"What Barbara and Kevin did with that property opened our eyes to what it truly could be," Brent Cross, president and general manager of The Gasparilla Inn, told the Boca Beacon this summer. "It was always something that was on our mind."
He meant the building at 310 East Railroad Ave., which most of the island knows as 3rd Street. The Inn bought it from Kevin and Barbara McLaughlin, and by Aug. 13 the deed transferring it to Gasparilla Inn Inc. had been posted. The building also matters beyond its new owner. For several years after Hurricane Ian, it was one of the island's stand-ins. This fall it becomes a permanent, year-round restaurant, and much of the Boca Grande calendar between now and December follows the same pattern of temporary fixes giving way to things built to last.
One Address, Four Lives
The Beacon's account of the sale reads like a short history of the island's last two decades:
- Loons on a Limb. The Spurgeons ran it, and the Beacon's archive photo of it dates to 2005. The McLaughlins first noticed the property during one of their early trips to the island, thanks to a friendship there.
- 3rd Street Bistro. The McLaughlins bought the building in 2021 and planned to renovate. Then Hurricane Ian arrived. "Then along came the twin disasters," Barbara McLaughlin said.
- Mimi's 3rd Street Grille. After South Beach Bar & Grille burned down in Hurricane Ian, co-owners Bart DeStefano and Marco Meola moved their operation into 3rd Street and named it after their chef.
- The Inn's new restaurant. It had no name when the purchase was announced in July and was planned for this fall.
Mimi's was always a bridge, and South Beach crossed it a while ago. The Beacon reported the rebuilt South Beach back at full service in August 2024, and its own site lists it open daily at 760 Gulf Blvd. That left 3rd Street ready for a permanent tenant, and the Inn took it.
What's Going Into 3rd Street
Cross described the concept as "a contemporary pan-Asian restaurant that will be very Japanese forward," with sashimi, sushi, handcrafted rolls, small plates and larger entrees. "We wanted something that was different than anything else that's already here on the island," he said.
The service model is as notable as the menu. It will stay open year-round, start without reservations, and skip heavy coursing, with food coming out as it is ready. A walk-in place that stays open through summer gives full-time residents a different option from the Inn's formal Main Dining Room, which closes for the summer.
The Inn told the Beacon it planned to hire about 25 people for the front and back of house. One sign that work is under way is an Inn job posting for a Sushi Chef with an effective date of Oct. 1, 2026. A version of the same listing describes a role leading "sushi and Japanese culinary offerings." The July announcement gave no name and no specific opening date beyond fall.
The Inn's main dining room has a firm date. The Dining Room reopens Oct. 8, 2026, serving breakfast daily from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. and dinner Wednesday through Sunday from 5:30 to 9 p.m. The Inn's rate calendar also uses Oct. 8 to start its fall season, which runs through Dec. 19.
The Community Center Is Building Instead of Patching
The Community Center of Boca Grande is following the same path as 3rd Street, on a bigger scale. Its post-hurricane roadmap, dated September 2025, called for tearing down the old multipurpose room and building a new theater, with construction estimated from May 2026 through May 2027. The Center says that timeline is an estimate and may change.
The construction already has a celebration on the calendar. Friends of Boca Grande has scheduled "Leave Your Mark: Celebrating the Progress of the New Theater!" for Thursday, Nov. 19. It is a beam-signing, so islanders can put their names on the structure while it is still going up.
The Fall Calendar, October Through Early December
Rebuilding is going on, but the season's programming is moving ahead anyway. Here is what's posted so far from the island's main organizers:
| Date | Event | Where and details |
|---|---|---|
| Wed., Oct. 7, 9:30–10:30 a.m. | BIPS "A Brew With A View" | Port Boca Grande Lighthouse & Museum, 880 Belcher Rd.; Linda Soderquist on sea turtles |
| Sat., Oct. 17, 10–11:30 a.m. | Eastern Screech Owl nesting-box workshop | Gasparilla Island Lighthouse, 220 Gulf Blvd.; RSVP required, $15 materials fee |
| Sat., Oct. 24, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | Lighthouse history-tour climb | 220 Gulf Blvd.; $15 adults, $5 under 12 who meet the height requirement |
| Fri., Oct. 30 | Boca Grande Fall Festivities | Friends of Boca Grande with Lee County Parks & Recreation |
| Thu. & Fri., Nov. 5–Dec. 18 | Understanding Western Art study group | Friends of Boca Grande |
| Fri., Nov. 6 | The Grande Chorus rehearsals begin | Friends of Boca Grande |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Firehouse 5K, then Big Mouth Chili Cookoff | Race starts near The Pink Elephant, 491 Bayou Ave.; cookoff downtown, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. |
| Tue., Nov. 10 | Sweet Fleet: The Fleetwood Mac Experience | Boca Grande Live series |
| Tue., Nov. 17 | Christine Kuehn, Family of Spies | Roger's Picks series; listed as sold out |
| Thu., Nov. 19 | Leave Your Mark theater celebration | Community Center's new theater |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | Sign & Sip volunteer reception | Crowninshield |
The Nov. 7 morning has the most moving parts. The Boca Grande Fire Department's 5K course runs past The Gasparilla Inn and then down Gilchrist Avenue. Packet pickup is 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. beside the start and finish line. Registration costs $35 for adults and $25 for runners 18 and under, the price was set to go up after Sept. 7, and there is no race-day registration. All proceeds go to the Fire Department through the Firefighters Association. Registration is at RunSignup, and the Chamber posts cookoff updates on its events page.
The Boca Grande Chamber of Commerce is moving the chili cookoff downtown this year after holding it elsewhere last year. That puts the afternoon crowd a few blocks from 3rd Street, which could make a good first look at the building's progress.
The Storm Work Still Under Way
Not every post-storm measure has wrapped up. Several still affect daily routines this fall.
Lawn watering. The Beacon reported on Sept. 24 that the Southwest Florida Water Management District extended its Modified Phase III "Extreme" Water Shortage for much of Charlotte County through March 31, 2027, after below-average rainfall in both the 2025 and 2026 summer rainy seasons. Lawn watering is allowed only from 12:01 to 4 a.m. Seasonal owners returning this fall may want to have their irrigation timers checked before they arrive.
The causeway. The Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority, which maintains the 2.3-mile causeway and bridge system, has a second phase of storm-mitigation work ahead, according to a Sept. 10 Beacon update. In August, the Beacon also reported work on toll lane 3, the self-scan lane, and an 8% drop in causeway traffic for the fiscal year through July. GIBA's posted fare for a car or golf cart is $6, or $3.90 with a discount pass. It accepts cash, credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and its own GIBA Toll Pass, but not SunPass, E-ZPass, LeeWay or rental-car toll passes. Guests flying in for the season will need one of the accepted payment methods ready at the toll plaza.
The Bike Path. The Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association finished a professional tree assessment along the Bike Path on Jan. 20, 2026, as groundwork for restoring storm damage.
For now, the stopgaps and the permanent rebuilding overlap. Lawns are on an overnight watering schedule until spring, and the theater frame is waiting for signatures. On Railroad Avenue, a building that went from Loons on a Limb to 3rd Street Bistro to a hurricane stand-in is getting a sushi bar designed to stay open year-round.
If you're coming back for the Oct. 8 reopening and want someone to check irrigation timers, storm shutters and everything else at your place before you cross the causeway, Jodi Kaplan Group offers home-watch support for owners who are away. We'd also be glad to compare notes on the new 3rd Street menu once it has a name. Contact Us.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
