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Fishery property owners ready to start again after storm

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.

Activity at The Fishery property is threefold in terms of projects that are going on there, but none of them have anything to do with museums, reproductions of buildings that once stood there or mullet netting demonstrations. 

According to Jay Feinberg, the project manager for Placida Point, LLC (owned by his wife, Cookie Potter), rumors that the original plan for a condominium complex has been “scrapped” are untrue. The original plan will be carried out, he said, without the original investors from Integra. In fact, he said they will probably tackle the project all on their own.

Rock gardening at Lemon Creek Wildflower Preserve

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.

Join the folks at Lemon Creek Wildflower Preserve for a rock garden workshop from 9 a.m. to noon on May 31 with Bonnie Stuhlmiller. They will provide the paint, brushes, cocktail napkins, mod podge for decoupage and different types of acrylic pens for group use. Everyone is welcome, though, to bring their personal supplies as well. 

Cell tower schedule shows we might be back in business by August

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.

Big news has been handed down from the Boca Grande Cellphone Tower Committee and tower building company Vertical Bridge. They announced that it is possible we will have a fully operational cellphone tower – a permanent one – by the end of August.

According to Steve Gosnell, vice president of development with Vertical Bridge, they have received word that our tower would be fabricated and ready for delivery by the end of June. Sometime around the 4th of July it would be delivered if the schedule holds true.

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.

THIS DATE IN THE BOCA BEACON

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Columns.

Boca Beacon backpages FIVE YEARS AGO Waylon, Matt and Dan took top honors in the Howl at the Moon Tournament. There were 39 releases in that three-hour tournament. TEN YEARS AGO The new “Love Thy Neighbor” plan proposed by the residents of Gilchrist Avenue seemed to be working … at least for the meeting held […]

Beacon publishers take prestigious Honor Flight to D.C.

Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News.

Cheering crowds, waving flags, photos being taken continuously and hugs for men and women whose only connection was gratitude – that’s how 90 veterans and their “Guardians” were greeted Tuesday evening as the Southwest Florida Honor Flight touched down at Punta Gorda airport.  Among the veterans honored on this flight was Beacon Publisher Dusty Hopkins, […]

Our turtles are coming back!

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.

They’re baa-ack! Those loggerhead friends we know and love have returned to our beaches and have started to nest.

Gasparilla Island Park Ranger Bryon Maxwell has reported five loggerhead nests on Cayo Costa, as well as one loggerhead nest on Gasparilla Island State Park land.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Marty McFadden

Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.

If Marty McFadden refers to someone as “kind of an odd duck,” you know he really enjoys being around them. He always has his ear tuned to hearing the previously untold story and the inside details that bring the real color and flavor to an area, especially if the area is Boca Grande, which he treasures.

Marty recently retired as president of the Boca Grande Historical Society, serving in that role for seven years. The Historical Society is a mecca for “odd ducks” who love history, enjoy a good retelling of an event, and don’t mind sharing little known details. Marty feels at home among them and privileged to be part of the history inner circle.

IT’S GONE

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

The Whispering Bench is gone. Early Saturday morning heavy equipment operators came and began to gouge it out of the earth, while Boca Grande residents gathered around and did their best to protest it. Some tried to block the way of the equipment. Others tried to climb on the equipment. There were epithets thrown, as well as more than one projectile.
Someone in the crowd was heard to say, “They just started a war.”
It’s not as much about the bench as it is about the mentality of those who are moving here. Many of these are people who don’t know or care about the island’s rich history and, more to the point, they don’t know about how things have been done around here for almost 150 years.
But it didn’t matter in the end; the job was done.