Author: Garland Pollard

First Baptist Church belfry and steeple rebuild continues

December 14, 2023
Garland Pollard
News

Contractors from Harper Little are this week rebuilding the trademark octagonal steeple of First Baptist Church. The reconstruction was not easy with eight sides that get narrow at the top. According...

Bridge Authority talks investments

December 8, 2023
Garland Pollard
News

The Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority (GIBA) held a special Finance Committee meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023 to discuss the authority’s investments, and its reporting and handling of those instruments. At...

Manatees make their winter swim

By Michelle Starr Manatees are on the move. Over the last few weeks our beloved sea cows have been spotted in groups of as large as six around the Boca Grande Fishing Pier. They have also...

Verizon to be first ring from new Boca Grande cell island

December 8, 2023
Garland Pollard
News

This week, representatives from T-Mobile and AT&T were on the cell tower site, working to get their equipment installed on the Boca Grande cell tower. Verizon is almost finished with construction...

A margarita cup transformed by a simple story

December 7, 2023
Garland Pollard
Editorial, Opinion

The dedication of the new island Christmas tree gave the island a moment of cultural clarity last Sunday night. It was a perfect evening – the cookies, the weather, the breeze, the sunset. The...

2023: The year in Boca Grande Spotlight profiles

Every issue, the Boca Beacon highlights one of our own in our Page 3 In The Spotlight. We look to the community to see who is making news, whether they be a volunteer for one of our non-profits like...

Youth dive into water quality survey around Cape Haze & Coral Creek

When a group of Cape Haze residents met last month with Charlotte County officials about a proposed sewer project in their neighborhood, they had a new set of data: water quality tests taken by a group...

Betsy Ross sharktooth flag artwork taken from car

December 1, 2023
Garland Pollard
News

A resident heading back home to Boca Grande had his most recent work of art, a Betsy Ross flag made of shark’s teeth, stolen while he stopped somewhere between Tampa and home. “The flag was the...

Santa visits Boca Grande merchants on Small Business Saturday

December 1, 2023
Garland Pollard
News

The downtown streets of Boca Grande were completely filled Saturday evening for the annual Christmas Walk. While some retailers were closed for the evening festivities, most were open, offering drinks...

Methodist Church steeple blessed after perilous journey

December 1, 2023
Garland Pollard
Community, News

Tuesday, Lighthouse United Methodist Church blessed their wooden steeple cross in an outdoor ceremony led by the Rev. Daphne Johnson, the church’s senior pastor. At the ceremony, the Rev....