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LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Island resident gives thanks for historical dictatorial regarding Eldred’s Marina, offers kudos to another

Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.

First off I would like to offer condolences and respect to Mr. Tim Dixon and the family for the loss of his brother Sam. I would also like to say how exquisite and memorable were the series he submitted to the Beacon regarding the history and current state of historic Eldred’s Marina. That was an excellent idea to put into the public record all the trials and tribulations the family has endured. I certainly hope the Charlotte County Commissioners have the grace and decency to decide on behalf of the Dixon family. It’s the only right thing to do after all their years of giving to the community. 

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Red grouper recreational harvest to close in Gulf on August 30

Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.

To the Editor: The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is closing the recreational harvest of red grouper in state waters of the Gulf of Mexico, excluding waters of Monroe County, on August 30 for the remainder of the 2022 fishing season. Harvest will reopen on Jan. 1, 2023.    This closure is consistent […]

Memories of Eldred’s by Tim Dixon: Part III

Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Community History, News.

In 1992 Charlotte County decided to put a public boat ramp on a strip of property they owned along the old railroad bed in Placida. It was an old rail siding that was abandoned when the rail line shut down, and the County had acquired ownership of the property after the train stopped running. The County had built the fishing pier on the old trestle, and this would provide parking for the pier as well as a boat ramp. The property was on the west side of what is now the walk path to the pier, and adjacent to the Mercury Marine test facility. Mercury got wind of it, and they didn’t want people launching boats and parking beside their operation, so they offered to trade the current site of the public ramp for the strip adjacent to their property. Why not just pass that headache to someone else? The County took them up on the proposal and built a boat ramp right beside Eldred’s Marina, then started giving away what the marina was charging for. Now the County was in direct competition with a local business, but they were providing the service for free. Private businesses can’t compete with that. 

Memories of Eldred’s Marina, Part II, Building Barges

Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Community History, News.

My cousin, Linwood Parrish, was living on a houseboat in the marina and working around with Daddy on the island, and Linwood went to see Farrel Davis and obtained a loan to build a new barge. He and Daddy built the barge from 3/4 inch plywood and pressure-treated lumber, then fiberglassed the bottom. They got an old Lyman lap strake boat for a tow boat, and they were back in business. Daddy got a little flat-fender Willys jeep, built a trailer to put behind it, and we were really uptown! No more carrying lumber by hand! Later they bought a military deuce-and-a-half from Englewood Water District, and then came forklifts, tractors and other equipment. Later we added more length to the barge, about 10 feet if I remember correctly.

Tricky stairs and new 18th Street house mulled over by Historic Preservation Board

Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Community History, News.

The first project to come before the Board was the replacement of an outside stairway at 225 Banyan Street. The stairway is on the south side of the house and is referred to as a “double-winder,” which means it has stairs to the right and left of the centerpoint. This is a short stairway, only four steps on each side. The owner wants to replace it with a single stairway directly in front of the doorway. 

First the phone numbers change, now the Community Center hours … what’s next?

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.

According to the Federal Communications Commission, there are 82 affected area codes across the country that have had to be changed, as they all have one thing in common: Their area codes are all similar to or too close to “988,” which is now the established national number for the crisis line. The 82 affected area codes have one thing in common: using 988 as a local exchange, a term that describes the middle digits of a 10-digit phone number (for example: 123-988-1234). Four of those area codes are in Florida: 321, in Brevard County; 352, in north-central Florida; 941, which covers an area from Bradenton to North Port; and 561, in Palm Beach County.

Coach Kiesling, retiring? No, not really

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community, News.

If you were to find ten young adults who grew up in Boca Grande during the 2000s and ask them who the most influential people in their lives were, you can be guaranteed a good number of them would say the name DJ, or “Coach,” Keisling. DJ has been working at the Boca Grande Community Center’s events and summer camp for a very long time … time he has made good use of. The number of young lives he has positively impacted is countless. Not to mention, it just wouldn’t be a proper egg hunt without him there between hunts, throwing candy to the wind with joyous abandon, surrounded by hundreds of young children who look as though they might eat him for brunch if he didn’t step up the pace.

OBITUARY: The woman who loved the water … Bonnie Kay Pringle

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Obituaries.

1964 – 2022 Bonnie Kay Pringle, 58, died on Sunday, July 31 at home in Rotonda. She was born in Punta a on May 8, 1964 to June (Reynolds) and Merril “Buddy” Fulton.Bonnie grew up in Placida, however, where her father was a commercial fisherman. She attended Charlotte County schools and had a natural affinity […]