Written by VAN HUBBARD on . Posted in Columns, Sports & Outdoors.
Please consider that water quality issues have reduced fish stocks, and the significant influx of residents and visitors has reduced water quality. Businesses are eager to grab all this easy-growth money, but when the scales flip how do we deal with the mess? Can we afford to continue trashing our natural resources? I don’t believe […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Editorial, News.
Wednesday, the Lee County Board of Commissioners again revisited the issue of Boca Grande parking. When the much discussed “plan” will be presented is unclear, but the Board has meetings on Oct. 2 and Oct. 16. Will we get to see a plan a week before the meeting, something that will affect all the businesses, […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Columns, News, Sports & Outdoors.
BY ARLENE HALL, BGSTA SECRETARY Only 17 nests remain as of September 14! Of those, 14 are loggerhead and three are green turtle nests. Since September 8, we have seen eight nests either hatch or reach the 70-day incubation mark and be closed. Some of these nests were inventoried per the sampling strategy determined by […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, Events, News, Sports & Outdoors.
The 2024 International Coastal Beach Cleanup on Boca Grande will take place from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21 at the 7th Street Beach and the Gasparilla Island Lighthouse. The cleanup is hosted by the Barrier Island Parks Society (BIPS), in partnership with Keep Lee County Beautiful. This year marks the 37th […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
On Monday, September 23, 2024, the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority will be performing shoulder work on the Center Bridge. The work will begin at 9 a.m. and is expected to be completed by the end of the workday. Traffic will be restricted to one lane and travelers should slow down and expect delays. The Authority […]
Written by Anna Ridilla on . Posted in Breaking News, Community History, News, Real Estate.
The red-tile roofed estate just north of Fifth Street known as the Hacienda, has new signs for its restoration, courtesy of its contractor, Sarasota-based Ball Construction, Inc. Ron Marcotte of Ball was meeting with the owners last week. The Beacon reached out to Ball, but they were unable to comment. The firm has a longtime […]
Written by Anna Ridilla on . Posted in Breaking News, Community, News.
At the regular Lee County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 17, Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass raised a Commissioner’s Item about the status of parking decisions in Boca Grande. Board Vice Chairman Kevin Ruane was voted to lead a structured parking initiative back in 2022, and again in June of this year. “I know, […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles, Sports & Outdoors.
Happy endings can happen any time. Robert Walker, field superintendent for the Gasparilla Island Water Association, is a big believer in keeping the story going until that happy ending appears. Working at GIWA is a case in point. Before he was hired by his long-time friend, Ron Bolton, who is executive director of GIWA, Robert […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Columns, News, Sports & Outdoors.
BY ARLENE HALL, BGSTA SECRETARY As of September 7, the Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association’s (BGSTA) “completion countdown” is at 25 nests. 21 of those are loggerhead nests and four are green turtle nests. While five nests were cleared off the countdown since my last report, only one of them had hatched last week. During […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
In August, the Coastal Conservation Association Florida partnered with Ingman Marine, Abbott Construction, Lee Reefs, Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association (GICIA), Capt. Jay Withers, Clermont Oyster Bar and Lake County, to deploy two dump truckloads of recycled oyster shells to Turtle Bay in the Cape Haze Aquatic Reserve. Turtle Bay is located on Cape […]