Written by Angela McPhillips on . Posted in Community History, Featured News, News.
Charlotte County commissioners voiced unanimous support for preserving the historic Placida Bunkhouse and ultimately returning it to Placida during their Sept. 16 workshop. Built in 1906 or 1907 by the Charlotte Harbor & Northern Railroad to house workers building the phosphate rail line to Port Boca Grande, the bunkhouse is the last known railroad-related structure […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community, Featured News, News.
As signs go up across Boca Grande for a new parking ordinance, some merchants are already worried about placement, including an area on 4th Street that is marked on the ordinance with one side of the street for permits, and another side as three-hour. “We are concerned that our entire front entry will be completely […]
Written by Anna Ridilla on . Posted in Breaking News, Community History, News.
An engineering firm has applied for preliminary permitting for conversion and construction of Amory Chapel in the Gasparilla Island State Park at the south end of the island. The goal is to convert the chapel into an open-air museum dedicated to the history of African Americans on the island, said Sharon McKenzie, executive director of […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Breaking News, Community, News.
At its Tuesday, Oct. 28 meeting, the Charlotte County Board of County Commissioners will again take up the topic of Boca Grande parking. The open discussion appears on the commission’s regular agenda, at 9 a.m. At its October 14 Charlotte County Commissioners meeting, residents pressed the board to take some legal action regarding Lee County’s […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Breaking News, News, Sports & Outdoors.
The actual removal of the Bayou Bridge began this week on behalf of the Gasparilla Island Water Association. A barge and crane operation from Kelly Brothers was out on the water, as staff was beginning to take off the rails of the bridge on top of the structure. It will be completely disassembled and reused […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, News.
Property owners in Municipal Service Benefit Units and Municipal Service Taxing Units (MSTU/TU) can sign up for informational emails about their units. Emails will contain information about advisory board meetings, meeting minutes, annual reports, work programs and more. To sign up to receive emails, visit the MSBU/TU page on the county website at charlottecountyfl.gov/msbu-mstu and […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Obituaries.
Mary Naylor Donahue passed away peacefully on October 19, 2025, following a courageous battle with kidney and heart disease. She was 85 and a devoted parishioner at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church in Boca Grande, Florida. Mary was born on January 11, 1940, in Greenville, South Carolina, to Mary Amelia Metts and Edward Wood […]
Written by Angela McPhillips on . Posted in Police & Fire, Profiles.
New firefighter-paramedic at BGFD When firefighter-paramedic Pat Sherman joined the Boca Grande Fire Department, he wasn’t looking for a change of scenery so much as a closer sense of community. After nearly a decade in the fire service, he was ready to work in a smaller department where teamwork and connection still define the job. […]
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Community, Opinion, Sports & Outdoors.
From Illinois, turtle appreciation BY RICK MUSGROVE When I first arrived at the west side of Gasparilla Island in Boca Grande four and a half months ago, the beach was littered with stakes. Up and down the coastline were stakes in groups of three with a colored ribbon at the top that went from stake […]
Written by Boca Grande Health Clinic on . Posted in Health & Wellness, Opinion.
Reflecting on five years at the Clinic I was walking on the island the other day, passing the construction site where the new Clinic of the Future is taking shape, when I stopped for a moment to take it all in. It’s hard to believe that five years have passed since I arrived on Gasparilla […]