Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community, Editorial.
When people get worked up and annoyed about the issues of parking in Boca Grande, one concept that comes up, over and over again, is consistency in application. Fairness. The emblem of this issue is the peculiar Boca Grande iteration, the curb lawn. The “curb lawn” is a fancy way of putting things in the […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Featured News, Police & Fire, Profiles.
Sarah Cislo grew up with sisters, but she seems to have a good handle on working in what is usually a “man’s world.” Sarah is one of two new firefighters at the Boca Grande Fire Department. She is the first woman to work as a regular member of the firefighter/EMT crew … and she’s loving […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Featured News, News.
The Boca Beacon has a guide to parking spaces across the island HERE, with state, local and town parking spots, and a map of public beach access points as of 2025. Currently, Lee County is proposing to effectively shut down beach parking on the island, to just over 200 places. There would be two-hour free […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
Calls and notifications to Lee County Code Enforcement from the last month were dominated by unpermitted beach stairs and sea turtle lighting violations. From May 14 to June 13, there were 21 “dune walkover” certified notices sent about new stairs without a permit. There were a total of 47 issues related to turtle lighting violations, […]
Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in Obituaries.
Henry Lee Elwood, 89, passed away surrounded by family in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on June 9, 2024. Beloved father, grandfather, uncle and friend, Henry was true to Cresco through and through; he was humble and loyally committed to small businesses in and around Cresco. In the religious community, he was a testament to his faith […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Breaking News, Community History, News.
Charlotte County has received a preliminary report on the fate of the Placida Bunkhouse, a 1907 cottage used to house the railroad workers of the Charlotte Harbor & Northern Railroad. “It was kind of a mixed bag,” said Charlotte County Commissioner Joe Tiseo, who has, by default, taken a leadership role in the project. “We […]
Written by Anna Ridilla on . Posted in Breaking News, Community, News.
Amid the parking discussion that is once again dominating Boca Grande, many in the commercial district are concerned about how they might be affected by proposed parking limits. Last Tuesday, June 4, Commissioner and Vice Chairman Kevin Ruane brought a “Commissioners’ Item” to the regularly scheduled meeting, detailing his plan to work toward a parking […]
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
How will parking proposal affect town residents? To the Editor: Thank you for your editorial regarding parking and supporting everyone’s input. In regards to the proposal requiring a 2-hour limit for parking in the “commercial district,” I would like to remind Mr. Ruane that people actually live on Park Avenue. In our building alone there are […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Editorial.
This weekend on Gasparilla Island was not a major holiday, just a plain old summer weekend. The weather was clear, and visitors came, while so many of our regulars have gone home. The tarpon crowd kept restaurants busy Saturday night. In the story of parking, it was a tale of two places, one Gilchrist Avenue, […]
Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in Community, Featured News, Letters to the Editor, News.
BY BRENT CROSS, PRESIDENT, THE GASPARILLA INN Editor’s note: Wednesday, The Gasparilla Inn sent a Letter to the Editor concerning parking in Boca Grande. The letter, from President and General Manager Brent Cross, is below: Serving as both residents and business owners, we recognize the importance of addressing parking concerns while preserving the unique characteristics […]