Author: Garland Pollard

Questions before a possible October surprise

September 19, 2024
Garland Pollard
Editorial, News

Wednesday, the Lee County Board of Commissioners again revisited the issue of Boca Grande parking. When the much discussed “plan” will be presented is unclear, but the Board has meetings on Oct. 2...

Lee County wrote its own zoning waiver for Community Center parking parking

Movie theater comparison used in explanation Editor’s note: In the process of reviewing documents ahead of the season, and changed parking rules, the Beacon discovered some differences in procedure...

Downzoning of Gasparilla Road property removes 358 Cape Haze lots

Apiary Partners, owners of three properties on Gasparilla Road abutting the Boca Grande Jet Center at the Coral Creek Airport, and just north of the Coral Creek Club, have applied to Charlotte County...

What’s open food-wise, on Gasparilla Island, this week

September 12, 2024
Garland Pollard
Travel

Each week, our Ballyhoo section tells of restaurant on the island, as well as shopping and events. During the quiet season, there are still a great options, including the newly reopened South Beach...

Long ballots make need for voter study and preparation in November election

Because of a complex ballot in November and the possibility of longer lines, local election officials are asking citizens to check their registration online immediately. They’re also reminding voters...

Preservation Board approves Tesla array, cottage renovation

The Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board unanimously approved four projects at their Sept. 11, 2024 meeting, including two Tesla solar projects. Present were members Barbara Wickwire, Paul Eddy,...

Artificial Intelligence and the year ahead at Friends

Editor’s Note: The Friends of Boca Grande just released their 2024-25 Happenings booklet, in mail soon. On the cover is a talk with Heidi McKee on Artificial Intelligence. As an experiment, the...

Lee County Appraiser encourages review of property assessments

Island real estate not easy to categorize; values hold steady If property owners have questions about their assessments that came out in recently sent Truth in Millage notices (TRIM), they have...

Chalk cleanup for overflow at GIWA water works

A half-million gallons of rainy sewage leaked onto the Gasparilla Island Water Authority plant grounds after Hurricane Debby. The spill was at 2:05 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 5. It did not go into the Bayou...

We all practice husbandry and agriculture. Of a sort.

There was a time not too long ago when many local state agricultural offices, particularly in suburban areas, were interested devoted to “truck and ornamentals.” That phrase might sound foreign...