Blue chip Billy

When the city of Sanibel needed to comply with disability laws for beach access, Billy Kirkland was the first one to volunteer to deliver the city's beach wheelchairs to Bowman's Beach.

But you might forgive Kirkland if he had decided against helping out bureaucrats. After all, the Sanibel entrepreneur recently won the Southwest Florida Blue Chip Community Business Award for overcoming bureaucratic adversity to achieve success.

Kirkland's skirmishes are legendary on Sanibel, a small barrier island in Lee County with its own city government and a reputation for aggressive enforcement of the most minor infractions. Business owners joke that you can't move a shrub without government approval.