Gorda Isles in November of 2003.

This was our first true hurricane season as owners.  We had people renting our place for a few months this summer while waiting to close on a home they were buying in Punta Gorda.  That was when Charlie hit.  After seven days of not being able to communicate with anyone down in there, my tenant, the property management company, neighbors and friends, I drove down from Connecticut to see what had happened.  I found that my tenants had stayed through the storm, my neighbors and friends were safe and our place had survived with minor damage.

When I got off of route 75 in Punta Gorda, my breath was taken away with the damage that I saw.  After the first few days of getting over the shock of the sights, sounds and smells of the of my beautiful town I began to realize that what had truly made Punta Gorda so beautiful to us was not the buildings or the parks or the businesses but the people who built the houses, play in the parks and own the businesses.  They are staying and so are we.  Thanks for your online magazine.  It is a help to us being far away.  We are actually looking forward to retirement when we can be down there most of the year.

Bob Falce