Charlotte County is a U.S. county located in southwestern Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 186,847. Its county seat is Punta Gorda.
Boca Grande is a small residential community on Gasparilla Island in southwest Florida. Gasparilla Island is a part of both Charlotte and Lee counties, while the actual village of Boca Grande, which is home to many seasonal and some year-round residents, is entirely in the Lee County portion of the island. It is part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Boca Grande is known for its historic downtown, sugar sand beaches, blue water and world class fishing.
The Gasparilla Pirate Festival is a large parade and a host of related community events held in Tampa, Florida almost every year since 1904. The centerpiece of the festivities is the Parade of Pirates, which is a framed as a friendly "invasion" by the crew of the mythical pirate José Gaspar, a popular figure in Florida folklore despite the fact that he did not exist. The Parade of Pirates is often referred to as the Gasparilla Parade by locals, and the date of the event is known as Gasparilla Day.
José Gaspar, also known by his nickname Gasparilla, is an apocryphal Spanish pirate who terrorized the Gulf of Mexico from his base in southwest Florida during Florida's second Spanish period. Though details about his early life, motivations, and piratical exploits differ in various tellings, they agree that the 'Last of the Buccaneers" was a remarkably active pirate who amassed a huge fortune by taking many prizes and ransoming many hostages during his long career and that he died by leaping from his ship rather than face capture by the U.S. Navy, leaving behind his still-hidden treasure.
Don Pedro Island State Recreation Area is a state park in the U.S. state of Florida. It is located on a stretch of Don Pedro Island, a 129-acre (0.52 km2) barrier island lying across the Intracoastal Waterway from Placida in Charlotte County, between Palm Island and Little Gasparilla Island. The park has mangrove forests, dunes and white beaches. Activities include swimming, sunbathing, shelling and viewing nature. Among the wildlife of the park are loggerhead turtles. Amenities include beaches, docks, and picnic areas as well as guided nature talks and walks. The park is only accessible by boat and is open from 8:00 am till sundown year round. The easiest way to get there is Palm Island Transit. The location of the Palm Island Transit is 2000 Panama Boulevard, Englewood, Florida.
Gasparilla Island is a barrier island in southwest Florida, United States, straddling the border of Charlotte and Lee counties. Its largest town is Boca Grande, and it is the location of the Gasparilla Island State Park. The island has been an important part of Florida folklore due to its connection to the pirate Gasparilla, and it has been a significant tourist destination since the early 20th century.
Gasparilla Island State Park is a Florida State Park located south of Boca Grande on Gasparilla Island off Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound. Activities include swimming and fishing along with shelling, picnicking, and viewing the Historic Port Boca Grande Lighthouse.
The Gasparilla Island Lights are on Gasparilla Island in Boca Grande, Florida. The Port Boca Grande Lighthouse is on the southern tip of Gasparilla Island, and marked the Boca Grande Pass entrance to Charlotte Harbor.
Placida is an unincorporated community in Charlotte County, Florida, United States. It is located near where County Road 771 becomes County Road 775, and the Coral Creek meets Gasparilla Sound.
Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park is a 46,000-acre (190 km2) Florida State Park, composed of islands and land that surrounds Charlotte Harbor. It is part of the Southwest Florida Water Management District and protects the Gasparilla Sound/ Charlotte Harbor, Cape Haze, Matlacha Pass, and Pine Island Sound aquatic preserves. It is site 22 on southern section of the Great Florida Birding Trail and offers boating, paddling, fishing, and hiking.
Useppa Island is an island located near the northern end of Pine Island Sound in Lee County, Florida, United States. It has been known for luxury resorts since the late 19th century, and it is currently the home of the private Useppa Island Club. On May 21, 1996, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, due to its archaeological significance.
Charlotte Harbor Estuary, the second largest bay in Florida, is located on the Gulf of Mexico coast of west Florida with two thirds lying in Charlotte County, Florida and one in Lee County. The harbor's mouth is located behind Gasparilla Island, one of the many coastal barrier islands on the southwest coast of Florida, with access from the Gulf of Mexico through the Boca Grande Pass between Gasparilla Island on the north and Lacosta Island on the south. Charlotte Harbor covers about 270 sq mi (700 km2)
Don Pedro Island is a barrier island in southwest Florida, in Charlotte County. It is just north of Little Gasparilla Island, separated by a thin strip of beach and mangrove swamp. It lies west of the census-designated place Rotonda West, separated by a narrow channel.
The Boca Grande Causeway is a causeway located in Charlotte County, Florida, connecting the community of Boca Grande on Gasparilla Island with the mainland near Placida. The 2.5-mile (4.0 km) causeway crosses Gasparilla Sound and consists of three bridges, and is the only vehicular access to the island.
The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) is a law enforcement agency in Charlotte County, Florida, headquartered at 7474 Utilities Road, Punta Gorda, Florida. The current sheriff is Bill Prummell, who was elected in 2012. The CCSO covers all of Charlotte County, including the City of Punta Gorda, where it shares jurisdiction with the Punta Gorda Police Department. The office also operates the Charlotte County Jail.
The Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway is a historic railroad line that at its greatest extent serviced Gasparilla Island in Charlotte Harbor and a major shipping port that once operated there. The railroad's principal purpose was to transport phosphate mined along the Peace River and in the Bone Valley region of Central Florida to the port to be shipped. It also brought passengers to the island community of Boca Grande on Gasparilla Island, and is largely responsible for making Boca Grande the popular tourist destination it is today. Part of the line remains in service today between Mulberry and Arcadia, which is now owned and operated by CSX Transportation. Today, it makes up CSX's Achan Subdivision and part of their Brewster Subdivision.
The Boca Grande Bike Path is a 6.5 mile multi-use path in Boca Grande, Florida on Gasparilla Island. The northern portion of the path runs on the former right of way of the Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway, which operated on Gasparilla Island from 1907 to 1981. As Florida's first rail trail, it was principally built for bicycles, but pedestrians also use it. Golf carts are also permitted on the path. Another trail exists on the mainland portion of the railroad line known as the Cape Haze Pioneer Trail.
The Cape Haze Pioneer Trail is an 8-mile (13 km) rail trail in Charlotte County, Florida on the Cape Haze peninsula running from western Port Charlotte to Placida. A vast majority of the trail runs along the right of way of the former Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway.
The Boca Beacon is an American newspaper based in Boca Grande. The paper was founded in 1980 by Marnie Banks, but currently the newspaper is owned by Hopkins & Daughter Publishing. The newspapers headquarters are at 431 Park Avenue Boca Grande, FL 33921.
Coral Creek Airport is a private-use airport located 2 miles northeast of Boca Grande, a community on Gasparilla Island in southwest Florida, United States. The airport itself is located in Placida in Charlotte County, about a mile north of the separately-owned Coral Creek Club. The airport is privately owned by BK IV AS, L.L.C.
