Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor, News.
To the Editor: The Boca Grande History Center will be closed from September 1 – 30 as we refresh our exhibits for the coming season. We appreciate your patience and will announce our reopening after our short break. Our staff can still be reached by phone at (941) 964-1600 or by email at info@bocagrandehistoricalsociety.com. We […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community, News.
Here’s a look at the newest timeline provided by Steele Construction, Inc. as to when the tower might be up. Now that the bakery is gone things should move quickly, but this schedule is an optimist’s look at what could happen … if everything goes right.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community, News.
Sue Sligar stood watching the Bakery Building come down on Monday, Aug. 28 with mixed feelings. As the new owner of the building (or the space, we should say) she was grateful it would no longer be a hazard to The Barnichol Hardware Store and the general public. But one of the apartments above the bakery had been her home for several years, and she lost just about everything when the tower collapsed on it during Hurricane Ian.
“I lost everything, materially … all of it,” she said. “But in the face of losing it all, I became fearless. What else did I have to lose?”
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community, News.
The Gasparilla Island Water Association (GIWA) is investigating why wastewater output flowing through the system during Idalia was so excessive that they had to shut down some lift systems to allow the new treatment facility to keep up with the demand. Ron Bolton, GIWA’s executive director, said the normal range is 200 gallons per hour. […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
The proposal submitted by the property owner at 161/181 Gilchrist Ave. to the Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board earlier this year, one that was rejected by the Board, will be heard by the Lee County Hearing Examiner’s Office in September. The reason for the hearing, called for by the property owner, 161 Gilchrist, LLC on May 5, is to challenge the rejection based on the allegations that the Board failed to apply the correct law to the matter and did not provide “competent, substantial evidence” to support the denial. On May 17 the Hearing Examiner accepted the appeal and requested the county attorney to prepare a written submittal to explain why the request was or was not valid.
There were several reasons cited by the property owner’s attorney to argue the local board’s decision, most of which the Hearing Examiner said were irrelevant or outside their authority. However, they did say, “the only remaining issue raised in the Notice of Appeal for which the HEX does have authority is the question of whether there is competent substantial evidence on the record to support the denial, and any hearing on this matter should be limited as such.”
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in News.
Mostly forgotten 1970s teen idol Leif Garrett is reputed to have told Justin Beiber not to believe his own publicity, as every “chicken hawk wants a piece of you.”
That might be an apt warning for the nation’s newest media travel darling destination, Boca Grande, which seems to have an endless supply of effusive travel writers highlighting the island in the last few months.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Health & Wellness.
It brings preparedness to a whole new level to be responsible for the daily needs of a pet that will be in a new environment, quite often around strangers, foreign noises, sights and smells. While you can have all of the supplies your pets’ needs taken care of, the most important part of prepping is to try to understand their mindset in such unfamiliar circumstances.
There are several stories in Lee County, where Fort Myers Beach was almost entirely wiped out, where residents were holding their exhausted pets over their head with water up to their chin. Those pet owners were ready to lay down their lives for their animals – and you either understand it or you don’t.
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News.
A new housing development has sprung up near SR 776 and Gulfstream Blvd., just west of the Home Depot. It is a temporary solution to continued housing problems for people in the area, due to Hurricane Ian.
The approximately 40 single wide mobile homes have been put in place and people have been moving in over the last two weeks. Only 18 families have been placed there so far, but according to a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) spokesperson, grass is beginning to replace bare dirt, and personal household items are visible on the small porches by the front doorways.
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.
John Gaffney has never had a job he didn’t love. The one he has now is no exception. John collects tolls at the Boca Grande Swing Bridge.
“Being a police officer will always be my favorite job,” John admitted, “but this job at the bridge is a job where I get to enjoy it and not worry as much. I can go to work and just have fun. I get to talk to the people and it’s not stressful. The job is great.”
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Columns.
FIVE YEARS AGO Roads in town were being paved, and snook health was a hot topic after a severe red tide bloom in preceding years took its toll on the population. TEN YEARS AGO Gasparilla Island Magazine hit the stands for the first time, a dead Lithuanian man was found on a sailboat in the […]