PGI or Punta Gorda Isles is one of our largest water access communities.  It hasn't always been that way. 

Punta Gorda lies on the south bank of the Peace River and the eastern shore of Charlotte Harbor.  

Southwest Florida’s shorefront has changed from a collection of rural, desolate areas of scrub, mangrove,
and salt marsh dotted with sleepy agricultural and fishing communities into a vibrant
growing urban area lush with bustling cities and vast residential developments.

Did you know the canals in the Isles are man made?  

Punta Gorda's growth phase started in 1959 with the creation of a neighborhood.
 
This was an area of canal-front home sites, Punta Gorda Isles, by a trio of entrepreneurs, Al Johns, Bud Cole and Sam Burchers.

They laid out 55 miles of canals 100 feet wide and 17 feet deep using dredged sand to raise the level of the canal front land. 

This community is made up of over 2,000 salt-water parcels with access channels north to the Peace River, 

or through Ponce de Leon Channel and Alligator Creek to Charlotte Harbor.  

Recently they city has plans to open "Buckley's Pass" giving home owners 

on the south end faster access out to open water.

A sea wall is a lot to maintain, there are roughly 9 miles though the community.

The Canal Maintenance Division is responsible for the maintenance of canals, waterways and navigable channels, including the maintenance & repair of all seawalls in the canal system.  Home owners are not responsible for repairs or replacement.

Today new homes are under construction, many older homes have been updated while keeping their "old Florida" charm. The area is still growing and changing. 

Improvements continue make this waterfront neighborhood one of a kind! 

Sources
http://www.pgica.org
http://www.city-data.com/forum/punta-gorda-port-charlotte/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punta_Gorda,_Florida