Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
Verizon and other contractors have been on island for the increased 5G service promised by the carrier. Across the island are Q-Tip shaped poles. Verizon had promised to have the service working throughout the island this year, after turning on select parts of the island. […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Real Estate.
American Cruise Lines, often seen passing by Gasparilla Island last year, will return after a successful season in 2023-24. This eight-day cruise stops in St. Petersburg, Marco Island, Key West and Punta Gorda. The first trip of the season is Thanksgiving week, and they continue through mid-March. Around day five and six of the trip […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Police & Fire.
The Boca Grande Fire Department will hold a public hearing to decide on a proposed tax increase and budget at 5:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 18 at the fire department. The proposed operating budget expenditures are 16.7 percent more than last year’s expenditures. The actual property tax levy for last year was $6,353,408; the tax […]
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 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 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 […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Breaking News, News, Real Estate.
The Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board will meet at 10 a.m. on September 11, to consider four items, including two solar panel installations in the historic district. The cases include the Sackett house, 291 Gilchrist Ave., with new roof mounted solar panel arrays and the Soderberg house, 255 Whiskey Row. In each case, the solar […]
Written by Anna Ridilla on . Posted in Breaking News, News.
Lumen Technologies, the parent company of old CenturyLink, Gasparilla Island’s landline telephone company, has had a major stock run-up this summer, due to speculator interest in demand for artificial intelligence-fueled connectivity, and the company’s fiber-optic network. Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN), through its CenturyLink subsidiary, provides telephone and internet services for Boca Grande. As late as […]