Boca Beacon video documenting the Placida tornado on Sunday, January 16
VIDEO BY PAULA RUSH, PHOTOS BY PAULA RUSH AND TAYLOR GUILLERM
EVENT POSTPONED: Chatham Rabbits folk duo to perform at Methodist Church
Original folk music with sweet harmonies will fill the sanctuary of the Boca Grande Lighthouse Methodist Church at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 15 with the musical duo, the Chatham Rabbits. Tickets are $25 and are available at the church office on 3rd Street, Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
AROUND THE TOWN
Sharing the love on Mother’s Day! Photos by Caroline
GIBA reports historic number of vehicles over bridge in March
At its spring quarterly meeting Thursday, May 5 the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority had some interesting news about the traffic flow in recent days, particularly about two days this past March. GIBA Executive Director Kathy Banson-Verrico gave a report on the traffic passing through the toll booths during the first six months of the fiscal year. She reported that traffic numbers were up. Cash tolls were about 13 percent above the same time last fiscal year. Customer service tolls, or bridge passes, were up by about 10 percent, and overall traffic was up eight percent. She said this represented about 47,000 more vehicles than the number from the same period last year.
Weather cancels Ladies Day; first time in 31 years
The Manasota Mermaids didn’t even get their fins wet in the 2022 Ladies Day Tarpon Tournament, as the Boca Grande Chamber of Commerce had to make a tough call and cancel the event on account of bad weather. The call was made just before the tournament began, and 70 percent refunds were given. The captain’s […]
County Commissioners to discuss Gasparilla Island beach renourishment at next meeting
Lee County Commissioners will be discussing an extension of the contract for beach renourishment that Gasparilla Island has with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at their meeting on Tuesday, May 17.
Carroll is moving out, moving on … but to where? Stay tuned
Artist, environmentalist, lover of people and nature, longtime Boca Grande institution Carroll Swayze is moving. She is closing her Englewood studio and moving somewhere not too far away. She can’t be too specific because the deal is still in process, but she is looking forward to whatever is around the next corner.
More discussion about mixed-use ability in downtown area, with several agenda items staved off until June at Historic Preservation Board meeting
Among those items that were discussed were solar panels. Board members had asked Lee County at their last meeting to do some research into how other counties and localities deal with the visual impact of solar panels, to which Lee County Attorney Amanda Swindle responded.
Banyan Gasparilla Sound celebrates project success with cocktail event at Coral Creek Club
To celebrate Banyan Gasparilla’s sales success, developer Integra Investments and sales and marketing partner Gulf to Bay Sotheby’s International Realty recently hosted a cocktail event with more than 85 attendees. The gathering, which was held at Coral Creek Golf Club, also served to launch the property’s 83 new resort condominiums and officially unveil the partnership with Evolution Hospitality Management and Taste & Theory – the next evolution of this coastal community.
Accidents happen: One experienced boater explains why diligence is necessary at all times when out on the water
By Tim Spain Having spent years on the water, local chef Tim Spain has a tale that bears telling, to let our readers know that even with years of experience, one bad move on the water can end badly. On April 4, 2022, I was on a boat that had just been renovated, and we […]
