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Community Center groups listening carefully as they develop future plans

Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in News.

For several years now, groups that use the Community Center facilities, especially high-use groups, have been talking about making improvements:  The Historical Society needs more space; Royal Palm Players needs a better back stage; Friends would like more comfortable seating and high-tech equipment in the auditorium; Boca Bargains needs more space; the duplicate bridge group needs space; The Island School needs a little more space and a dedicated room for lunch and after-school programs; all groups could benefit from a dedicated meeting room. This list goes on and on.

What would be needed is to restore and renovate all that is wonderful (that includes leaving the exterior of our buildings as they are), and modernizing the guts of the entire facility, addressing issues such as ADA compliance, HVAC shortcomings, technology challenges and opportunities, and general needs for more and better space. After all, some 34 island organizations use the Community Center at one time or another during a season.

Recycled oyster shells to create new reef in Charlotte Harbor

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.

On Thursday, May 18 Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) Florida partnered with Ingman Marine, Abbott Construction, Lee Reefs, Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association (GICIA), Capt. Jay Withers, Clermont Oyster Bar, Oyster Boys Conservation and Lake County to deploy oyster shells in Charlotte Harbor’s Turtle Bay in an effort to boost water quality, marine fisheries and recreational angling.

The oysters were hauled from CCA Florida’s Oyster Recycling Program in Lake County and transported to Placida. The oysters will be loaded onto a barge, provided by Abbott Construction, and deployed in Turtle Bay at a pre-permitted location.

ResilientLee takes the stage at Boca Grande Community Center

Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News.

This week, Boca Grande was added to the communities in Lee County being asked for input on how well the County has been doing in response to Hurricane Ian.  Every city in the county, and several planning areas of unincorporated parts of the county – such as Boca Grande – are being asked by the […]

Parks & Rec director gone, word of new replacement still pending

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.

Lee County Parks & Recreation Supervisor Jesse Kanuch has left his position at the Boca Grande Community Center, leaving many wondering what will happen next. According to Lee County, it’s just business as usual.

According to Communications Director Betsy Clayton, they have sent a replacement to temporarily take Kanuch’s place. All scheduling, she said, will still be done by Parks and Recreation.

Youth fishing tournament this Saturday, May 20

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.

Lee County Parks and Recreation and the Boca Beacon will sponsor another youth fishing event this Saturday, May 20 beginning at 9 a.m. at the Boca Grande North Fishing Pier (the road behind Kappy’s Market). There is no fee to enter, and all children up to the age of 14 are welcome to participate. Bring […]

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Sign now, says 1,000 Friends

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

To the Editor: Governor DeSantis has only days left to VETO the “Sprawl Bill”, SB 540. SB 540 would threaten ordinary Floridians with financial ruin for exercising their right to legally challenge amendments that conflict with their communities’ comprehensive plans. Floridians who lost such challenges could be forced to pay the attorney fees and costs […]

Clinic demo, expansion plans denied by BGHPB

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.

It was easy to see that the Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board didn’t want to make the decision they felt they had to make on Wednesday, May 10 at their monthly meeting. The proposal was from the Boca Grande Health Clinic to demolish the old Annex building and to build a new building approximately four times the size of the old one – weighing in at 13,299 square feet. After a series of pointed questions directed to several Clinic representatives, though, they had to deny the Certificate of Appropriateness based on two criteria within the Boca Grande Historic District Design Guidelines, specifically addressing the mass and scale of the proposed building and its height.

The reasons given officially to the county were submitted as, “Although the Board did not object to the form or materials proposed for the proposed office, it found that the height of the structure is too large for the immediate block of surrounding residences. The proposal is therefore not consistent with Guideline 4.1. The Board finds that the proposed structure exceeds both the mass and scale of the block and therefore is not consistent with Guideline 4.3.”

New golf cart ordinance in limbo as DeSantis weighs his decision

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.

On Wednesday, May 11 Gov. Ron DeSantis had a bill on his desk that could affect Gasparilla Island in a big way. House Bill 949 is all about golf cart use and the requirements needed to operate one. As of Wednesday morning DeSantis issued a statement saying he was favorably inclined toward signing it.

The bill would require a golf cart driver to be 16 with a learners permit or drivers license or 18 and up. Drivers of all ages would be required to have a government-issued ID of some sort.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Toni Vanover

Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.

It is a common myth that librarians are quiet, dull, and living in a world of fiction most of the time. If that is the image you have, Toni Vanover, Boca Grande’s librarian for the last 20 years, will quickly dispel it. She is funny, clever, and extremely smart. She loves people even more than she loves learning and sharing knowledge, and that says a lot, because those are things that really get her going.

Toni had not intended to be a librarian. It was more like a calling. After growing up in Staten Island, New York, she decided to go to George Washington University, in Washington, D.C., to become a diplomat or work in the Peace Corps.