, with hundreds in attendance holding varying opinions. The property in question is the few acres where The Fishery Restaurant, Albritton’s Gallery, Placida Cove Gifts and the […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE Last week people passing by the Range Light on Gulf Boulevard witnessed a Lee County crew digging a drainage ditch along the roadway. Many were impressed with its depth, which was about 4 feet, and recognized the need for the project. After all, every time a heavy rain comes through, we […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE Lee County officials said this week that landscaping waste pickups for the island would begin again very soon, possibly next week. Lee County Public Information Officer Timothy Engstrom confirmed that the large piles of brush around the island – including on 19th Street and on Gilchrist Avenue – should be picked […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Profiles.
■ BY SUE ERWIN Eric Oberg supervised some significant renovations that were completed over the summer months at Miller’s Dockside and Eagle Grille, located at Boca Grande Marina, where he is the general manager. But by no means is he a new face to our island. The downstairs bar has been moved from the west side to […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE A proposal to renovate a private home to an assisted living facility on East Railroad Avenue was not well received in the Boca Grande community, and it brought more than 40 people to the first of two Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board meetings in the last two weeks. The meeting at […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
The landscape of downtown Boca Grande may look quite different in the future, as the Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board approved a proposal to erect a new commercial structure on Park Avenue. The lot is located next to The Temp, at 354 Park Avenue, and is owned by the McLaughlin family. They also own the […]