Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in News.
Mostly forgotten 1970s teen idol Leif Garrett is reputed to have told Justin Beiber not to believe his own publicity, as every “chicken hawk wants a piece of you.”
That might be an apt warning for the nation’s newest media travel darling destination, Boca Grande, which seems to have an endless supply of effusive travel writers highlighting the island in the last few months.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Health & Wellness.
It brings preparedness to a whole new level to be responsible for the daily needs of a pet that will be in a new environment, quite often around strangers, foreign noises, sights and smells. While you can have all of the supplies your pets’ needs taken care of, the most important part of prepping is to try to understand their mindset in such unfamiliar circumstances.
There are several stories in Lee County, where Fort Myers Beach was almost entirely wiped out, where residents were holding their exhausted pets over their head with water up to their chin. Those pet owners were ready to lay down their lives for their animals – and you either understand it or you don’t.
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community, News.
The Boca Grande zip code 33921 is one of the top 50 highest-valued real estate zip codes in the U.S., according to new data from Zillow that measured typical home value, akin to a median value.
At 46th on the list, Boca Grande ranks just ahead of resort towns like Aspen’s 81611 at $2,848549, the Hamptons’ Quogue zip 11959 at $2,765,902 and Apple headquarters zip 95014 in Cupertino, Calif, which is 56th on the list, and had an average house value of $2,616,572.
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.
John Gaffney has never had a job he didn’t love. The one he has now is no exception. John collects tolls at the Boca Grande Swing Bridge.
“Being a police officer will always be my favorite job,” John admitted, “but this job at the bridge is a job where I get to enjoy it and not worry as much. I can go to work and just have fun. I get to talk to the people and it’s not stressful. The job is great.”
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Columns.
FIVE YEARS AGO Roads in town were being paved, and snook health was a hot topic after a severe red tide bloom in preceding years took its toll on the population. TEN YEARS AGO Gasparilla Island Magazine hit the stands for the first time, a dead Lithuanian man was found on a sailboat in the […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
A recent decision by Publix Supermarket’s corporate office to enforce their policy regarding their customers’ ability to bring pets into their stores has created quite a stir in many animal-loving circles. It brings up the question, however, as to what constitutes a “service animal” and how far a store can go to question the owner.
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Sports & Outdoors.
After a massive hurricane and a year of drought, the status of seagrass in Charlotte Harbor could perhaps be characterized by experts as “not better, in fact marginally worse.”
“We have lost massive amounts of seagrass,” said Dr. Richard Whitman, who heads up the nonprofit environmental charity Heal our Harbor. The group looks regularly at the water quality in Charlotte Harbor and its tributaries, enlisting volunteers in monitoring and educating about the importance of our water.
Observations are often anecdotal and micro-observations, and not all seagrass is the same. Whitman likens the question to how the stock market is doing. Are you asking about how it is doing this week, this year or over decades?
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community, News.
The magazine Coastal Living has “discovered” a new secret island, Gasparilla.
The new fall edition of the magazine put Gasparilla on its front cover with the caption “Florida’s Secret Island. The Old-School Charm of Gasparilla.” Boca Grande, however, did not make the actual cover photo; that honor was reserved for the Reethi Rah resort in the Maldives.
Writer Tracey Minkin cited the “affinity for blue-blood Northeasterners” as an island that grew with a “sporting forward generation” that discovered “wily, hard-fighting tarpon.” Dressing is described as where “Salt Life criss-crosses with dressing for dinner.”
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community.
As cash deals continue, the Lee and Charlotte County regions slightly lag the rest of the state in July real estate statistics, according to information released this week from the Florida Board of Realtors and local boards.
Statewide, existing single-family houses sales were down 6.4 percent year-over-year, to 22,198, while existing condo-townhouse sales were down 9.4 percent, to 8,463.
For Lee County and the Cape Coral Fort Myers area, closed sales were down 5.3 percent to 1,106, comparing July to July. Closed sales in the county so far for all of 2023 were down 14.6 percent, to 8,431. The median sales price in that metro area was $434,980, down just 1.1 percent for the year so far.
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.
Daniel Martinez has found himself a home at the Boca Grande Fire Department. He’s only been here since June, but he envisions himself retiring from this department one day. Since he is 24, that means he will be here a long time.
“I’ve lived in the area pretty much my whole life,” Daniel said. “I was born in Hollywood (Florida) and moved over here when I was about five, to Rotonda West. Basically, every time I wanted to do something fun, I would come to Boca Grande. I’ve lived so close to the island, I was out here a lot as a kid. My prom was out here. I used to do the Turkey Hoop Shoot whenever I could. I ran the 5K out here sometimes. So the island’s always been a part of my life.”
He has discovered a new depth to the community since joining the fire department, though.