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Profile: Lisa Sims

■ BY SUE ERWIN Lisa Sims, manager at Gasparilla Adventures, has been associated with Boca Grande since 2008. The first time she came to the island was to help with the wedding of Sarah Blakely (founder of Spanx) and Jessie itzsler at The Gasparilla Inn. The large celebration was the talk of the town, as wedding […]

Why is the promenade obstructed while downtown is picked apart?

To the Editor: I find it ironic that Lee County Code Enforcement is so vigilant in protecting the pedestrian right-of-way in the village by forcing removal of obstructing amenities such as sidewalk cafe seating and attractive flower boxes in front of retail shop display windows, yet they ignore obstructions such as large boulders and shrubbery […]

Methodist Church proposal rejected by Historic Preservation Board

■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE The discussion of several topics at the Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board on Wednesday, Aug. 14 was quiet and quick until the last two items … and it was apparently those items that had the seats unusually full for an August meeting in Boca Grande. The topic that had the most […]

School is back in session!

■ BY SUE ERWIN The Island School is back in session as of Monday, August 12. The 60 students at the school headed to class on Monday to meet the returning teachers and fellow classmates, as well as one new teacher at the school. Stephanie Shirback started getting her classroom ready at the school several […]

Several new hatches recorded this week

■ BY SUE ERWIN Boca Grande is very fortunate to have a sea turtle patrol association that is dedicated and vigilant. Some of the islands surrounding this area have properties that have been in violation of the ordinance to wildlife safety in the past few weeks. As baby sea turtles make their way from the nest […]

Beach parking reopens after utility work; more FPL work planned

■ BY SUE ERWIN The parking area at the state park beach located at 680 Gulf Boulevard was temporarily closed due to Florida Light & Power utility work recently. The project was to secure hardening feeder maintenance for the power company. “This specific project is part of FPL’s efforts to strengthen the grid,” said Florida […]

New sign at state park boasts new logo

■ BY SUE ERWIN The Florida Department of Environmental Protection launched a new Florida Park Service website in 2018, and this year they launched a new logo to help promote the 175 state parks, trails and historical sites throughout the state. “The Florida State Park logo officially changed earlier this year, and we received the […]

The burning bush of Boca Grande? Nah …

We’ve had an interesting couple of weeks when it comes to natural gas activity in the downtown area. Last week we told you about a potential gas leak in the 4th Street vicinity, which turned out to be workers at The Gasparilla Inn Beach Club working on a gas line at the Beach Club restaurant. […]

A follow-up to the fire at the Lee Avenue Inn cottage

■ STAFF REPORT The State Fire Marshall couldn’t rule lightning out – or in, for that matter – in the incident that occurred at Gasparilla Inn Cottage 71 on Lee Avenue on Thursday, Aug. 8. At approximately 11 a.m. that day, Boca Grande and Englewood Fire responded to the call of a structure fire at […]