Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ STAFF REPORT Every year in paradise has its merits, don’t get us wrong … but this year could have been better. Red tide was the headline stealer of the year, taking precedence over even the all-encompassing Gilchrist debate. We coughed … and we coughed … and coughed some more as the bloom that seemed to […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ SUBMITTED BY DR. MICHAEL CROSBY MOTE MARINE LABORATORY The fact that Southwest Florida is currently experiencing devastating impacts from harmful algal blooms (HABs) is well understood by all of us who call this region home. What is not as well understood by many is that we are experiencing two simultaneous but separate types of […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Editorial, Letters to the Editor, News, Opinion.
To the Editor: Efforts to mitigate water-quality issues throughout Lee County continue under the leadership of the Lee Board of County Commissioners with County staff, contracted vendors and several state entities, including the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Florida Department of Health. Board actions: The Board […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
■ PROVIDED BY THE BOCA GRANDE HISTORICAL SOCIETY This is not the story of how the Woman’s Club along with Captain Carey Johnson brought the Water Company to Boca Grande. Nor is it the story of the Gasparilla fishing village at the north end of the island or of a tarpon tournament, although it includes […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Editorial, Featured News, News, Opinion.
■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE “Heard an old man by the pier asking where the time’s all gone, it’s been almost 50 years; my, how this place has grown. “Used to come here by ferry before they built that big hotel; this old island feels the same, this old island is aging well. “ The pirates […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Profiles.
■ SUE ERWIN Gasparilla Island State Park Ranger Jon Dillard loves being outdoors. And in October of 2015, he landed a job in an ideal place to launch his career. Jon is from Clermont, Florida and attended school in the small town just west of Orlando. Jon said it used to be a quiet, rural town […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Profiles.
■ BY SUE ERWIN After decades of searching for shells on the beaches and at the sandbar in Boca Grande, Gay Weisenthal finally found one that she’s been coveting for years: the junonia. Scaphella junonia, or Juno’s volute, is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Volutidae. This species […]
Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in Editorial, Letters to the Editor, News.
To the Editor: This past week, a new resident in our community, Pat Neal, added a very attractive curb lawn to the front of their house on Gilchrist. As a result, three public parking spots have disappeared and now benefit the owner in presumably enhanced property value. We do not need to lose more public […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
There’s one thing you can always count on in Boca Grande – rumors. As the days of summer begin to wane this year, talk has turned to parking within the historic district, particularly along the beach access roads, and not all of that talk is correct. The Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association recently helped […]
Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in News.
SUBMITTED BY THE BOCA GRANDE HISTORIAL SOCIETY Pansy Cost is one of a handful of Boca Grande’s colorful, old-time residents and visitors who will be featured at the Boca Grande Historical Society’s “Lunch with the Legends” at the Gasparilla Inn on November 3. Look for more information about this event in the weeks to come. […]