Skip to main content
Search Results for “rid

Four dead sea turtles found on Boca Grande beaches

■ BY SUE ERWIN     On February 14, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) contacted the Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association to report a very large, deceased sea turtle on the beach near 21st Street. Zone 1 turtle patrollers Louisa and Eliot Vestner were the first responders. However, by the time they arrived on […]

Profile: Carol Napoli

■ BY SUE ERWIN.     Retired licensed professional counselor Carol Napoli has been coming to Boca Grande seasonally for the past 20 years. Carol spent 18 years of her career in the Washington, DC area sharing her expertise on suicide and the effects it has on family and friends. It is her wish to […]

Native Now Foundation offers cruise, indigenous education

To the Editor: This year the Native Now Foundation will be offering the public an opportunity to experience a cultural exchange with American Indians and a visit to a Mayan community in Costa Maya as part of a six-day cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s newly enhanced maritime engineering marvel, Freedom of the Seas. The Native Now […]

The old railroad trestle guardhouse: Who will preserve an island treasure?

■ BY SUE ERWIN     Capt. Marian Schneider, an ecotourism pioneer who owned Grande Tours Kayak and Paddleboard Center in Placida for more than two decades, is searching for an organization to take ownership of and preserve the old railroad trestle guardhouse. The bridge tender’s house was originally built in 1910 by the railroad and […]

Strawberry Festival happening tomorrow

■ STAFF REPORT     Nearly 70 businesses, individuals, families and local clubs have stepped up to provide items for the Strawberry Festival’s live and silent auctions on Saturday, March 4. “It’s an embarrassment of generosity … and all to benefit women and children in need,” says Palmer Long, one of the auction organizers. “Our […]

Renny Reynolds to discuss English gardens on March 1

■ SUBMITTED BY THE BOCA GRANDE GARDEN CLUB On Wednesday, March 1 the Boca Grande Garden Club will welcome Renny Reynolds to its monthly meeting at the Boca Grande Community Center Auditorium at 2 p.m. He will present a program entitled “Inspiration from the English Garden,” a visual stroll through predominantly private English gardens designed […]

Profile: Tara Clark

Tara Clark, sales associate at The Palm on Park, a Lilly Pulitzer signature store, has lived quite an adventurous life during the past decade.      Tara, 30, was born in Jackson, New Jersey. Her parents met in St. Croix, and they relocated to New Jersey when her dad transferred to a new position for […]

Watkins, Major stay on as chair and vice-chair of GIBA

■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE     Ginger Watkins and Lee Major have retained their seats as chairman and vice-chairman, respectively, of the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority after open nominations were accepted at the organization’s quarterly meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 15. Watkins accepted the position again and acknowledged her goals for her next term. “Our mission […]

Lead architect updates residents on Gasparilla Island Lighthouse

■ BY SUE ERWIN     Island residents had the opportunity to meet and listen to internationally known master metalsmith Alex Klahm on Thursday, February 9 at the Boca Grande Community Center auditorium. Klahm is locally known for his meticulous work on the Gasparilla Island Lighthouse restoration project and many others in Florida and around […]

Island youth makes lofty goal a reality

■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE     Boca Grande has been Ben Taylor’s home since he was a child, but his aspirations far surpass our narrow little strip of land. At the age of 17 he recently received his private pilot’s certification, and he’s hoping to get his waterplane certification next. “It’s just something I’ve always […]