DAVID HAYNES, INDUCTED INTO CHARLOTTE COUNTY TOURISM HALL OF FAME

2026 TOURISM ROCKSTARS RECOGNIZED

PUNTA GORDA/ENGLEWOOD BEACH, Fla. – The Punta Gorda/Englewood Beach Visitor & Convention Bureau
inducted David Haynes into the Charlotte County Tourism Hall of Fame during the annual Tourism
Celebration at Farlow’s On The Water restaurant in Englewood on Thursday, May 7. The Hall of Fame was
established in 2014 to honor those who have had a substantial and long-standing body of work that has
positively impacted tourism in Charlotte County.

David Haynes president and owner of Tarpon Real Estate is a native Floridian. He earned his economics
degree at Florida State University, then went to work for the state of Florida. Eventually, he transitioned into
real estate and heard the call of Southwest Florida. Twenty-five years ago, he and his family moved from
Tallahassee to Little Gasparilla Island. The appeal of island life to visitors immediately caught his attention,
prompting him to launch his real estate business, specializing in vacation rentals, featuring coastal and island
living. And while he became an expert about our waterfront and island communities, he more importantly
became a significant part of those communities. He served as Board Director of the Englewood Area Board
of Realtors and was president of the Little Gasparilla Property Owners Association for over seven years.

David also became involved in the local chapter of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, both as a
board member and Government Affairs Director. In 2017, he became a member of the Charlotte County
Tourism Development Council, where he continues to serve and help guide tourism in the county. Last year,
he volunteered to be part of the improv cast for the Charlotte Players community theater fund-raiser,
Comedy for a Cause. He personally helped raise more than $10,000 for the theater.

In partnership with the Charlotte Chapter of the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association (FRLA), three high
school rising stars in the culinary and hospitality programs were awarded scholarships. Richard Carey and
Nicholas Stewart from Port Charlotte High School were awarded the Extra Mile Award, Jamison Hintzman
also from Port Charlotte High School was awarded the Hospitality Student Award and Spencer Gant was
award the Culinary/Hospitality College Award. To date, the Charlotte County chapter of FRLA has awarded
30 students over $36,000 in scholarship funds assisting them in their journey to pursue a career in
hospitality or the culinary arts.

Charlotte County comtinues to achieved a 99% satisfaction rating from the many visitors who frequent our
destination. This achievement would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of the restaurant
and lodging employees who are rockstar ambassadors for Charlotte County hospitality. Since the lauch of
the Annual Tourism Awards six years ago, the VCB has received well over 130 nominations recognizing
exceptional employees within Charlotte County hospitality.

Those recognized as the 2026 Rockstars were:
Restaurant Front of House, Shannon Marshall with Peace River Seafood
Restaurant Back of House, Kaden Oneal with Sunseeker Resort
Vacation Rental, Casey Alderman with Parsley Baldwin Real Estate & Vacation Rentals
Lodging Front of House, Ashley Chalmers with Hampton Inn and Shelley Quirrenbach with Manaosta Key
Resort

Lodging Back of House, Larry Poplawski with Days Inn Port Charlotte and Caridad Inclan with
Fishermen’s Village

Attraction, Tye Esposito with SUP Englewood and Joi Fellows with Babcock Ranch Eco Tours
Retail, Mary Rundle with Beach Company, Barefoot Trader and Old Florida Gallery

The 2026 Partner of the Year award was presented to King Fisher Fleet. This award recognizes a tourism
partner who demonstrates a high level of engagement, not just with the VCB, but with the industry as a
whole. Their resolute “Yes” to partner with the VCB, whether it be hosting media, tour operators, film crews
or even assisting us with a photo shoot, has resulted in dozens of media features and FAM tours which help
tell our story and promote our destination nationally and internationally.

Hosted by the Punta Gorda/Englewood Beach Visitor & Convention Bureau, the Tourism Celebration focused
on the theme, “Hooked On Hospitality”. During the 2025 fiscal year, Charlotte County welcomed an
estimated 1.1 million visitors where over $80 million total taxes were paid by visitors and reached $1.26
billion in economic impact for our community. These visitor expenditures helped to support over 10,000
jobs in our community generating over $360 million in wages and salaries while also saving the average
household $865 in taxes for the year.

Punta Gorda/Englewood Beach is Florida’s best-kept secret of a charming natural paradise located on the
idyllic Southwest Gulf Coast. This coastal community surrounding the state’s second-largest harbor sits
conveniently between Tampa and Naples. Outdoor enthusiasts will find a haven of vibrant experiences in
the sun-soaked oasis of the Southwest Florida islands, characterized by almost year-round sunshine and sub-
tropical weather. Relaxation and discovery await in miles of waterways and inland exploration trails filled
with unspoiled natural beauty. From beaches to boating, hiking to harbor tours, fishing to nature paths; to
sun, shelling, and fossilized sharks’ teeth, Punta Gorda/Englewood Beach immerses lively locals and active
adventurers in a pure island experience. Most notably known for its 230 miles of pristine unparalleled
shoreline, including captivating river passages, a mangrove-edged aquatic preserve, and more than a dozen
miles of natural Gulf beaches, the Charlotte Harbor Gulf Island Coast includes the areas of Boca Grande, Don
Pedro Island, Englewood-Cape Haze, Little Gasparilla Island, Manasota Key, Knight Island, Placida, Babcock
Ranch, Port Charlotte, Charlotte Harbor and Punta Gorda.
To learn more about Punta Gorda / Englewood Beach, visit www.PureFlorida.com, call 941.743.1900 or
discover the destination on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @RealPureFlorida.

PUBLIC RELATIONS CONTACTS:
Lois Croft – Director of Public Relations
Punta Gorda/Englewood Beach Visitor & Convention Bureau
(941) 743-1900 | Lois.Croft@PureFlorida.com

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