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Toll revenue and bridge openings down at GIBA; 2024 budget at $3.8 million

Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in News.

The Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority (GIBA) adopted a 2024 budget of $3,827,064 at their Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023 quarterly meeting, which also included drainage issues, salary and investments.
Board Chairman Ginger Watkins began the meeting by moving up a public comment from a customer regarding the expiration of her toll account funds. Non-agenda public comment is traditionally at the end of the meeting. After the comment, Watkins reminded that all 7,700 accounts and customers are treated exactly the same, and thanked the customer for coming. (Toll passes expire after one year.)
Executive Director Kathy Banson presented members with updated traffic and revenue figures for the first nine months of the 2023 fiscal year. Toll revenue was down by comparison with last year by 3 percent for discount passes and 12 percent in cash nondiscounted tolls. Overall traffic was down by 5 percent. Bridge openings were down 21 percent.

Heather Gilligan, on tour in Florida, finds stranded manatee in island waters

Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.

A beached manatee, later found to be safe, was the highlight of a Boca Grande visit for Columbus, Ohio resident Heather Gilligan on Wednesday, Aug. 9.

“This morning my original plan of going to Key Largo was canceled,” said Gillian. “So I just felt led by God to come out here.” 

She had heard about Gasparilla Island from a friend, Lucy, who had been here in March. 

“She finds the coolest places to go,” said Gilligan. “She just said it was really beautiful, really peaceful, and one of the safest places she had ever been.”

Think this Florida heat has made window a/c units obsolete? Think again

Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community, News.

Last Saturday, the island officially hit 101 degrees, after a week of highs around 97 or 98. The “feels like” temps were, at times, around 118 degrees.

Through this heatwave and others, some places in Boca Grande still rely upon, and prize, the extra cooling potential of the humble A/C window unit. 

On a hot afternoon at Gasparilla Adventures, Sam Fletcher (aka ‘Socks in Crocs’) and Brittani Salmon are still cheery when helping customers renting golf carts and bikes. Their not so secret weapon? A GE brand window unit, blasting out cool air next to the cash register. A second upstairs window unit, which keeps the second floor cool enough for Snow Mizer, had other benefits in this month’s heat and humidity.

Florida real estate prices stable, but fewer sales going on lately

Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community, News.

In spite of interest rate increases, the Florida real estate market this June remains stable, with the average house selling for $420,000, the same as June 2022, and the average condo selling for $325,000, also the same as 2022.
However, statewide there has been a decrease in closed sales of existing houses, down 7.9 percent year over year. Condo and townhouse sales were down 11 percent, to 10,494. Florida Realtors Chief Economist Brad O’Connor said in a national press release that a 7.9 percent year-over-year decline in closed single-family home sales is understandable due to interest rates. 
Today, the 30-year fixed rate is in the 7-7.375 percent range, according to Terese Dulge, vice president and residential lender for Englewood Bank and Trust, now Crews Bank and Trust. She said that rates, coupled with today’s property prices, are making it more and more difficult for many borrowers to qualify for a new mortgage.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Lee County remains in top five for Florida recycling

Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.

To the Editor: Lee County has been named as one of Florida’s top five recycling counties by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). Strong participation by both residents and businesses has enabled Lee County to earn the fourth spot out of 67 counties.  Lee County received credit for recycling 1.5 million tons of the […]

Bayou bridge might be gone by the end of the year, GIWA says

Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News.

The Gasparilla Island Water Association’s “Bayou Bridge” will be dismantled by the first of the year – and maybe sooner, according to GIWA Executive Director Ron Bolton. The low bridge is on 7th Street, just north of the Gasparilla Inn golf course bridge.

The Florida insurance deadfall: Factors working against homeowners and buyers make it easy to see that reform is needed

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.

It isn’t easy to be stuck in a corner by an insurer that wants to issue only a fraction of the money it will take to fix a home, particularly when the option of hiring an attorney seems to be the only one left. Some public adjusters have done good work for their clients, and others have not, but either way the client is left to pay them 10 percent of recovered money. Knowing that, many homeowners pick up the phone to call an attorney and skip that middleman.

But Gov. Ron DeSantis has called out “frivolous lawsuits” many times when it comes to insurees, so if you are a person who normally would never consider that, what are you supposed to do?

Dana Carr, past president & past chairman of Florida International Air Show, inducted into the Tourism Hall of Fame

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.

This year marks the 8th year that the Punta Gorda/Englewood Beach Visitor and Convention Bureau would induct a member of the community’s hospitality industry into the Hall of Fame. 

Charlotte County Commissioner Chris Constance presented the award, stating that “the honor is a special one, given only to those with an extensive body of work that has had a positive and lasting impact on Charlotte County’s tourism Industry. Dana has not only created that impact, he has made it “soar.”