Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ STAFF REPORT Visitors to Gasparilla Island State Park will have the rare opportunity to tour the lamp room at the top of the Historic Port Boca Grande Lighthouse on April 16. The Barrier Island Parks Society and Florida Park Service invite everyone to come celebrate Florida Lighthouse Day from 10 a.m. to […]
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■ STAFF REPORT Larry Hannah, chair of the Gasparilla Island Light fundraising effort, reported that donations have reached $725,000 in cash and pledges. That’s still well short of the project budget of $1.783 million but within reach of the minimum $1.2 million deemed necessary to begin significant phases of restoration during the summer […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY SUE ERWIN A common word that often comes to mind when many people think about bacteria is “gross.” Mote Marine postdoctoral research fellow Dr. Andrea Tarnecki tried to break that bad reputation on Tuesday, April 12 at a ‘Science Café’ event held at the Johann Fust Community Library. The free educational […]
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■ BY SUE ERWIN Committee Chair Bayne Stevenson of the Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association unveiled a large reproduction illustrating the envisioned GICIA Preserve at a public meeting held on Wednesday, April 13 at the property, located at Gasparilla Road and the Boca Grande Causeway. He thanked the crowd for the support […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Profiles.
■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE & JIM BENSON Jim Benson may be a young man, but his passion for life and his work ethic run deep. That’s not to say he’s a guy who can’t have a good time – he definitely can – but he has proven to be one of the most up-and-coming real […]
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■ BY SUE ERWIN Approximately 500 cyclists will be spinning down Gasparilla Road on Thursday, April 14. But don’t be alarmed – precautions have been well planned out, and the event shouldn’t have much effect on the island. Bike Florida is organizing its first tour of Florida’s Gulf Coast Region, and for the […]
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■ BY SUE ERWIN At an educational summit held on Tuesday, April 5 at the Boca Grande Community Center, some of the nation’s top educators gathered with islanders to talk about new trends and successful techniques in educating our primary and secondary school-age children. The invitation-only event, orchestrated by Cavendish Global, packed the […]
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■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE Iguana hunting taxes are going up by 0.102 percent, but iguana numbers are definitely going down. At an annual meeting of the MTSBU advisory committee for Gasparilla Island’s street lighting and iguana control Friday, April 1, Lee County MSTBU Coordinator Melissa Geissler told the Board they had to raise […]
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■ BY SUSAN ERWIN Boca Grande part-time resident Garry Carley is a native of Detroit, Michigan, and while he enjoys the peaceful island life here, he also has a sincere passion for the revitalization of his hometown. He currently serves as Chairman of Detroit Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc. Carley met his wife, Nancy, while […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Obituaries.
Sydell Friedman was a Boca Grande phenomenon. She and her husband, Stanley, were well known throughout the island and highly regarded in intellectual, social and tennis circles (and in just about every endeavor in which they participated) for more than 30 years. They were loving parents, grandparents and pet owners, as well as being energetic […]