At that time there were three small hotels on
Palm Avenue, and the Sprott family had a hand in
all of them.
In Capt. Carey Johnson’s book “Boca Grande,
the Old Days: Memoirs of an Island Son” he
wrote, “All during the 1930s, 1940s and ‘50s some
friends from Danville, Illinois, including Hazel and
Dr. Dennis Dorsey and Mary Tichenor and son
Jack, made the Palmetto Inn in Boca Grande their
home away from home for several months each
winter. It all started some 30 or 40 years ago
when Mrs. Billy LeRoy owned and operated the
Inn along with her sons and daughters, Buster, Ted,
Betty and Margaret. The Palmetto was also home
for some of us who lived at south Boca Grande.
We enjoyed the hospitality in each case of an
approaching hurricane, and went there often for
a delicious home-cooked meal after church on
Sundays.”
In fact, the Palmetto Inn was a favorite gathering
place for islanders who live in less-than-stellar
hurricane accommodations.
Capt. Johnson continued with his memories of the
old inn, writing about the fishing and shrimping off
the phosphate dock the guests used to do, as well as
beach parties and cookouts, shelling and going to the
Patio Bar (where Fugates’ Patio Shop is now).
In the 1950s ownership of the Inn was transferred
to Lessie Mae LeRoy, Charles Edward LeRoy’s wife.
Her nickname was Billie, and she ran the Palmetto
Inn with her children – Buster, Ted, Betty and
Margaret.
Between 1966 and 1980 the Oller family of Boca
Grande owned the inn, and in 1980 Bev Furtado and
her husband, Jack, purchased the historic building.
Bev named the three suites “The Tarpon Suite,”
“The Snook Suite” and “The Redfish Suite,” and there
were two unnamed small efficiency rooms. In 2001
Bev met Len Tatko, and he helped her run the inn
until 2017, when they sold the building to the Patel
family.
In 2017 Aashish Patel and his father, George,
purchased The Palmetto Inn. They had first visited the
historic hotel in 2005 and Aashish was captivated by
its charm, as so many have been.
G
M