Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Education, News.
Ambrea Hobbs graduated from the University of West Florida, Pensacola, on May 2 with summa cum laude honors. She earned a B.A. in history and a B.A. in legal studies with a minor in political science and was named the outstanding history student in her graduating class. Ambrea was the first student in the university’s […]
Written by Anna Ridilla on . Posted in Profiles.
On the winning team Blaze This year, for the first time since Jake Poepl has been on the team, Blaze, captained by Waylon Mills, won the World’s Richest Tarpon Tournament. Poepl will be back this weekend to fish the Howl at the Moon tournament on Saturday, traveling south from his hometown in Minnesota. The first […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, News, Sports & Outdoors.
Two minutes before the final horn, we landed a fish BY JAKE POEPL Day 1 started slowly for our squad. One boat (Jill Marie) had already landed three tarpon and at least two other boats (Outta Line and Last Call) had landed two, and we hadn’t yet landed a fish. Therefore, with the way the […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Breaking News, News, Sports & Outdoors.
At the Gasparilla Island State Park, crews were out this week restoring vegetation on the dunes. The landscaping at the south end is a major project for Gasparilla Island State Park under their Hurricane Milton Recovery project. Barrier Island Parks Society is also supporting the project and was awarded a grant for their portion of […]
Written by Anna Ridilla on . Posted in Featured News, News, Police & Fire.
A 36-year-old woman was arrested on the Boca Grande Causeway on Saturday, May 23 for driving under the influence. Just after 6 p.m., a Charlotte County deputy conducted a traffic stop on a Chevy Silverado with a Georgia license plate driven by Cortney Arnold. While exiting the vehicle, Arnold was observed to be unsteady on […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Breaking News, News, Sports & Outdoors.
Sailboat catches bridge Early Sunday morning, the Coast Guard reported that a sailboat had collided with the swing bridge at the Boca Grande Causeway. According to dispatch reports, the vessel’s cabling became tangled around the bridge and temporarily blocked the channel. The issue came while the sailboat was waiting for the opening. “The anchor did […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community History, Featured News, News.
The Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board will consider the request to demolish an existing building at 240 Park Ave. at its June 10 meeting. The building is empty; it had been occupied by the Boca Grande Preschool, which has moved temporarily off island while renovating a historic building at 311 Palm Ave. The Boca Grande […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community History.
FIVE YEARS AGO Lee County Commissioners met and unanimously passed the ordinance prohibiting overnight parking in designated areas for buses and recreational vehicles within portions of Gasparilla Island. TEN YEARS AGO Manatees were spotted in the shallow water a few feet from the shore. They were coming in for mating season. FIFTEEN YEARS AGO The […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Editorial.
This week, a particularly welcome sight appeared at the Placida Boat Ramp: a trailer full of blue crab traps, tended by crabbers heading out to Charlotte Harbor and Lemon Bay. It is that season once again. We are not yet at harvest time, but we promise a report soon as we get some results. Blue […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Obituaries.
Guppy has left the building. After a prolonged illness, Dennis passed away on May 21, 2026, a day after his 71st birthday. It was peaceful after months of declining health. Where do we start? Dennis was well known to so many on Boca Grande, FL, after leaving Dover, NH. He considered Boca Grande his home […]