SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 | TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 157
Soon thereafter, phosphate was discovered
on the banks of the Peace River that flowed into
Charlotte Harbor. The city thrived, as barges
transported the phosphate to Port Boca Grande.
But when a railroad was built to Port Boca Grande
in 1907, Punta Gorda lost its economic engine. It
bounced back in the late 1950s when developers
began to bring new homeowners and tourists to
the area. Since then, this historic city has continued
to grow and prosper.
While in Punta Gorda, we found a variety of
relatively new places to go, such as the Peace
River Botanical and Sculpture Gardens, where
flowering trees, boardwalks and large-scale
outdoor sculptures cover the 27 acres that have
been master planned by a private foundation.
This oasis houses the massive Steel Palm sculpture
by Boston artist Jacob Kulin, which was inspired
by a 50 million-year-old stone palm frond fossil
from Wyoming that the park’s founders had
purchased. Steel Palm stands 22 feet tall, weighs
20,000 pounds, is made up of 14 steel plates and
is located across from a massive lily pond. The
gardens are still being developed and eventually
will include the adjacent home and art collection
of its donors, the Tetrault family.
This sculpture by
Carol Feuerman
is one of several
of her works that
are on display
at the Peace
River Botanical
and Sculpture
Gardens.
Homes being built
in the Babcock
Ranch sustainable
community are
innovative and solarpowered.