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Community History


November 3, 2022
Boca Beacon backpages FIVE YEARS AGO Final Hurricane Irma debris pickups were complete as anglers were busy tying flies and getting ready for the GIFT tournament. TEN YEARS AGO A manat…

October 28, 2022
Thank you all for your patience as we deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. I am happy to report that the History Center and all of our historic treasures are safe and did not acquire any stor…

October 28, 2022
FIVE YEARS AGO While the island was still picking up debris from Hurricane Irma, Hal McCombs was introduced as the new president of the Royal Palm Players. TEN YEARS AGO A short video cal…

October 20, 2022
Submitted by the Johann Fust Library Foundation For more than 70 years, Boca Grande’s Johann Fust Library has been a coral-pink-colored sentinel, providing a place of respite and literary enric…

September 22, 2022
Boca Beacon backpages FIVE YEARS AGO Hurricane Irma came and went, leaving many trees down but few homes damaged. Power was out for some time, though.  Wini Smart left us at the age …

September 16, 2022
Memories of Queen Elizabeth II The passing of Queen Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor on September 8 was merely a blip in the wavelength of many Americans, but for others it was truly a day of s…

September 15, 2022
FIVE YEARS AGO The lady who couldn’t make up her mind decided Boca Grande wasn’t for her. Hurricane Irma played tag with Southwest Florida for 11 days before she finally came through the state,…

September 1, 2022
Boca Beacon backpages FIVE YEARS AGO There was water, water everywhere, with approximately 13 inches of rain falling on the island. However, everyone here was looking to Texas, where floodin…

August 25, 2022
Boca Beacon backpages FIVE YEARS AGO A 2002 Glacier Bay named La Pirate was missing, and everyone was on the lookout. The new boardwalk officially opened at Gasparilla Island State Park. …

August 19, 2022
Change can be difficult to accept, especially in the last few years when progress seems to be accelerating and changes are everywhere all over the Cape Haze Peninsula. One thing that has not chang…