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NHR proposal discussion heats up at Wednesday meeting: BGHPB votes against Historic Register nomination for a second time in 4-2 vote

At left, Dennis Ross offered up some visual aids to argue for the NHR proposal. Photo by Susan H BY SUSAN HANAFEE – Supporters of the proposal to include a portion of Boca Grande’s residential historic district on the National Register of Historic Places brought out the big guns from Gilchrist Avenue on Wednesday, March […]

PROFILE: Tom Cross

BY T MICHELE WALKER – When Dos Equis beer created their “Most Interesting Man in the World” advertising campaign, the ads featured a bearded, debonair gentleman with voiceovers that were both humorous and outrageous. Boca Grande has its own version of that icon in Tom Cross, who gives him a run for his money.  Born […]

EDITORIAL: The GICIA turns 50 years old

SUBMITTED BY THE GICIA – As the Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association celebrates its 50th Anniversary working to preserve island life, it is the perfect time to reflect on its beginning. In the late 60s there were fewer than 500 homes on Gasparilla Island. The zoning regulations, at that time, allowed for high rise […]

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: The last resort?

To the Editor, “… some rich men came and raped the land, nobody caught’em. Put up a bunch of ugly boxes, and Jesus, people bought’em. They called it paradise the place to be. They watched the hazy sun sinking in the sea…”  – The Eagles When I drove past the property at 13000 Gasparilla Road […]

What to do with a 300-pound deceased sea turtle

BY TONYA BRAMLAGE – One of the most amazing aspects of living on the beach on Gasparilla Island is to see sea turtles coming up to nest on our beaches. While only a few people have been lucky enough to witness that, or a clutch of sea turtles emerging from their sandy nests, many more […]

GICIA approves landscape beautification plan

SUBMITTED BY THE GICIA – The Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association continues its 50th Anniversary Celebration by announcing plans for a landscape enhancement project for the Charlotte County portion of GICIA Bike Path. The GICIA Board approved project will commence with the beginning of the rainy season in late May or early June. The […]

National Historic Register responses to BGHPB inquiry show less enchantment, more disfavor for proposal

BY SUSAN HANAFEE – Emails opposing the inclusion of a major portion of historic downtown Boca Grande into the National Register of Historic Places are pouring into the Historic Preservation Board’s mailbox ahead of a public meeting on the issue next month.  “At this point, based on the emails we are receiving, many more people […]

Syble Sez

SUBMITTED BY THE BOCA GRANDE HISTORICAL SOCIETY – The Boca Beacon’s of the early 1980s included a column called “Syble Sez” based on local news of social events, business openings, family visitors, marriages, new babies and general gossip. Syble was Syble Futch who shared bar tending duties at The Temptation with Doris Wheeler where she […]