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Opinion

History: Working the railroad, Charlotte Harbor to Arcadia 

January 15, 2026
Above, workers on the Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railroad, from the Historical Society archives. The railroad was originally along the beach. BGHS photo JAMES BLAHA, BOCA GRANDE HISTORICAL SOC…

Remembering the railroad bascule bridge removal 

January 15, 2026
Above, a 1980s photo of what is believed to be the bridge in New York. Readers can help us by remembering where it might have been placed, and if it is still there. Boca Beacon archives  BY JAME…

Many more blue dolpins patrolling in the chill ahead

January 15, 2026
The dolphins were out and the mullet were jumping this weekend on the north end of the island. It was about as perfect weather as we could hope for in January before the cold front rolls in this…

EcoWatch: 2026 Year of the Horse … or is it?

January 15, 2026
“No,” he said, “that is more than a horse can understand, but the enemy must have been awfully wicked people, if it was right to go all that way over the sea on purpose to kill them.” Anna Sewell…

Letters: Gasparilla Island Conservation District Act asks formal public input 

January 8, 2026
To the Editor: Monday’s conflict resolution meeting between Lee and Charlotte County over the Lee parking ordinance was the shortest political meeting I’ve ever attended. What? 20-some minutes IN…

Letters: Idea on matching address and post office boxes for package delivery

January 8, 2026
To the Editor:  Life on Boca Grande comes with certain charming quirks we’ve all grown to love: the golf carts, the afternoon storms that appear out of nowhere, and the simple pleasure of ru…

Apartment boxes grow across Florida, the U.S.A.

January 8, 2026
Next week, Charlotte County will submit an application to the state for help in acquiring two properties in Placida that abut Coral Creek and the Causeway intersection. This discussion is good. We n…

EcoWatch: Barred owl vs the spotted owl: A fight for survival

January 8, 2026
Barred owls are expanding their habitat because the forest in the East has been cut down. That’s called adaptive range expansion. And do you know what? Whether you believe in God or nature, whatever…

EcoWatch: Make 2026 a New Year of kept promises and action

January 2, 2026
A resolution starts with a goal, A promise made within your soul, To grow, to learn, to start each day, To let old habits fall away. It’s not perfection that we seek, But steady steps, week by week…

SW Florida Fishing: Adventures around every turn…

January 2, 2026
BY CAPT. JOE LECLAIR Fishing in and out of the boat recently has brought us to meet some new friends. Sometimes the fish we catch are only part of the story. The Dalai Lama defines sentient being…