Southwest Region

Punta Gorda

History Punta Gorda or “Fat point” in English is the oldest city in Charlotte County. Originally named Town of Trabue, after the city’s first settler, founder and developer, Punta Gorda is a...

Pine Island

History Pine island is a 17 mile long island, off Florida’s coast with vibrant history and rich natural treasures. Calusa Indians were the first known inhabitant from 300 AD to 1513. The Calusas...

Naples

History In the late 1880s, the former Confederate general and Kentucky U.S. Senator John Stuart Williams and Louiseville businessman Walter Haldeman instituted Naples. From the 1870s to the...

Fort Meyers

History Fort Myers was a military base during the Seminole Wars in 1800s and named after Colonel Abraham C. Myers. After the war in 1858, troops abandoned their camps and Fort Myers but was...

Crystal River

History Crystal River (the river itself) used to be called Weewahiiaca, from the Creek language wewa, which means “water,” and haiyayaka, which means “clear.” That was during the first half of the...

Charlotte Harbor

History Charlotte Harbor was home of Native Americans of the Timucuans Calusa tribe. During the Spanish era, Ucita, an Indian village, was thought to have been located in today’s Tippecanoe Bay...

Boca Grande Tarpon Fishing

The months of April through to August is when the Boca Grande Pass in Florida is home to the largest population of the Tarpon fish. The Boca Grande Pass has a depth of about 70 feet and it attracts a...