Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, News.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE With a considerable population increase in Florida in the last five years, more and more Florida beach towns are being forced to consider what their options are as far as parking for their “destination” locations, specifically beaches and the more tourist-driven areas. It’s difficult to compare the situation in Boca Grande – […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in News.
Currently, the Boca Beacon is waiting on a public records request from Lee County to get a better understanding of what is happening with a proposed parking ordinance. This week, we were made aware that a Boca Grande resident, opposed to the possible restrictions, had also asked for and received over 600 pages of emails […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Entertainment, Events, News, Sports & Outdoors.
Excitement is brewing as anglers and artists prepare for the 2025 “World’s Richest” Tarpon Tournament and the Annual Boca Grande Tarpon Festival May 13 to 16 in downtown Boca Grande. The Tarpon Festival marks the beginning of tarpon season and celebrates the return of the fish to Boca Grande Pass. The island is preparing for […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, News.
Fundraising continues for a new house for a sheriff’s deputy house on Gasparilla Island. This week, over $55,000 came in, with a total of approximately $190,000 raised so far. Last week, $76,000 was raised. “We are making good progress,” said Larry Hannah, one of the members of the Boca Grande Disaster Fund who is working […]
Written by Anna Ridilla on . Posted in Breaking News, Community History, News, Sports & Outdoors.
The Barrier Island Parks Society (BIPS) will reopen the historic Port Boca Grande Lighthouse and Museum at Gasparilla Island State Park on Monday, May 5 after nearly eight months of closure due to hurricane damage. Nestled at the southern tip of Gasparilla Island, the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse, originally built in 1890, has withstood the […]
Written by Anna Ridilla on . Posted in Breaking News, News, Sports & Outdoors.
Charlotte County environmental specialists have posted a bird nesting area at the north end of Gasparilla Island in front of Island Court, but numbers have been unusually low due to human disruption. Susie Derheimer, coastal environmental specialist for Charlotte County Community Services, has observed one adult least tern on a nest and five other individuals […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, News.
The Lighthouse UMC Pancake Breakfast Team got together to celebrate the end of another successful Pancake Breakfast Season. The breakfast cleared $4,000 which will go to Myakka River Elementary School Food Pantry. The fearless leaders Dan O’Connell and Becca deRosa received the coveted “Golden Pancake Medalla de Oro” for their work. Master Chef Extraordinaire Dan […]
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: It is hard to dispute that the residential roadways of Boca Grande have become overwhelmed with parked cars. The issue has increased steadily, to the point that the streets in our historic district between 1st and 19th Streets have become completely full of cars, and cars have begun filling up not only […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, Opinion, Sports & Outdoors.
Taking on a cleaner island, honoring a friend BY NANCY LECKERLING Twenty-five years ago, when my husband Jon and I were considering the purchase of a home on Captiva Island, a friend of ours, Anna Bowditch, who lived in Madison, Conn., where we did, and who loved Boca Grande, said to us, “Before you buy […]
Written by Delores Savas on . Posted in Columns, Sports & Outdoors.
“The whales do not sing because they have an answer they sing because they have a song.” Gregory Colbert, poet, filmmaker, photographer There are recent reports that AI has helped scientists have a 20-minute conversation with a humpback whale, and that might help them decipher what the whales are singing. It will open up a […]