Artist, environmentalist, lover of people and nature, longtime Boca Grande institution Carroll Swayze is moving. She is closing her Englewood studio and moving somewhere not too far away. She can’t be too specific because the deal is still in process, but she is looking forward to whatever is around the next corner.

Among those items that were discussed were solar panels. Board members had asked Lee County at their last meeting to do some research into how other counties and localities deal with the visual impact of solar panels, to which Lee County Attorney Amanda Swindle responded.

The truth about the cost of living in this area is brutal right now. While income has barely – if at all – increased for most employees in many years, the costs of groceries, gasoline, utilities and, of course, rent have vastly increased in the last 18 months. When droves of people started moving to Florida during the height of the pandemic, real estate went through the roof. Many people who owned rental homes realized they could easily get hundreds more in their pocket with the supply-and-demand situation this area was facing, while others decided to take full advantage of the market and sell their rental properties. Not only did they leave the worry of being a landlord behind, they had a lot more money in their pocket from buyers paying an inflated price for their property.

Planning and organizing such an event would be an exhausting venture for many people. For Camille, it was a rush. “I loved working with Bayard Sharp. He trusted me. He had the most wonderful sense of humor and a sense of adventure, like no one I have ever known in my life. We spent a year-and-a-half planning that party, and we had a wonderful time. It was probably one of the greatest experiences, not just in my career, but also in my personal life.”