Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in Obituaries.
Marjorie Katz Fortgang died peacefully on October 5, 2024, surrounded by her family at her home on the island of Boca Grande, Florida. She was 91. Marjorie was born on July 28, 1933, in Longmeadow,Massachusetts, the first daughter of Abraham andIrene Katz. She and her younger sister, June, were best friends who enjoyed a long life full of fun and adventure, bravely supporting […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
The night of Monday, Oct. 14, a comet known as C/2023 A3, or Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, was photographed 45 minutes after sunset at the Boca Grande Lighthouse. See you again in 80,000 years. Photo by Matt
Written by Anna Ridilla on . Posted in Breaking News, Featured News, News.
Day by day Hurricane Milton recovery on Gasparilla Hurricane Milton was the third hurricane landfall in Florida this year after Debby and then Helene less than two weeks prior. Below is an approximate timeline of Milton’s impacts on Gasparilla Island throughout the week, gathered from Beacon reporting, local weather stations and Gasparilla Island Conservation and […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Breaking News, Community, News.
In a visit aimed at highlighting the importance of local commerce, Florida Commerce Secretary Alex Kelly toured Gasparilla Island on Tuesday, Oct. 15, to meet with small business owners affected by the recent hurricanes. Kelly’s visit focused on businesses still recovering from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, which caused significant damage in the area. Kelly and […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
Florida Commerce is accepting applications from eligible residents whose employment or self-employment was lost or interrupted due to Hurricane Milton. Residents are encouraged to submit a claim at FloridaJobs. org. Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) is available to those who are ineligible to receive federal or state Reemployment Assistance benefits and meet one of the following requirements: Is unemployed as a direct result of […]
Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in Featured News, News, Police & Fire.
BY CHIEF C.W. BLOSSER The Beacon has been putting the daily emails from Chief Blosser out on our Storm Center page at BocaBeacon.com. Chief, as folks call him, has an un-erring ability to sum it all up. We print this not only as a matter of record, but a sense of the scale of the recovery […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Education, Letters to the Editor.
Reflecting on early childhood education at the preschool BY KELLENE CARPENTER Editor’s Note: Kelli Carpenter wrote this essay for the Beacon just before Helene. The school was hurt badly in the storms but will rebuild. Over the summer, I had a conversation with a Boca Grande Preschool Board Member about characteristics of quality early-childhood programs. […]
Written by Anna Ridilla on . Posted in Breaking News, Community, Featured News, News.
In-person voting at Precinct 122, which typically is held at the Boca Grande Community Center will instead use the Lighthouse United Methodist Church for the Nov. 5 General Election. The Community Center, which sustained significant damage from Hurricane Helene and the Hurricane Milton, is unusable, so the Lee County Supervisor of Elections has made a […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Uncategorized.
An update from Gasparilla Water, and Ron Bolton, executive director. As work continues on the water main to the island on Cole Island in the Causeway, the staff continues to work to bring service back to the whole island, house by house. A reminder that there is a boil water notice for the island:
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Uncategorized.
We are sad to announce that due to Milton’s impacts, Lee County Parks and Recreation needs to cancel the Fall Festival that was to be held Oct. 25. It was to be held at the now-damaged Boca Grande Community Center that afternoon. Please help spread the word that this is canceled. Our Parks team looks […]