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Coming soon to the BGCC: one new sunshade

■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE Work has begun on the new outdoor stage at the Boca Grande Community Center, and the project, which will include a sunshade, will optimistically be done by the end of October. Funding for the project was procured through two fundraising concerts given by Lynda Jamison in February of 2016, and the Friends […]

New reef to be built in honor of Pace Taylor

■ BY SUE ERWIN Pace Ervin Taylor was a 19-year-old, fun-loving, free spirited kid who enjoyed everything about life, and he especially loved fishing in Boca Grande. He would come here every summer and on spring breaks with his family, who all adored the special quality of this island. Pace was a lifelong resident of […]

Trash containers full and it’s only Monday? There’s a fix for that

■ STAFF REPORT Nothing spoils your happy vacation mood like arriving at a beautiful beach house with an overstuffed trash receptacle at the end of the driveway. If you are a regular renter on the island and find you are consistently dealing with full garbage containers when you arrive at your rental, there is a […]

More hatchlings arrive, two juvenile strandings released

■ BY SUE ERWIN Sea turtle nests are continuing to hatch at a fast rate on the island, and more than 80 new nests have been recorded this week. As of July 13, the Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association (BGSTA) reported 495 Caretta caretta (loggerhead) turtle nests on the island. There were 511 reported false […]

Endangered turtle released after recovering from fishing gear entanglement

■ STAFF REPORT Mote Marine Laboratory’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital staff released a subadult Kemp’s ridley turtle on Friday, July 13, from Anna Maria Island after it recovered from entanglement in fishing gear. The rehabilitation and release of this turtle, nicknamed “Gazpacho,” is of special importance because Kemp’s ridleys are federally designated as endangered. Gazpacho […]

Robert and all the other Johnsons

■ BY THE BOCA GRANDE HISTORICAL SOCIETY Robert Johnson is the historian of the Boca Grande Historical Society, a group in which he has played an important role for almost 25 years. But Robert’s interest in island history goes back even further because his family, like the Gaines, Padilla/Darnas, the Whiddens, the Colemans, the Coles, the […]

Fire in the night consumes five acres

■ On the evening of Tuesday, July 17 approximately five acres of woods on the mainland off Gasparilla Road burned, with the cause believed to be lightning. Englewood Area Fire Control District responded, as did the Division of Forestry. While the EFD was unable to access the area, the Division of Forestry brought their own […]

Profile Capt. Jack Sanzalone

The moment you meet Capt. Jack Sanzalone, you sense his presence commands respect. In all aspects of his life, he always tries to find a way to improve situations instead of just staying idle. After graduating from high school in North Plainfield, New Jersey, Jack attended Somerset County Technical Institute and became a diesel technician. […]