• Charlotte High School Trial Team: headed to State Mock Trial Competition in March
• Port Charlotte High School Model United Nations Team: medaled in Boston at the International Model UN Conference
• Charlotte Technical College SkillsUSA team: medaled at the regional competition in Feb., will compete at the state level in April.

Florida Power & Light is set to expand the solar field at Babcock Ranch by an additional 330,000 panels. Doubling the 74.5 megawatts of power, FLP and Charlotte County will lead Florida in the production of solar generated electricity.

Ground has been broken for the new bathroom facility at Gilchrist Park. The Harbor Walk is still open past the construction site. This beautiful waterfront park is taking shape. As is our new City Library. Punta Gorda is definitely “On the Rise”!

The Punta Gorda City Council has unanimously approved the 2 resolutions on accepting the location, dredge material handling, and the assessment methods necessary to pushing Buckley Pass one step closer to reality. A public hearing will be held April 3, 1PM at the Event Center for a final vote on the funding. After that, bids can be sent to contractors. Start of construction is hoped to be July/August 2019.

The 2019 winter tourist season is upon us. The Punta Gorda Chamber’s signature event takes place at Laishley Park. Gerald Albright (remember the Rippingtons?), Sax Pack and Matt Marshak will dazzle Punta Gordians as well as a typically large number of out-of-towners. Purchase tickets on the Chamber website.

Punta Gorda has been noted by Realtor.com to be America’s fastest-growing retirement hot spot. Walkable & tourist-friendly, senior-friendly were among the ranking criteria.

Published in the 6th addition, this book is “your gateway to 100 cities hand-picked by the experts at Where to Retire magazine, the authority on retirement relocation.” Punta Gorda is 1 of 18 Florida cities selected. We also ranked as one of the “Best Small Towns” in the U.S. The book is Available on Amazon.

The exterior of the new Punta Gorda Library was recently painted. Still on schedule to open in August 2019, one of the new features of the larger library is a meeting room that will hold 140 people.  Says PG Friends of the Library President Katie Mazzi, “This new space will provide the opportunity for… free programs, including musical and dramatic performances, guest authors and educational programs.”

Says Suzanne Specht of the FL Small Business Development Center at FGCU, “They know who their customer is, who their market is…Small businesses can take advantage of opportunities quickly.” Eliminating customers’ annoyance factors, having great customer service sets our area small businesses apart from online shopping.

About 4M of Florida’s 21M residents are age 65 and older. By 2030, that number will jump to 6.4M. Good news for medical research, it is expected that Florida can lead the way in geriatric care. *Jerry Parrish

Starting Spring 2019, the university will be offering “FGCU Complete,” a program providing a Bachelor’s degree path for candidates who have earned some college credits and want to “complete” their degree. A skilled labor force is the #1 most important factor in site planning for business relocation and expansion.