Friends of Cayo Costa State Park in the frame
On March 23, the Edison & Ford Winter Estates and the Fort Myers Film Festival will present Mullet and Mangroves – The Pioneer Families of Cayo Costa on the historic Ford lawn. Directed by Ilene Safron of Main Sail Video, the film shows Cayo Costa Island through the eyes of the present-day descendants of the island’s pioneering fishing families. The documentary was a project of the Friends of Cayo Costa State Park and the Barrier Island Parks Society.
The Friends of Cayo Costa State Park (FoCC) is based on Pine Island, Florida. FoCC is a division of Barrier Islands Park Society (BIPS), a 501( c)(3) organization which is the official Citizens Support Organization for Cayo Costa, Gasparilla, Stump Pass, Don Pedro State Parks and Port Boca Grande 
Lighthouse & Museum. All funds raised by FoCC are used exclusively for Cayo Costa State Park. For more information, please telephone 941-527-7865 or visit http://www.friendsofcayocostastatepark.org.
The Friends of Cayo Costa State Park provide the following timeline/chronology of important Cayo Costa dates:
- 500-1600 Calusa
- 1513 Ponce de Leon arrives
- 1800 Cuban fishermen set up fish ranchos
- 1831 Florida becomes U.S. territory
- 1846 U.S. government claims Cayo Costa as reserve land
- 1866-90 Permanent pioneer family settlements established
- 1901 Pioneer settlers leave the island
- 1904 Quarantine station established on the island
- 1910-25 Pioneer family settlers return to Cayo Costa
- 1958 Last settler family leaves the island
- 1985 North end of Cayo Costa becomes a state park
[Photos are from Cayo Costa Island A Pioneer Pictorial as posted on Friends of Cayo Costa State Park.]
March 21, 2018.
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About the Author
Tom Hall is both an amateur artist and aspiring novelist who writes art quest thrillers. He is in the final stages of completing his debut novel titled "Art Detective," a story that fictionalizes the discovery of the fabled billion-dollar Impressionist collection of Parisian art dealer Josse Bernheim-Jeune, thought by many to have perished during World War II when the collection's hiding place, Castle de Rastignac in southern France, was destroyed by the Wehrmacht in reprisal for attacks made by members of the Resistance operating in the area. A former tax attorney, Tom holds a bachelor's degree as well as both a juris doctorate and masters of laws in taxation from the University of Florida. Tom lives in Estero, Florida with his fiancee, Connie, and their four cats.