Charlotte County is a U.S. county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2010 census, the population was 159,978. Its county seat is Punta Gorda.
Port Charlotte is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Charlotte County, Florida, United States. The population was 54,392 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Punta Gorda, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The Seminole Gulf Railway is a short line freight and passenger excursion railroad headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida, that operates two former CSX Transportation railroad lines in Southwest Florida. The company's Fort Myers Line, which was previously the southernmost segment of CSX's former Fort Myers Subdivision, runs from Arcadia south to North Naples via Punta Gorda, Fort Myers, Estero, and Bonita Springs. They also operate another former CSX line that runs from Oneco south through Sarasota. Seminole Gulf acquired the lines in November 1987 and operates its own equipment.
Florida SouthWestern State College is a public college in Southwest Florida. FSW's main campus is in Fort Myers, Florida in Lee County; with satellite campuses in Charlotte County and Collier County, and outreach programs in Hendry County and Glades County.
Southwest Florida is the region along the southwest Gulf coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is known for its beaches, subtropical landscape, and winter resort economy.
Paige V. Kreegel is a physician and was previously a Republican representative in the Florida House of Representatives, where he represented District 72 - which covers all of De Soto County and parts of Charlotte County and Lee County. Kreegel was first elected to the Florida House in 2004, and was unopposed for re-election in 2006. He is a physician and resides in Punta Gorda, Florida. He was a Republican candidate in a special election in April 2014 to fill Florida's 19th district U.S. House of Representatives seat vacated by Trey Radel.
The Sarasota metropolitan area is a metropolitan area located in Southwest Florida. The metropolitan area is defined by the Office of Management and Budget as the North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton metropolitan statistical area as a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) consisting of Manatee County and Sarasota County. The largest cities in the MSA are North Port and Sarasota and Bradenton. At the 2010 Census, the MSA had a population of 702,281. The Census Bureau estimates that its population was 821,573 in 2018.
Punta Gorda Airport is a public airport three miles east of Punta Gorda, in Charlotte County, Florida. It is owned by the Charlotte County Airport Authority and was formerly called Charlotte County Airport. The airport has mainly been used for general aviation, but has recently seen more scheduled airline service, with flights offered by Allegiant Air to fifty destinations. The airport is home to the Florida International Air Show, an annual event which has featured various military demonstration teams, such as the United States Navy's Flight Demonstration Squadron, the "Blue Angels"; the "U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds"; and the United States Army's "Sky Soldiers" Cobra helicopter team.
Punta Gorda Middle School (PGMS) is a middle school in Punta Gorda, Florida operated by the Charlotte County Public Schools board.
Charlotte County Public Schools (CCPS) operates all public K-12 schools in Charlotte County, Florida. It covers Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Englewood, Rotonda West, Babcock Ranch, and surrounding areas. It operates ten elementary schools, four middle schools, three high schools, and six specialty education centers.
Kenneth L. "Ken" Roberson is a Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 75th District, which is based in Charlotte County, including the communities of Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte from 2012 to 2016, he previously represented the 71st District from 2008 to 2012.
Charlotte High School is a historic public high school in Punta Gorda, Florida, United States serving ninth through twelfth grade students. The school is part of the Charlotte County Public Schools district, with admission based primarily on the locations of students' homes. Established in 1926, Charlotte High is located at 1250 Cooper Street. The school carries the slogan of "Charlotte County's First and Finest" since it remained the only high school in Charlotte County, Florida for many years until its top rival schools, Port Charlotte High School and Lemon Bay High School, respectively, were built. With 1,850 students, Charlotte High School is the largest high school in Charlotte County by student population. On December 12, 1990, its main three-story building was added to the United States' National Register of Historic Places. The second phase of the school's rebuild opened in August 2009, housing all 9th and 10th graders in their academies. In January 2010, the 11th and 12th grade students moved into their academy in the existing renovated 2-story building. In August 2010, the remaining elective classes found their home on the fully complete Charlotte High School campus.
Punta Gorda is a city in Charlotte County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census the city had a population of 16,641. It is the county seat of Charlotte County and the only incorporated municipality in the county. Punta Gorda is the principal city of the Punta Gorda, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area and is also in the Sarasota-Bradenton-Punta Gorda Combined Statistical Area.
Denise Amber Lee was murdered by Michael King in the U.S. state of Florida on January 17, 2008 after he had kidnapped and raped her earlier in the day.
Port Charlotte High School (PCHS) is a four-year, comprehensive, U.S. public high school located in Port Charlotte, Florida. The school opened in 1981, graduated its first class in 1984, its mascot is the pirate, and the school motto is "Yes, I am a Pirate." It is operated by Charlotte County Public Schools.
Bayfront Health Punta Gorda, formerly known as Charlotte Regional Medical Center, is a 208 bed for-profit hospital in Punta Gorda, Florida, operated by Community Health Systems. It was the first hospital in Charlotte County, and the hospital first opened its doors on August 17, 1947 as Charlotte Hospital. The hospital is mostly known for its cardiology and neurology services. Charlotte Regional Medical Center saw the most damage from Hurricane Charley out of the three hospitals in Charlotte County; damage from the hurricane temporarily disabled all services at the facility. Riverside Behavioral Center is part of Bayfront Health Punta Gorda.
Harvard Jolly is a St. Petersburg, Florida based architectural firm known for its work on school, healthcare and public buildings. It was founded as a solo practice in 1938 by William B. Harvard Sr. With the addition of Blanchard E. Jolly as partner, the firm became Harvard Jolly in 1961. In the 1970s Enrique M. Marcet, R. John Clees, John Toppe, and William B. Harvard Jr. joined the firm, which became known as Harvard Jolly Clees Toppe Architecture for some time. Harvard Jolly has offices in St. Petersburg, West Palm Beach, Tampa, Sarasota, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Orlando, and Ft. Myers.
The Barron Collier Bridge is a bridge in Charlotte County, Florida that crosses the Peace River connecting Punta Gorda, Florida and Port Charlotte, Florida. It is 45 feet tall and carries two northbound lanes of U.S. Route 41. The southbound lanes cross the river on the adjacent Gilchrist Bridge. It was named for Barron G. Collier, a wealthy Southwest Florida land owner and entrepreneur.
The Albert W. Gilchrist Bridge is a bridge in Charlotte County, Florida crossing the Peace River between Port Charlotte, Florida and Punta Gorda, Florida. The two-lane 45-foot-tall structure carries the southbound lanes of U.S. Route 41. US 41's northbound lanes are carried over the river on the adjacent Barron Collier Bridge. It was named for former Florida Governor Albert W. Gilchrist, who resided in Punta Gorda.
Sarasota County Sheriff's Office (SSO) is the primary law enforcement agency for Sarasota County, Florida. The agency is responsible for law enforcement services in unincorporated areas of Sarasota County, jail facilities, and courthouse security for Florida's 12th Judicial Circuit. SSO also operates Public Safety Communications (PSC), the county's primary 911 center.
