Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
With the 2024 general election rapidly approaching, The Florida Bar has updated its resources to assist voters with the state’s judicial election processes, including The Vote’s in Your Court website, as well as an improved printable voting guide. Unlike in many states, Florida’s appellate judges and Supreme Court justices are not chosen in contested elections. […]
Written by Anna Ridilla on . Posted in Featured News, News.
The Lee Board of County Commissioners will have its regularly scheduled meeting at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17, and the final millage and county budget hearing will take place Tuesday evening. The board meeting will be held, as always, at the Old County Courthouse Commission Chambers in Fort Myers. On the administrative agenda, among […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Breaking News, Community, News.
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 that Florida voter registration deadline is Oct. 7. “We are urging folks to go on the website,” said Leah Valenti, Charlotte County’s Supervisor of Elections. She […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Breaking News, Community History, News.
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, Jerry Edgerton, Becky Paterson and Chair Bill Caldwell. The first request was to legitimize a black chain link fence at 1771 17th St. E. The fence was […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Breaking News, News.
Work continues on the tile roof of the Boca Grande Community Center, which was damaged by Hurricane Ian. This repair work is separate from the renovations and additions to the Community Center proposed by the Friends of Boca Grande, beginning this fall. The roof work began in the spring and involves replacing the original tile. […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Sports & Outdoors.
Englewood Sailing Association hosted the Cardboard Boat Races on Saturday, Aug. 31. The Boat Races are part of Englewood Pioneer Day celebrations sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. About 175 spectators came out to watch the festivities. Top left, Preston Yanda and Alex Muzchenko were the happy, worn out winners of the Cardboard Boat Race! […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Columns, Community History, Featured News.
BY JAMES J. BLAHA, DIRECTOR, BOCA GRANDE HISTORY CENTER The year was 1949, when NATO was established, West Germany was created, the People’s Republic of China was formally proclaimed and the Soviet Union began testing nuclear weapons. At that time, federal spending was $38.84 billion, unemployment 3.8 percent and the cost of a first-class stamp […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community, Editorial, Featured News.
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 Beacon “asked” the two biggest AI services, Chat GPT and Grok (from Elon Musk’s X.com) to write a 250 to 300 word promotional […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
The Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority has installed six new bike signs at each bridge approach. The signs, which were agreed upon at an Aug. 15 quarterly board meeting, inform bikers that they may use the full main lane to cross the causeway. The causeway shoulder does not meet the qualifications of a designated bike path, […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.
The Friends of the Boca Grande Community Center is a hub for entertaining, educational and thought-provoking programs that set a tone and reflect the interests of the people of the island. One of the behind-the-scenes people who help make this happen is Josh Cross, the organization’s technology specialist. Josh likes being behind the scenes, not […]