Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, News.
For more than 75 years, the Boca Grande Woman’s Club has consistently fulfilled its mission of community improvement through contributions to community projects, local non-profit organizations, and local scholars. The Club is grateful for the support and generous contributions of island residents and businesses in achieving the Club’s mission. In response to Hurricanes Helene and […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
Charlotte County will re-landscape Gasparilla Road, in an ordinance passed on April 8 at their regular meeting’s consent agenda. The landscape plan for County Road 771, which will be on the four-lane part of the highway from McCall Road, will cost $621,829.98, with a contract from Brightview Landscaping Services, Inc. The landscape design by Johnson […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Featured News, News.
At the quarterly meeting of the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority, Executive Director Kathy Banson reported Wednesday, April 23 that traffic was down 8 percent this year, though there was a record day on March 19, when there were 5,635 vehicles in one day. Bridge openings are also down 33 percent, averaging about three a day. […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Breaking News, Community, Events, News.
There will be an open forum on the Lee County’s proposed parking regulations on Tuesday, May 13, at Lighthouse United Methodist Church. It will be an opportunity for all to hear about the issue. The forum is at 2 p.m. County staff and elected officials have been invited to speak on the proposed ordinance. Also […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Breaking News, News, Sports & Outdoors.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE Gasparilla Island is scheduled for a Lee County and federal beach renourishment this fall. It is unclear, however, how much a potential change in parking or public access for the beach due to a possible new Lee County parking ordinance will affect the federal funds for the project. Gasparilla Island, like beaches […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Breaking News, News.
On Wednesday, the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority voted to harden the islands around its bridges and roadway to prevent further deterioration in the event of a future hurricane. “One thing the board takes very seriously is maintaining access to the island,” said George Milne, engineering chair for the authority. “We know where a lot of […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Opinion.
BY ALICE GORMAN One of the results of living and caring about a small community for many years is the awareness that certain complicated and difficult issues seem to never be permanently resolved. As a visitor to Boca Grande when my parents settled here in 1971 and a winter resident myself for the past 25 […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community History.
FIVE YEARS AGO COVID-19 was in full swing and the World’s Richest Tarpon Tournament for 2020 had been canceled. TEN YEARS AGO The Downtown Beautification Project continued with three benches with palms and bamboo plantings alongside them on both sides of the Post Office. sFIFTEEN YEARS AGO The pain was felt by anyone trying to […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Real Estate.
Recently, some residents have had questions to the Beacon about a new fence built in the Boca Grande Historic District just off Gilchrist, on the beachfront. The lattice fence has not gone through the Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board in the last year; it was a replacement for a wall damaged in fall hurricanes. The […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
Bridge meeting The Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority Board of Supervisors will be conducting a Finance Committee meeting on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, at 1 p.m. in the GIBA administration building. Agenda topics include long-term cash flow projections. The board will also be conducting a Quarterly Board Meeting on Wednesday April 23, 2025, at 1 p.m. […]