Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: Charlotte County Emergency Communications Centers are requesting assistance from the public in relation to their cellular devices and 911 accidental calls. Charlotte County has seen a 33% increase in 911 calls compared to the same time in 2022. Much of this increase is believed to be related to a cellular phone operating […]
Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in Education, News.
Island School, Boca Grande Preschool hold graduation ceremonies and other festivities
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
As they headed home on the waters of Boca Grande Pass last Saturday night, Hugh Potter and his friends Braden Dolphin, Grady Abbott and Brandt Cataldo were pretty sure they had won the Gasparilla Island Kids Classic with their five releases. There’s always that bit of trepidation that stops one from completely believing it’s true until you’re standing on stage receiving the awards. Not to mention, Grady caught that fifth fish just minutes before the tournament ended, when radio traffic in the Pass was pretty crazy.
Eventually, of course, they were on that stage. Out of 21 boats and 78 anglers, they were the four who made it to the big time … maybe with a little help from Capt. Travis Joiner on their boat, “Family Tradition.”
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community History, News.
The Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board has just one item on the agenda this month for their meeting at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, June 14 in the Community Center auditorium, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be brief. The saga of the property at 161/181 Gilchrist Avenue, owned by the Adam family of Texas, continues with a discussion about the validity of attempting to name a tree there as historic.
At the Board’s last meeting, one of their members, Becky Paterson, expressed concern for the banyan tree on the east side of the property by the sidewalk known to some as “The Octopus Tree.” It was named as such back in the 1920s and ’30s by the island children who used to climb it.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Boca Beacon Back Pages, Columns.
Boca Beacon backpages FIVE YEARS AGO “Faithful II” took first place in the Gasparilla Island Kids Classic, and Kris Boyden was just about done with deadly objects falling from the sky around her shop downtown. Workers on the tower were leaving things up there, which would inevitably fall. TEN YEARS AGO The Tarpon Queen […]
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: Hurricane season has finally arrived, and as you share advice with your readers to best prepare them, there is one simple step they can take to help keep them safe and avoid making a difficult situation worse – contacting 811. Repairing damage after a storm seems like a harmless action, but […]
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: The Lee Board of County Commissioners voted Tuesday to approve two measures to assist people affected by Hurricane Ian with housing needs. The Board voted to approve an amendment to the 2023-2026 Local Housing Assistance Plan for demolition and reconstruction of single-family homes occupied by income-qualified households. This strategy includes elevating existing […]
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a Health Alert for the presence of harmful blue-green algal toxins in Caloosahatchee River – Fort Myers Shores. Residents and visitors are advised to take the following precautions: Do not drink, swim, wade, use personal watercraft, water ski or boat in waters […]
Written by Delores Savas on . Posted in Columns.
This year the United Nations hosted a celebration of the annual World Oceans Day on June 8, using that little as its theme for the special day.
In 1992, the concept for what was then called a World Ocean Day was proposed to the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro to celebrate our world’s shared oceans and our personal connection to the sea, as well as to raise awareness about the crucial role the oceans play in our life and the important ways people can help protect them.
Boca Grande Webcam See the blue-green water of the Gulf of Mexico and the one-mile stretch of beach at Gasparilla Island State Park for yourself. You’ll be right next to the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse Museum built in 1890. Boca Grande Webcam provided by Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau, Barrier Island Parks Society and […]