Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, News.
Charlotte County needs nominees for the following: Boca Grande Street & Drainage Unit is seeking one member to fill a position with a term through Oct. 31, 2028, and one member to fill a position with a term through Oct. 31, 2029. Also, Placida Area Street & Drainage Maintenance Unit is seeking one member to […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community History.
FIVE YEARS AGO Lee County Commissioner Kevin Ruane was on a mission to make a difference and change the release model that the Army Corps of Engineers chose to release water from Lake “O.” TEN YEARS AGO The Gasparilla Inn & Club was getting a make-over as part of a three-year project. Re-siding the front […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Editorial.
This week, two bits of news bear mention and comment. The first is that in Lee County, the apartment vacancy rate has spiked to 20.3 percent, with the highest rental vacancy rate for any major metropolitan area. Charlotte County is just below that, at 19.5 percent. Five years ago, vacancy rates were under five percent. […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Featured News, News, Police & Fire.
Lack of evidence closed the case for sheriffs Just after 1 p.m. on Monday, July 27 a Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to the Placida Boat Ramp at 6499 Boca Grande Causeway in reference to a damaged barge. The caller reported that between July 24 and July 27 his company barge that was docked […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, Featured News, News, Real Estate.
A July 2026 economic development report by Metro Forecasting Models, circulated online in advance of the Tuesday, July 28 Charlotte County Commissioners meeting, details growth in the west part of Charlotte. According to Metro, the west had 56,600 residents and 37,900 housing units. In 2025, the west added over 1,500 housing units and nearly 2,600 […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Breaking News, Community, News.
The Gasparilla Inn has purchased the old 3rd Street Bistro. The sale, from owners Kevin and Barbara McLaughlin, was expected to close this week. “What Barbara and Kevin did with that property opened our eyes to what it truly could be, and I don’t think we ever envisioned what they were able to put together […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Breaking News, News, Police & Fire.
A lightning strike was the cause of a roof fire at a condo on the east side of Boca Grande North that began sometime before 7 a.m. Sunday morning. “We believe that lightning struck the building here,” said Chief C.W. Blosser of the Boca Grande Fire Department. The department observed light smoke on arrival and […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community History.
FIVE YEARS AGO As the temperature heated up, heat exposure cases and heat-related illnesses increased. TEN YEARS AGO Animated storyteller Windell Campbell was at the Boca Grande Community Center using his voice and puppets to bring stories alive. The program was sponsored by the Lee County Library System. FIFTEEN YEARS AGO Pickup softball games were […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Obituaries.
Bonnie Helen Simonds passed away on July 22 in Englewood, Florida. Bonnie grew up in Wilmette, Illinois, where she attended New Trier East High School before going on to graduate from Northwestern University. She later made her home in Kenilworth, Illinois, spending the winter months in her beloved Boca Grande, Florida, where she was a […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Obituaries.
Peter DeWitt Diebold was born November 13, 1938, in Buffalo, New York. He passed away on July 13, 2026, in Boca Grande, Florida. Peter received an exceptional education, attending The Elmwood Franklin School and The Nichols School in Buffalo, New York, Upper Canada College in Toronto, Ontario, and later studying at the Boston Museum of […]