“Fort Myers Beach is at a crossroads. In two decades, it has gone from a sleepy fishing village where everybody knew everybody to a popular Gulf resort with all the problems rapid growth brings.” This quote was published in the News-Press in 1975. Now, fifty years later, we find ourselves in a similar situation as […]
FMB at a Crossroads Read More »
As we prepare to run from another hurricane, it might be helpful to reflect upon the 1921 “Tampa Bay” hurricane which hit the Tarpon Springs/Tampa area on October 28, 1921 This was the first major storm to hit the Tampa area since the “Great Gale” of 1848. We can draw a few parallels between this
1921 Tampa Bay Hurricane Read More »
Who was Jack DeLysle? I had been reading about him in different articles as I was doing research on the early days on the island. I had come up empty except for one cryptic note I found that he “left the island under mysterious circumstances.” Yesterday, I was going through copies of the Sand Paper
Who Was Jack DeLysle? Read More »
In the late summer of 1935, the citizens of the Florida Keys were in the depths of the Great Depression. Key West, once a prosperous port city, had declared bankruptcy. Residents were struggling to live on an average monthly income of $7. The city needed a plan to survive so it was decided to rehab
Labor Day Hurricane 1935 Read More »
Did Al Capone spend a week on Fort Myers Beach back in 1929 or 1930? According to Jean Matthew, Capone and some of his lawyers may have stayed at the home of Dr. Baker Whisnant in Seminole Park. The group consisted of two attorneys and their families, including their children, and of course, Mrs. and Mrs.
Al Capone and FMB? Read More »