Boca Grande

The beauty of Gasparilla Island has always drawn people to it. In fact, archeological discoveries reveal that the Calusa Indians lived on the island as early as 800 A.D., using Charlotte Harbor as the hub of their tribal civilization with thousands of people and hundreds of small fishing villages along the local waterways.

As time progressed, mining interests (particularly phosphate), port traffic, and the incoming railroad modernized the area. The discovery of unrivaled tarpon fishing in the waters around Gasparilla Island brought fanatic sportsmen to the region. And so in the late 1800’s, the town of Boca Grande was born. By 1913, the Gasparilla Inn was attracting clientele to enjoy its elite resort.

Eventually, Boca Grande’s railroad closed and a popular bike path replaced it. Gasparilla Island, through the efforts of Sunset Realty Corp., was transformed into today’s Boca Grande. Farr Law Firm worked hand-in-hand with Sunset Realty Corp. as the island was zoned, platted, developed, and sold in parcels for residential and commercial use. Through each and every phase of development, Farr Law Firm provided legal assistance to the creation of today’s beloved Boca Grande community.

Today, the tarpon fishing remains first rate, and one of the most tranquil and exclusive communities in the country continues to provide its residents with the privacy, lifestyle and scenic wonder that only Gasparilla Island offers.

Punta Gorda Isles

Punta Gorda Isles is a beloved community where the majority of residences front wide canals that lead boaters into Charlotte Harbor and onward into the Gulf of Mexico. The origins of the area date back to 1958, when development first began on this picturesque region.

Al Johns and Bud Cole hired Farr Law Firm to help with the acquisition of the land, approval of contracts, titles and plans and oversee zoning issues. Most importantly, the firm worked to acquire all the permits to dig the canals, lakes, and waterways that make up the areas of today’s Punta Gorda Isles, Burnt Store Marina and Deep Creek. As Punta Gorda Isles acquired new tracts of land, it immediately annexed them into the City of Punta Gorda, and by this process, the city and its subdivisions grew. Now the majority of the city’s population and area are comprised of the Punta Gorda Isles subdivisions.

Babcock Ranch

In 1943, Farr Law Firm was engaged to represent the Babcock Florida Company, then owned by E.V. Babcock and his family, in the process of selling timber off its 92,000 acres of land. By the 1970’s, the Babcock family’s goals evolved from selling timber to working the land as a ranch, and still later, to planning for the development of the land. Farr Law Firm assisted with all these endeavors. As time went on, timber continued to be sold, a rock mine was opened, a sod farm was created, and land was leased for farming. Due to its strategic location between Fort Myers and Punta Gorda, the Babcock family explored the possibility of developing the land.

For many years, Farr Law Firm continued to represent the Babcock family and in 2006, counseled the family in its transfer of Babcock Florida Company’s holdings to new ownership. The successful result was the largest private land sales in modern Florida history. Today, we are honored to continue a relationship with members of the Babcock family that reaches back more than 63 years.

Attorneys’ Title Fund Services, Inc.

In 2009, Attorneys’ Title Insurance Fund, Inc. merged with Old Republic National Title Insurance Company to form Attorneys’ Title Fund Services, Inc. (“The Fund”). For over 60 years, The Fund, has issued title policies through members and agents and has maintained its commitment to support real estate counsel and other professionals involved in Florida’s real estate industry. Farr Law Firm often issues title insurance through The Fund for buyers or mortgagees in connection with the closing of titles in the sale of clients’ property. The almost exclusive relationship the firm has with The Fund dates back to 1949.

Over the years, we consistently rank as one of The Fund’s top 25 producers of title insurance policies in dollar volume for the whole State of Florida, including in 2008 – a year recognized as one of the most challenging years on record for the real estate industry.

First Federal Savings & Loan Association of Charlotte County

Farr Law Firm has been working with some of the largest financial institutions in the area for over 50 years, including First Federal Savings & Loan Association of Charlotte County. The institution started with less than $1,000,000 in assets, but by the time it was sold, it was the largest financial institution in the area with seven branches. Its operations significantly supported almost every major economic opportunity that Punta Gorda saw in the mid-1950s. As its legal counsel, Farr Law Firm was strategic in promoting the financial growth of its beloved community.

Today, we represent a number of the area’s financial institutions and have shareholders serving as directors and advisors for a number of these institutions.