Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: On return north from our annual time in Florida, I have a shell in my beach shoe. Spending many days each year at Gasparilla Island State Park with family and friends, this beautiful area is the usual highlight of our stay. Now looking northeast from Port Boca Grande Lighthouse we see a […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Letters to the Editor, News.
To the Editor: The Boca Grande Historical Society is announcing changes in the organization. The Society has grown significantly in the last several years and now plans to increase its staff. Kimberly Kyle, who has so ably served the organization for many years, has been appointed to administrative director, in accordance with a recently adopted […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY SUSAN HANAFEE – Even as the Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board was conducting its routine monthly meeting this Wednesday, the skirmish over a controversial plan to nominate 129 downtown residences to the National Register of Historic Places was heating up at the local, county and state levels. The latest salvo included copies of 60 […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY WESLEY LOCKE – For the 30th Anniversary of the Ladies Day Tarpon Tournament, we were promised no fish and rough waters. It’s no secret that women and mothers know how to take on a stormy situation with grace. It got a little bumpy in the last hour, but 36 boats and 138 incredible anglers […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Entertainment, News.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE – Back in the day when Gasparilla Island was more about community and less about being an exclusive second-home or vacation destination, there was a guy named Mike Weddle and his buddies who made up this little group called the Boca Bande. They may not have made worldwide headlines, but when the […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY SUSAN HANAFEE – Sometimes it takes time for dreams to come true. That appears to be the case for the Puerto family, out of Miami, who have been building a 5,000-plus square foot home on the southern tip of Little Gasparilla Island since 2012. The unfinished concrete structure that rises three stories out of […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY RAYMOND JAMES, D.O., BOCA GRANDE HEALTH CLINIC – While the nation was justly focused on fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia death increased 16 percent according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Alzheimer’s is the 6th leading cause of death behind stroke but causes more deaths than diabetes. Alzheimer’s Disease is responsible for most […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
STAFF REPORT – With June 1 on the horizon, signifying the beginning of hurricane season, one errand you should prioritize is making sure your hurricane hang tags, issued by the Boca Grande Fire Department, are handy and ready to use. The community of Boca Grande has implemented one of the most progressive and user-friendly disaster […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY T MICHELE WALKER – Boca Grande is famous for tarpon fishing, golf carting and spectacular views of the Gulf of Mexico, but it also boasts more tennis clubs and pros per capita than any island in the continental United States. Actually, that might be an exaggeration, but it’s probably not too far off from […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Obituaries.
Michael Lee Weddle, born September 29, 1954, passed away on May 7, 2021 in Englewood at his home in Englewood, FL. He was born in Compton, Calif. to parents Bob and Gene Weddle, but lived most of his life in Florida. He left California right after high school and moved to Maine, then to Florida. […]