Bonnie Gross

3 weeks ago | floridarambler.com | Bonnie Gross

Finding an authentic Florida fishing village seems like an impossible quest – unless you can travel back in time. To my surprise, though, that’s just what you’ll find in Cortez. While today it is surrounded by modern sprawling Bradenton, Cortez, Florida, started as a rural community of fishing families in the 1890s. Descendants of those settlers still live here and a few dozen of the original little cottages are still homes to proud Cortez residents.

3 weeks ago | floridarambler.com | Bonnie Gross

After extensive hurricane damage in 2024, Egmont Key reopened in April 2025. Some structures near the lighthouse area remain closed to the public.. I had always imagined Egmont Key, an island in the mouth of Tampa Bay, to be a place far from the crowds: remote, wild and natural, and it has always intrigued me. We loved our day on Egmont Key, but it wasn’t what we expected. It’s a popular destination for people arriving both by ferry and private boat, so it isn’t empty.

3 weeks ago | floridarambler.com | Bonnie Gross

As ever more highrises fill the skyline in Broward County, it seems a miracle that the low-rise, Old Florida, mom-and-pop Hollywood Beach Broadwalk remains. So far, the 2.5-mile pedestrian and bike path along the ocean hasn’t been ruined by development, even though the Jimmy Buffet Margaritaville Resort was built in the middle of it a few years ago. At the time, many said it would ruin the ambiance they’d grown to love. In my visits, the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk is as charming as ever.

3 weeks ago | floridarambler.com | Bonnie Gross

Apalachicola surprised and delighted me: There was much more to this town that I had expected. Located in the Big Bend area on the Gulf Coast about 80 miles southwest of Tallahassee, it is a wonderfully historic town, full of preserved and restored buildings. Plaques describing local history appear on nearly every block.

1 month ago | floridarambler.com | Bonnie Gross

Two and a half years after Category 4 Hurricane Ian slammed Sanibel in September 2022, the beaches, the sea shells, the birds and the wildlife — all the natural stuff — is back. But many things people built are still a work in progreess. While Sanibel was recovering from Hurricane Ian, along came two more hurricanes in 2024, Milton and Helene, which slowed the effort. But as summer 2025 approaches, Sanibel is gaining momentum in its recovery. A key milestone is the rebuilding of Sanibel Causeway.