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Article: CHARLOTTE GETS RESPECT.
- Article from:
- Sarasota Magazine
- Article date:
- November 1, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Clubhouse Publishing, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Long known as the region's perpetual underachiever, Charlotte County is finally ready to come into its own.
Charlotte County has a history as the place where great expectations go bust. In 1521, explorer Ponce de Leon stepped ashore here to found a new colony for Spain. But after Indians shot a few arrows into him, he reconsidered the plan and beat a path back to Cuba. He died there a short time later. Ever since, the settlers of Charlotte County have been struggling to put the place on the map.
"Outsiders tend to think of us as the gap between Sarasota and Fort Myers," says Charlotte County administrator Jan Winters, the county's top official since ...