Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, News.
A meeting between Charlotte and Lee Counties regarding the Boca Grande Parking Ordinance will occur on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Punta Gorda. The meeting will be at the Punta Gorda Library. The meeting will be held at 10 a.m. The meeting is open to the public but there will be no public comment as […]
Written by Alici Ouellette on . Posted in Entertainment, News.
To kick off the new year the Boca Beacon’s Gasparilla Island Magazine January/February edition is out with new feature stories, recipes, shopping and social pages. Features include “Betty Barndollar’s Boca Grande” a piece emphasizing the charm and people of the island of Boca Grande; “In the Company of Butterflies: Lemon Creek Wildflower Preserve” an informative […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
After FWC staff presented options on highly regulated black bear hunting and the public provided their comments at the August and November 2025 Commission meetings, FWC Commissioners approved final proposed amendments to bear hunting rules, which took effect during the 2025 hunting season. The new rules established Bear Hunting Zones (BHZ) within four of the […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Wildlife Diversity Conservation Section is now offering habitat management assistance funding opportunities for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to local governments through the Habitat Management Assistance Funding Program. To help facilitate habitat management, the FWC is requesting projects from counties and municipalities which will optimize gopher tortoise carrying […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Uncategorized.
The Boca Beacon received delivery this week of our annual Visitor’s Guide. Copies will be available at stands around town, in hotels, real estate offices and throughout the region. The Visitor’s Guide is one of several Boca Beacon publications, including the 4-Digit Phone Book and Gasparilla Island Magazine. Last week, we published our annual Boca […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Editorial, Uncategorized.
One can get a pulse on Florida’s mood each year by looking at Publix’s annual Christmas TV commercial. The ads premiere after Thanksgiving annually during sporting events and live on, now seemingly permanently, via the company’s YouTube channel. They follow a certain format, showing idyllic domestic scenes in a house, all interspersed with views of […]
Written by VAN HUBBARD on . Posted in Columns.
Hard to believe it’s another New Year already, but ’26 is here. We enjoyed a cooler early fall this year. Our recent winters have been milder, and cold weather is overdue. We need some mild frozen breezes to thin out the invasive species that are abundant. We don’t want hard freezes that hurt snook populations […]
Written by Angela McPhillips on . Posted in Profiles.
Maria Pardo-Thompson is rarely without yarn nearby. Over the years, her crocheted blankets, hats, loveys and small stuffed animals have ended up in ambulances, hospital nurseries, classrooms and family homes. Some are held by premature babies in neonatal intensive care units. Others are kept by firefighters and paramedics to comfort children during emergencies. After Hurricane […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Obituaries.
David Albert Jenkins, 84 died peacefully on December 12, 2025, watching the sun set on the Gulf of Mexico from his home in Boca Grande. His loving and supportive children, Dave and Bonnie, and his devoted wife Barbara were at his side. Dave was born on February 28, 1941, to Helen Klinger Jenkins and Joseph […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Police & Fire.
From left to right: Sarah Cislo with Chief C.W. Blosser. Cislo successfully completed her rigorous 12 month training and testing program and is now recognized as a 1st Class Firefighter; Erik Fatica with Chief Blosser with honors for Fatica as 2025 Firefighter of the Year. Fatica has been at BGFD for 20 years. […]