BY LIZA STROUT - The gap between hospitality manager at a major hotel and project manager for a construction company may seem like a wide one, but it is one that Dave Borza has bridged for most of his working life.

“My dad was a contractor, and I’ve tinkered around with construction and handyman jobs for most of my life,” Dave said. “My parents also owned three restaurants at one time, and I worked in them. My dad had a lot of projects that he worked on. There was the contracting business, the restaurants and a computer learning center.”

Tropical Storm Debby has covered Boca Grande with wind, rain and storms for the last three days, but Sunday night and Monday morning has brought the worst weather so far.

Power outages were reported Sunday night. Some residents experienced only a momentary lapse of power, but others had no electricity for more than an hour. Monday morning at approximately 7 a.m. the power went out again in the Lee County portion of the island, with a two-hour lapse in electrical service.

So far the highest wind gust recorded on Monday, June 25 was 36 m.p.h. at 8:54 a.m. On Sunday night a recorded gust came in at 55 m.p.h.

Precipitation on the island since the storm first hit stands at just over 3 1/2 inches.

A few small trees came down and many branches and palm fronds, but no severe damage was reported.

We will now be posting photos of island events on our web site for sale or simple perusal. Please visit the "media" option at the top of the page where it says "photos and video." If you're looking for pictures of a particular event that you don't see listed, please contact our office via email (info@bocabeacon.com) or phone us at 964-2995.

Photo by Marcy

To the Editor:

I have guided in tarpon tournaments ever since I started taking clients for tarpon in Boca Grande more than two decades ago. We have participated in World’s Richest, Miller’s Tarpon Tide, World Tarpon and PTTS.

My family has roots in Boca Grande that cover a hundred years and date back to the earliest of 1900’s. The Markett’s were a pioneer Arcadia family and my grand and great-grandfathers were with the railroad. I have guided clients for tarpon in Boca Grande Pass and the surrounding sounds, beaches and Charlotte Harbor for a long time. My son and his family live on the island and it is my grandson Dalton’s only home. Capt. Lou Baggett and I started the Boca Grande Pass Cleanup during a Miller’s Tarpon Tide Tournament years ago and I was actively involved in that effort as long as it existed.

To the Editor:
Has the GIBA considered a lottery to finance the new Bridges? Is the GIBA authorized to run a lottery? Could the GIBA seek State approval to run a lottery?

To the Editor:
As the mother of a veterinarian, the mother-in-law of a veterinarian, and the mother of a PTTS captain and angler, and the mother-in-law of a WPTTS angler, I realize the necessity of taking measures that will cause the least harm to all of nature's creatures.

The attack on the PTTS is uncalled for. Local residents should not only be grateful for the hundreds of thousands of revenue dollars the PTTS and WPTTS bring in to Boca Grande, but also the extreme measures the PTTS takes in the handling of the Tarpon during tournament venues.