About Bruce Laishley
Bruce Laishley is no stranger to people recognizing his family name in his small town of Punta Gorda, a fishing village with a population close to 18,000.
Phillip Laishley, his father, was a bright, local businessman who became the mayor of Punta Gorda. He was beloved by his constituents and served from 1968-1975. Prior to his untimely death, he asked for a grant to purchase land from an old municipal trailer park and was approved. Although he didn’t see his dream fulfilled, Bruce Laishley, his son, made sure to uphold his dad’s wishes and improve the livelihood of the residents in Punta Gorda.
The Punta Gorda Harborwalk is known for being one of the most beautiful hiking and riding paths heading West from the Peace River to Charlotte Harbor. The 2.3-mile trail passes through five community parks, including Laishley Park, one of many community projects created by Bruce. The development behind this beautiful scenescape holds a bittersweet backstory. Bruce was presented with a large-scale opportunity to help his city after Mother Nature decimated the area. A Category 4 storm, Charley passed over Punta Gorda on August 13, 2004, leaving the city devastated. Charley was the first hurricane to make direct landfall on Florida’s southwestern coast in 45 years. The new structures, restorations, and amenities were carefully constructed in order to preserve the city’s valuable history while showing updated conveniences and adhering to modern safety features, such as hurricane-resistant building codes. During this period, the Laishley Park Municipal Marina, the Harborwalk, Linear Park, and different cycling and pedestrian traffic routes were developed around the city.
The Laishley Park Municipal Marina is situated along the Peace River and Charlotte Harbor. The marina provides world-class fishing and Gulf of Mexico access that arrives close to Boca Grande. The marina boasts a year-round docking capacity of 142 boats and up to 172 watercraft during certain sanctioned community activities, as well as a fishing pier and a community boat launch. The facility includes a Day Room, Boater’s Bathrooms with showers, and a bait store. A big Community Room on the grounds also accommodates community organizations, private parties, civic and business gatherings.
Bruce also owns a development company called Florida Premier Developers. He and his team are involved in many exciting future projects, including the Sunseeker Resort project in Charlotte Harbor, destined to bring a lot of tourism to the area.
Read more about Bruce at his other website, brucelaishley.org!
