Justin Paprocki

Charlotte

Contributor at Freelance

Moved over to Bluesky. This place is dead anyway

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Articles

History continues at the long-lived Rod & Gun Club

4 weeks ago | gulfshorebusiness.com | Justin Paprocki

The Rod & Gun Club in Everglades City has that true Old Florida feel. That’s because it was actually part of Old Florida. The quaint getaway, with its wood-paneled bar and taxidermied animals, has been a part of the Florida tourism scene since the beginning, helping put Southwest Florida on the map for travelers. The property started as a residence built in 1864. Everglades City founder George Storter Jr. purchased the land and expanded on the house in the 1880s, calling it the Rod & Gun Club.
Sculptor Joel Shapses flows with his talents

4 weeks ago | gulfshorebusiness.com | Justin Paprocki

When Joel Shapses was in dental school at Temple University, he sculpted a tooth out of marble. It was the combination of two of his passions; the New Jersey native minored in sculpture during his undergraduate days. The sculpture ended up being a hit on campus, and it even won him an award at his first-ever art show. He had a successful career in dentistry, establishing his practice in Fort Lauderdale. But he kept sculpting.
SWFL’s housing market is anything but stable

4 weeks ago | gulfshorebusiness.com | Justin Paprocki

Florida is among the least stable housing markets in the country, according to a new study looking at market volatility over the last 25 years. Overall, home prices in the state, as well as in Southwest Florida, have tripled since 2000. But, according to a study by Construction Coverage, the last 25 years have seen a lot of ups and downs in the housing market.
The sunset of Florida-grown citrus

1 month ago | gulfshorebusiness.com | Justin Paprocki

It wasn’t all that long ago that Florida was synonymous with the orange grove. But today, the heyday of citrus growing is long gone. Citrus first came to the region via Spanish explorers in the 16th century, but mass cultivation in what would soon become the state of Florida didn’t take root until the 1830s. A devastating freeze in Georgia and the Carolinas in 1835 caused farmers to look farther south for land.
Jordan Blankenship’s practical ceramic creativity

1 month ago | gulfshorebusiness.com | Justin Paprocki

Jordan Blankenship got hooked on ceramics when she first sat down at a potter’s wheel in college. It was her freshman year at Florida Gulf Coast University. She wanted to be an art major, possibly go into design — then she threw clay on the wheel for the first time. “My whole perspective changed,” she says. There was something soothing about the feel of the clay as she worked it with her hands. It was like a meditative experience. “My brain goes quiet,” she says.
Solar power on the rise in SWFL

1 month ago | gulfshorebusiness.com | Justin Paprocki

The Sunshine State is increasing its reliance on solar energy. Florida had about 18,547 megawatts of solar generating capacity through the end of last year — the third highest amount in the United States, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. Last year, it added nearly 4,700 megawatts of capacity, its highest investment ever. The association estimates that the state will add nearly 13,115 megawatts of capacity over the next five years.
SWFL’s financial ramifications from natural disasters

2 months ago | gulfshorebusiness.com | Justin Paprocki

Southwest Florida stands to lose at least $877,000,000 annually due to natural disasters, according to FEMA’s National Risk Index. The index looks at the potential damage caused by hurricanes, flooding and the like, and estimates how much that would cost in damages in each county. Collier ($307,633,018), Lee ($448,543,023) and Charlotte ($120,875,120) all rate “relatively high” on the index’s risk scale, primarily due to the area’s susceptibility to major hurricanes.
Backstory: Traveling the Seminoles’ Water Highway

2 months ago | gulfshorebusiness.com | Justin Paprocki

Long before roads and rails crisscrossed the Everglades, the Seminole Tribe had their own method of transportation: The Water Highway. Forced deep into the Everglades after war with the U.S. government in the 1800s, the Seminole Tribe learned to live in the swampy environs. Tribal members used a network of trails to navigate the swamp.
Claire Rohweder on capturing the beauty of nature through ink on paper

2 months ago | gulfshorebusiness.com | Justin Paprocki

A lifelong artist, Claire Rohweder grew up in Minnesota as the daughter of a musician and an architect who nurtured her creative side. Her career is in art education, and though she recently moved to Southwest Florida to take a job at the Children’s Museum of Naples, she had been coming to the area for at least a decade, falling in love with its natural environment. She started The Lady Printmaker to create cards, prints, stamps and other crafts.
SWFL’s cost of living remains daunting

Mar 1, 2025 | gulfshorebusiness.com | Justin Paprocki

Living in paradise sure has its benefits — until you start adding up the bills. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the cost of living in the Naples area is about $9,688 per month for a family of four, the seventh highest in the state. Living in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers area or Punta Gorda is less expensive at $9,043 and $8,210 per month, respectively. Housing tends to be the highest cost for most families, but varies widely depending on location.