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Barrier islands show rental inventory rebounding steadily

Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community.

Rental inventory in Boca Grande and on other nearby islands, like Palm Island, is gradually coming back on line, almost a year after the storm.

“We feel kind of lucky compared to our neighbors to the south,” said Robin Madden, an owner/broker at Islander Properties, a leasing firm for properties on Palm Island. She represents individual houses there, and not the resort, which is a separate operation.

This summer, for instance, Lee Board of County Commissioners voted to waive tolls on the Sanibel Causeway for six consecutive Sundays to support a “Savor the Shore” campaign organized by the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau.

Locals could do more on Lemon Bay Scenic Byway

Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community, News.

The two approach roads to Boca Grande, namely Gasparilla Road and Placida Road, are both part of one of 27 Florida Scenic Byways. Officially called the Lemon Bay/Myakka Traill Scenic Byway, the honorific status promotes and celebrates “cultural, historic, archaeological, recreational, natural and scenic aspects” of the entrance to Boca Grande. A key part of […]

PROFILE: Amy Cyr

Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.

Amy Cyr loves music, and she has since she was very young. Now she has joined The Island School as its music teacher, and she hopes to pass that love on to the young people there. 

Amy is excited about her new position at The Island School, and she feels it is the ideal place for her. 

“I’ve never really wanted to overextend myself to the point where I’m not giving my best to anything. You know, it’s easy to get like that when you want to have your hands in so many different things – you’re not giving your best to any of them. So, I’ve never pursued a full 9 to 5, because I work at night a lot and I’m a stay-at-home mom. Because The Island School is a smaller school, the schedule works out a lot better for me than a traditional K –12 public school. So it was an ideal situation, especially now, with both of my children being in school full-time. That opens up a brand new world. Now I have 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.open; it’s completely different.”

Historical Society to take over care of veterans’ marker on 5th Street

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community History.

There’s a little-known memorial in Boca Grande that is about to get some much-needed love and care. It is the Veterans’ Memorial at the corner of Gilchrist and 5th St., by the entrance to The Gasparilla Inn’s Beach Club parking lot. 

There is a flagpole and flags there, but the memorial plaque is gone from the white monument. 

While it is currently unmarked, that is about to change with some help from the Boca Grande Historical Society, Lee County and other organizations that feel there should be an upgrade to the marker. 

Boca Grande Historical Society’s Executive Director Crystal Diff said details are still under wraps, since they are being finalized, but an official dedication is being planned for Veterans Day.

Fixing the island’s low points: High water worries continue on north, south end

Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community, News.

Since Hurricane Ian, Boca Grande has seen a dry year. Of course, that could change at any time. 

After hurricanes or, really, any big rainstorm, there are a few areas of the island that flood – namely at the north end of the island along Gasparilla Road and on the southern end of the island, including Gulf Boulevard at the Gasparilla Island Light and the very south tip of the island.

Depending on the depth of the water, residents with taller SUVs and pickups can plow through the standing water, as they clear about over 10 inches. Cars today, however, can only clear about six inches.

THIS DATE IN THE BOCA BEACON

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

FIVE YEARS AGO Crowder Gulf, a name we know and love from Hurricane Ian cleanup, was on our beaches cleaning up dead fish from red tide. TEN YEARS AGO The first cars went over the new center bridge on August 1, 2013. The Boca Beacon published the first Gasparilla Gazette, newly purchased from the Breeze […]

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Commissioners approve creation of 23 community development positions, funds for families

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 the immediate creation of 23 new positions within the Department of Community Development to address increasing building permit volumes.

Increased permitting volumes are projected to continue over the next several years as Lee County’s population continues to grow and as residents continue to rebuild following Hurricane Ian. From Oct. 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023, Staff accepted 72,516 permit applications, 45,411 of which were identified by the applicant as being hurricane-related. Staff issued 68,362 permits, 43,006 of which were identified by the applicant as being hurricane-related.

In the same period, 207,056 inspections were requested and 131,323 inspections were completed, of which 108,831 were hurricane-related.

Cutting the Gordian Knot that is the Boca Grande cell tower

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.

Another chapter has been written in the ongoing “Gordian Knot” saga of the Boca Grande cell phone tower, as this week cell tower committee members have announced that Lee County has finally issued a demolition permit for the Bakery Building. 

At the same time, the committee has had contractors come out to look at the wall between the bakery and The Barnichol Hardware, to determine if it is possible to start construction on the new cell tower base while the building still stands.

It wasn’t days after Hurricane Ian hit the island hard on September 28, 2022 when cellular services started putting up COWs on the island. These Cells on Wheels were placed in the middle of town, as well as one at the north end. There are no COWs south of 1st Street. Even with the COWs, service has been unreliable for many for 10 months now, with some people – primarily on the south end of the island – having no service at all.

New airlines make for breezier visits, fewer stopovers

Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in News.

In the last few years, new airlines serving Southwest Florida have meant hundreds of new direct flights and cheaper fares – as cheap as a Greyhound bus fare in the 1980s.  For Boca Grande residents like Anne Honey, one can now take a direct flight – at a discount and in a new plane – […]