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Hurricane Ian book features Boca Beacon article about Little Gasparilla Island

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community History.

Gulf Coast Writers Association Inc. (GWCA), Southwest Florida’s 28-year-old meeting ground for writers, editors and their associates, announced today that Leoma Lovegrove, internationally-known artist whose work is in the collections of the Carter and George W. Bush Presidential Libraries, has painted the artwork for the cover of “Storm Stories – Hurricane Ian,” its anthology of personal experiences during the storm as recounted by local residents and photographers. The book is planned for publication on September 1.

The Boca Beacon will be featured in the book, with a story that ran not long after the storm, called “This may be our slice of paradise, but putting it back together will be no piece of cake.”

Beacon/Gasparilla Island Magazine staff brings home 15 awards

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.

The Boca Beacon/Gasparilla Island Magazine staff attended the Florida Press Association and Florida Magazine Association awards ceremony last Friday, July 21 at The Westin in Sarasota and came home with 15 awards. Out of more than 1,200 entries in the Florida Press Association “Better Weekly Newspaper” contest, our little newspaper took nine awards. Editor Marcy […]

The saga of ‘The Forgotten Ones’ at Gasparilla Mobile Estates continues …

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, News.

More developments have unfolded in the Gasparilla Mobile Estates controversy and they are just as strange as the ones that preceded them. Residents have a new eviction notice, a new reason given by the property owner for them to leave and a big difference in appraisal amounts.

Mike Leslie, a resident of the little community just off island, has been watching closely what happens to his southern property while he’s at his home in Michigan. He is doing everything in his power to make sure that the people of the park can be allowed to keep their homes. It is a constant battle, to be sure, as they face a new challenge almost every week.

Gasparilla Pines Pathway to connect two Cape Haze preserves

Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community, News.

A new sidewalk and drainage program on Cape Haze will connect the Lemon Bay Conservancy’s Lemon Creek Wildflower Preserve and Charlotte County’s Amberjack Environmental Park. The project, called the Gasparilla Pines Pathway, is slated for completion on March 29, 2024. 

The Pathway’s right-of-way has just been cleared of trash left there from nearby mobile homes and illegal dumping after Hurricane Ian. Irene Slattery, vice president of the Lemon Bay Conservancy, said that the trash was dumped “from the intersection over to our gate.” 

The budget for the Pathway is $727,900, paid for by Charlotte County’s Placida Street and Drainage Municipal Service Benefit Unit, or MSBU. The design engineer and project architect is Johnson Engineering.

‘The Gateway Project’ to Gasparilla Island discussed by the Boca Grande Disaster Relief Fund

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

Upon taking that first journey onto the island on the heels of Hurricane Ian, there are sights that were seen that many will never forget. The tall pines down across the Boca Grande Causeway after the middle bridge. Homes ripped wide apart. The lake of water at the base of the south bridge, stretching all the way past the Gulf Shores Drive and the Boca Grande Club. 

But it was the trees that came down across from Grande Quay that made so many so sad. One didn’t realize their size and girth until they were seen laying with their tips in the lake and their massive root systems exposed. These trees that lined the west side of the Causeway road were pulled up by the roots as if a giant had come through and picked them like weeds. Their root balls lining the roadway were 20 feet tall and 30 feet wide.

Celebrating the Gasparilla Island Lighthouse

Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News.

The Gasparilla Island Lighthouse is open for business again. The historic structure was seriously damaged during Hurricane Ian, but with the help of many groups and individuals, it has been restored and is open again to the public.
A grand ribbon-cutting officially marked the Lighthouse’s return on Saturday, April 22. Sharon McKenzie, the Barrier Island Parks Society’s executive director, thanked the many people who helped make the return happen in a timely way. That included the Florida Lighthouse Association, Island TV and the Boca Grande Disaster Relief Fund, overseen by the Lighthouse United Methodist Church, as well as all the people of the community who contributed to the fund.

Gasparilla Island Lighthouse about to get a facelift

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.

Ian has taken a terrible toll on the island and all the communities surrounding it, but together we are stronger, and it shows through the generous support BIPS has received from donors, members, granting agencies and our volunteers. Barrier Island Parks Society gives their deepest thanks to all the donors who gave to the Boca Grande Disaster Fund, as well as the Lee County Tourist Development Council, Florida Lighthouse Association, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, the Boca Grande Woman’s Club and its volunteers. It is your support to BIPS and your service to our community that helps give us strength.

Banyan Gasparilla Sound turning a new page in their playbook to cope with supply and demand after storm

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.

“Following the devastation of Hurricane Ian, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily postpone the development of Banyan Gasparilla Sound, as all available resources, labor and materials should be directed toward the community’s ongoing recovery efforts,” he said. “We greatly appreciate the support and enthusiasm we received from our buyers and are grateful to our partners and all of those who played a role in this project.”