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THIS DATE IN THE BOCA BEACON

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Columns, Community History.

FIVE YEARS AGO The Pink Pony got that really cool machine that presses pennies into different designs.  TEN YEARS AGO Ed Seale passed away, a true Southern gentleman who helped shape Gasparilla Island with his real estate company. FIFTEEN YEARS AGO A company that was looking into purchasing the old Mercabo facility wanted to put […]

We knew it would be bad, but …OUCH

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.

In some cases, insurance premiums are up 400 percent on island homes for fiscal year 2022-23  Everyone has been aware of the unavoidable insurance premium increase that would come after Hurricane Ian, but one Gasparilla Island couple was so flummoxed by their recent renewal premium, they see this as a game changer for many residents […]

Island chef arrested for DUI, driving while suspended and more 

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Police & Fire.

The actions of one local man erratically driving drunk last Friday, Dec. 9, could have had a much worse outcome than it did.  According to witnesses, that day at approximately 7:30 a.m. Timmie Carroll Spain, 49, of Port Charlotte was northbound on Gasparilla Road and allegedly ran several people off the road in the Lee […]

OBITUARY: Dennis Oller remembered …

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Obituaries.

There are many people who love Boca Grande. There are a lucky few who are from Boca Grande. But there are some people who are Boca Grande. Dennis Oller was one of those people.  His love of the island began when he moved here at the age of 9, in 1966, and it continued until […]

Swayze is back for her 33rd annual studio party in a brand-new location

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.

Carroll Swayze will hold her 33rd Annual Studio Party on Saturday, Dec. 17 from 2 to 10 p.m. at 201 Greencove Rd., Venice. Everyone is invited.  This is Carroll’s annual holiday extravaganza and “once a year” art sale, but this year the location of the party is at the new Carroll Swayze Studio There will […]

Meet the balloon girls, Hollie and Gladys

Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News.

Sometimes, those grade school projects can turn into something very special. For Gladys Stiness of Englewood and Hollie Tomko, of Napanee, Indiana, it became an unlikely friendship that has already lasted 40 years. Hollie was eight years old, learning to write a formal letter. To add interest to the lesson, the teacher had the students […]

OBITUARY: Barbara Patricia Haynes Witham

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Obituaries.

Barbara (Barbie) Patricia Haynes Witham, beloved mother, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt and cousin, passed away peacefully on December 4, 2022 at the Sussman House in Rockport, Maine. She was 77. She was born on September 13, 1945 in Portland, Maine, the third of three girls to Linwood and Barbara (Frazee) Haynes. Educated in Bath, Maine, […]