Boca Grande is a small residential community on Gasparilla Island, southwest Florida. Gasparilla Island is a part of both Charlotte and Lee Counties, while the actual village of Boca Grande, which is home to many seasonal and year-round residents, is entirely in the Lee County portion of the island. It is part of the Cape Coral–Fort Myers Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its name - Spanish for "Big Mouth" - comes from the mouth of the waterway, called Boca Grande Pass, at the southern tip of the island. The pass was used as a busy shipping point for many years as the waters in the pass are naturally deep. Processed phosphate from the Bone Valley region would be loaded onto waiting cargo vessels via. the Seaboard Air Line Railway at the dock located on the southern tip of the island. Shipping business to the island declined when the Port of Tampa was later dredged and phosphate shipping operations moved north to locations along Tampa Bay. Evidence of the island's industrial past can still be seen. Space is at a premium in the village of Boca Grande, so many local residents use a golf cart as their main mode of transportation. On any given day in Boca Grande, you will see golf carts, as well as automobiles, making their way throughout downtown. A Lee County ordinance designates all but two streets as golf cart paths. Drivers must be 14 years old to operate a golf cart on these designated streets. Boca Grande also provided the backdrop for Denzel Washington's movie, Out of Time, where the quiet village was re-named 'Banyan Key' in reference to the banyan trees that populate the island. Scenes for the 2006 film based on Carl Hiaasen's book Hoot were also filmed on the island, which was again re-named for the filming. This time it became Coconut Cove. Hurricane Charley hit Boca Grande heavily on August 13, 2004, causing some 20 billion US dollars' worth of damage to Southwest Florida. There were no deaths or injuries on the island, but many buildings were damaged and most of the banyan trees were heavily damaged. Boca is very popular with affluent holiday makers, many of whom keep a second home on the island. There is a degree of animosity between year-round residents and those who come to spend the winter months on the island.

Immigration Law Lawyers In Boca Grande Florida

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What is immigration law?

Immigration law determines whether a person is an alien, the rights, duties, and obligations associated with being an alien in the United States, and how aliens gain residence or citizenship within the United States. It also provides the means by which certain aliens can become legally naturalized citizens with full rights of citizenship. Immigration law serves as a gatekeeper for the border of the nation, determining who may enter, how long they may stay, and when they must leave. Immigration lawyers represent persons seeking temporary and permanent residency (green cards) status in the U.S., those interested in obtaining U.S. citizenship through a process called naturalization, and clients facing deportation and removal. Immigration attorneys may also represent businesses seeking to secure temporary visa status for foreign employees.

Answers to immigration law issues in Florida

The most commonly used non-immigrant visa by US employers, the H-1B classification applies to foreign nationals who...

In general, a foreign national who wishes to immigrate to the United States through family relationship must have a...

Foreign nationals desiring to enter the United States temporarily for the purpose of consulting with business...

L-1 intracompany transfer visas are available to foreign nationals coming to work in the US for an employer that is...

The E-1 or E-2 non-immigrant status is for a national of any of the countries with which the United States maintains...

The R-1 Religious Worker visa status is for foreign nationals who wish to be temporarily employed in the United...

The O-1 nonimmigrant visa is available to those foreign nationals who posses extraordinary ability in science,...

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) created special economic and trade relationships for the United...

U.S. Citizenship is obtained either by birth or naturalization. A foreign national may become a U.S. citizen either...

Employment Second Preference (EB-2)
Professionals Holding Advanced Degrees, or Persons of...

Federal court opinions concerning immigration law in Florida