Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, Featured News, News.
Two rare Neiman serigraphs will be auctioned off at the YMCA 27th Annual Tropical Nights fundraiser on November 18, 2023. The event kicks off at 5 p.m. at Palm Island Resort. Cocktails and gourmet dinner catered by Rum Bay Restaurant will accompany a live and silent auction featuring many other items including local artwork, vacation packages, golf, […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News.
Hurricane Idalia effectively ended the sea turtle nesting season this year, much like Hurricane Ian did last year. The good news is that most of the nesting season was already completed before either storm hit the area.
This season the number of nests and hatchlings was down from 2022, according to Denise Juergens, marine turtle permit holder for the Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association (BGSTA), which covers the entire island except for the state park properties. She said, however, that there was good news with this year’s final tally of nests and hatchlings.
“This year the depredation rate in our nests went from roughly 47 percent in 2022 to 12 percent,” she said.
Depredation is the disturbance of the nests and hatchlings by dogs, seabirds, raccoons, ghost crabs and other predators. On Gasparilla Island, most of the destruction is done by coyotes, Juergens said.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Health & Wellness, News.
There was a lot of information to cover at the first Boca Grande Health Clinic “Welcome Back to the Island” webinar” on Thursday, Oct. 26. The doctors spoke about updates at the Clinic in technology, numbers and vaccinations. Fire Chief C.W. Blosser discussed emergency medical information and varying levels of emergency care. But the most intriguing part of the presentation was made by Clinic Executive Director Mark Driscoll and others, discussing their newest plan for the second renovation proposal that will go before Lee County and the Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board in the future.
After their initial plan was denied by the Historic Preservation Board in May of last year by a unanimous vote, Driscoll said the Clinic Foundation members have been listening to the people of the island, as have been the doctors. They’ve heard many comments, such as that the building was too big, there were too many entrances and exits, they didn’t like the windows and that there would be parking problems with a bigger facility.
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in News.
As fall visitors arrive and winter visitors begin to make plans, local tourism officials are looking for good news as vacation rentals come back on line.
“I think we are seeing some pent-up demand,” said Sean Doherty, the tourism director for Charlotte County tourism, which is branded the Punta Gorda and Englewood Beach Convention and Visitor Bureau.
Looking at Charlotte County’s tourism development tax revenues, in August the county saw its first actual increase in revenue since Hurricane Ian, with an upward blip of 0.7 percent. TDC revenue is derived from the lodging tax, which is assessed on any rental of less than six months and one day. These bed tax funds support both the Charlotte County and Lee County visitor bureaus.
Rental properties coming back on the market on Don Pedro and Little Gasparilla are also helping Charlotte tourism figures, as many were off market after Ian, Doherty said.
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
Increasing development and the importance of local tarpon and snook populations have spurred a $1.2 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that will specifically target Charlotte Harbor.
“These are very specific needs of a very specific fish,” said Nicole Iadevaia, director of research and restoration for the Coastal & Heartland National Estuary Partnership. CHNEP is working on the project with a team that includes the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Charlotte County government.
The study is unique in that it takes into consideration economic development, and asks for “realistic options for implementing habitat protection or restoration.” It is officially titled “Implementation of a research plan to guide decisions on place-based recreational fishery conservation in Charlotte Harbor.”
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Obituaries.
Emerson Donald White, 86, of Placida, Florida peacefully passed away on October 29, 2023 at home, surrounded by family. Known to all as Don, he was born in Winchendon, Massachusetts to Emerson and Alice White. He graduated from Leominster High School, received a business degree from Babson College and was also a veteran of the […]
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: I want to take a moment to sincerely thank you for your ongoing support of Boca Grande Historical Society. We have some great plans coming up in the near future, and we are so excited about what the future holds as we approach our 30th anniversary. In support of that future, the […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Editorial.
Over the years, I’ve read the Boca Beacon without fail. The best parts of the weekly paper are what I call “The Boca Soaps.” I savor every word. I love the Gilchrist sagas that kept going for several months … then the private fence on the south end of the island that extended across the […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community History.
FIVE YEARS AGO The Barrier Island Parks Society announced they would be relighting the restored Gasparilla Island Lighthouse (the Range Light) following the installation of a replica of the original fourth-order Fresnel lens needed. TEN YEARS AGO At the Whidden’s Back Bay Tournament a lot of fish were caught. The first-place team included anglers Capt. […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community History, News.
The next Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 10 a.m. in the Boca Grande Community Center Auditorium, has just one item on the official agenda – A Certificate of Appropriateness for a home at 851 Palm Avenue. The homeowners there would like to allow additions that include expansion of […]