Skip to main content
Search Results for “grand

Profile: Capt. Leighton Ingram

■ BY SUE ERWIN It’s difficult to pinpoint a “hometown” when talking with local fishing Capt. Leighton Ingram about his childhood, but if he had to choose a place where his roots were firmly planted, it would be Boca Grande. His father, Robert Leighton Ingram, was a corporate fishing charter captain, so the family lived […]

One body, debris field found 30 miles off Sanibel believed to be linked to missing boaters

  BY MARCY SHORTUSE – The Coast Guard announced this evening they located a body near the debris field approximately 40 miles off the coast of Sanibel at approximately 4 p.m. The debris field believed to be associated with the missing family was located this morning. Authorities are searching for a missing family of four who left Sarasota […]

Missing swimmer not wearing a life jacket when he disappeared

BY MARCY SHORTUSE – The disappearance of a swimmer off Range Light Beach on Saturday has left many locals and regular visitors pondering whether “safe” beaches are really safe at all. Javier Castro, as 22-year-old man from Cape Coral, disappeared in the water while swimming just off the Florida State Park maintained beach called Range […]

GIWA announces change in water disinfection

■ STAFF REPORT Gasparilla Island Water Association, Inc. will be temporarily changing the disinfection process for its Placida and Boca Grande potable drinking water supply. From June 20 at 8 a.m. through July 18, GIWA will disinfect the water with free chlorine, rather than combined chlorine/ammonia (chloramines).

Mote hosts first World Oceans Day on the island

■ BY SUE ERWIN Dozens of people stopped by the Mote Marine Laboratory’s Boca Grande office on Saturday, June 11 for the first-of-its-kind World Oceans Day celebration. Numerous educational exhibits were set up in the parking lot on Railroad Avenue. Dr. Jim Lacascio, staff scientist at Mote Marine, had plenty of educational information to share […]

Profile: Justin Davis

■ BY SUE ERWIN Justin Davis didn’t know Boca Grande existed until he helped a friend move to the island 21 years ago. A college student at an Indiana community college at the time, he and his childhood friend drove 24 hours straight and landed in the front of The Temptation around 2 a.m. on […]

Outta Line was outta reach for the competition

■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE Almost as soon as lines hit the water in the 2016 Gasparilla Island Kids Classic, the tarpon were biting, the kids were hooting and hollering and 31 releases were recorded. It was a success to say the least, with the Boca Grande Fire Department team on Outta Line, including Evan Cheske, […]