Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community History, News.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE Editor’s Note: This August, Lee County commissioners are scheduled to vote on an ordinance related to parking in Boca Grande. It could contain a sweeping revision of current ordinances, which have evolved over the last decades. With that in mind, the Boca Beacon has gone back and reviewed how we got to […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community History, News.
Editor’s Note: Last month, the Boca Beacon filed a public records request with Lee County on issues related to Boca Grande parking. In the files, there are interesting tidbits related to Gasparilla Island. One item that came up was the 1925 plat that shows donation of public streets from the Boca Grande Corporation to public […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community History, Featured News, News, Sports & Outdoors.
With this year’s back-to-back winning of the World’s Richest Tarpon Tournament, the Boca Beacon has compiled a list of historical winners of the tarpon season below. One name that has come up over and over is Capt. Wayne Joiner, of Hey, Moma! On May 15, the Hey, Moma! team led by Capt. Wayne Joiner won […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, Education.
Sean Sawicki, son of Lt. Mike Sawicki Sean Sawicki graduated from Lemon Bay High School. Sean was raised on Captiva and his family moved there when he was 14 months old. His dad, Mike Sawicki, is the Lieutenant with the LCSO. The Sawicki family has lived in Boca for about a year and a half. […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Editorial.
Here in Boca Grande, during this hurricane cleanup, we have been well served by Lee County and its various departments, from Parks and Recreation to DOT. There had been a past sense, quite right, that taxpayers on the island were paying an enormous amount of money to the county, and had been left out of […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, Education, Featured News.
Each year, the fifth graders at The Island School write of their favorite moments at the school, and their future plans, just before graduation. Below, our graduates: Amelia Besant I have been at The Island School for six years, and I started in kindergarten. I am a true born Floridian. One thing I really loved […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Columns, Community History.
By KAREN GRACE It’s difficult to envision a boulevard in front of the beachfront houses but, as the accompanying 1919 photo shows, that’s how things were in the earliest years of the 20th century. The 1897 plat of the of the island north of what is now 1st Street shows 197 feet of high ground […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Breaking News, Community History, News.
Editor’s Note: The flag is up! While the American flag may not be up by Memorial Day, the Boca Grande Veterans Memorial at 5th and Gilchrist is at least landscaped and ready, after help from The Gasparilla Inn. “Once repairs are completed, Parks & Recreation has a new American flag to raise,” said Betsy Clayton, […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Police & Fire.
On May 6, Lt. Mike Sawicki of Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a criminal mischief complaint involving an altercation with a group of young men and a man driving a Tesla at the bridge on Harbor Drive. The victim was driving his 2023 Tesla Model 3 across the bridge when he passed a group […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Columns, News, Sports & Outdoors.
BY ARLENE HALL, BGSTA SECRETARY Sea turtle nesting activity on the island is picking up as we progress further into May. With this increase in activity comes the BGSTA’s annual reminder about how you can help protect nesting and hatching sea turtles by keeping the beaches clean, flat, and dark. This week, I will focus […]