Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/360116
It is just past midday on a Wednesday as Michele Chapman and a reporter enter the lush verdant clearing beside her house. Startled by our voices, a great blue heron lifts itself into the air from the shore of Phillippi Creek and disappears into the azure sky. Much of the bank is shrouded in mangroves and other native vegetation, but Chapman pauses at a spot where she can peer across the water. She has spent untold hours in that setting over the past nine months, but not to relish the scenic charm that has been a treasure to her fam- ily since her parents and relatives bought the property in 1949. Instead, Chapman has become practiced in taking noise meter readings. Across the creek, on Oct. 31, 2013, Bob's Boathouse opened for business in its new location at 5515 S. Tamiami Trail. "Halloween night, our nightmares started coming true, and they came true worse than we ever expected," she says. Michele Chapman points across the creek to the site of Bob's Boathouse. Photo by Rachel Hackney A VOW TO 'NEVER GIVE UP' MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY THAT CREATED THE NEIGHBORHOOD ACROSS THE CREEK FROM BOB'S BOATHOUSE TALK OF HOW THEIR LIVES HAVE CHANGED He will never stop hearing from me protesting his invasion of my home. Michele Chapman Neighbor Of Bob's Boathouse By Rachel Brown Hackney Editor