To the Editor:

I agree with many of the observations Skip Perry made in his well-written letter of May 11 to the Boca Beacon. However, I felt a bit uncomfortable with the tone of the article and, perhaps, being classified as one of those residents whose investment in the community did not extend “beyond a deed and a three-month winter vacation.”

I don’t believe for a second that an older generation of Boca Granders appreciated the island more than its current residents, and that an increased bridge toll would create a “downtown commercial district where real estate offices will take the place of old Florida restaurants, shops and grocery stores.”

Isabella Steyer had a moment to pose with a Tampa Bay Buccaneers cheerleader on Wednesday, May 16 as the group posed for calendar pictures at Whidden’s to get in out of the rain.
                       

Photo by Melissa Steyer

The Gasparilla Inn & Club Chef Kono Wendel shot this magnificent “super moon” last week with the Pink Elephant trademark weathervane in the forefront.               

Photo by Kono

BY LIZA STROUT - Andrew Cavallaro does not remember a time before he lived in the Sunshine State.

“We moved here in 1992,” he said. “I was two, so I don’t really have any memories of anything else.”

Anything else was Derby, Conn., where Andy was born. His grandparents were snowbirds, but they eventually made the decision to settle in Florida full time.

“My dad moved us down here so that we would be closer to them,” said Andrew.

He grew up in Englewood, and eventually Andrew began school in Englewood. In seventh grade, he discovered what would become a passion in his life: football.

“I played for four years in high school,” said Andrew. “All four years I was a defensive tackle, and in my senior year I also played offense as a tackle.”