Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, Featured News, News, Sports & Outdoors.
Lee County quietly downgraded the speed limit on a portion of Gasparilla Road from 45 mph to 30 mph, which is the speed in town. The change happened from 17th Street to 19th Street in March. The change was requested by a Lee County citizen request #209349. Public notice came in the form of an […]
Written by Anna Ridilla on . Posted in Breaking News, News, Police & Fire.
Last week, several bystanders on a Gasparilla Island beach rescued a man who was in danger of drowning in the Gulf. On Friday, May 8, just after noon, a man was pulled from the water near the Gasparilla Island Lighthouse, or Range Light, with no pulse. Several bystanders jumped into action, pulling him from the […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Featured News, News, Sports & Outdoors.
A very happy angler Melina Chaplin onboard her son’s (Capt. Eddie Potter) boat, Podzilla, as they win this year’s Boca Grande Area Chamber of Commerce Ladies Day Tarpon Tournament with their second fish to win it in the last few minutes. Also on board was sister Monica Clay, Melina’s daughter Marlene Freiser and friend Natalie […]
Written by Anna Ridilla on . Posted in Breaking News, Community, News.
In its second meeting, the Boca Grande Parking Committee passed one recommendation: to increase the fines for blocking a commercial driveway to the same level as a residential driveway. It deferred action on season relief for non-residential parking, and a change in Gilchrist Avenue parking for Lighthouse United Methodist Church. The meeting, held Wednesday, May […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Education, News, Sports & Outdoors.
Above, Dr. Jim Locascio talking to the students about the acoustic receivers and how they work. Photo submitted The Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association, in partnership with The Island School, is marking the conclusion of the second year of its hands-on environmental education program at the Mercabo property. Acquired by the GICIA in 2016, the […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Police & Fire.
The next Board of Fire Commissioners meeting for the Boca Grande Fire Department will be held next Wednesday, May 20. All board meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month at 5 p.m. at the Fire Department, 360 E. Railroad Ave. They are open to the public. The upcoming 2026 meeting dates are […]
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: I read, with a sense of irony, the GICIA’s poorly disguised attempt to put lipstick on the pig that is the Lee County parking ordinance 25-16. The GICIA toots its own horn in wanting the public to believe that it is the sole arbiter and guardian for what passes as “conservation” on […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community History.
FIVE YEARS AGO Eighty Boca Grande owners sent notarized letters to the Florida’s Division of Historic Resources to opt out of the National Register of Historic Places. TEN YEARS AGO More than 45 artists were featured at the Tarpon Festival in downtown Boca Grande. Thousands of people were expected to attend. FIFTEEN YEARS AGO The […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Editorial.
This Wednesday at the second meeting of the Boca Grande Parking Committee, they heard from a number of business owners and managers who asked for “seasonality” in the enforcement of parking restrictions on the island. Their reason? Real worries over sales figures. Businesses do not easily speak publicly about declining sales. They just do not […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, Education, News.
Anne Bagby Pollard graduated from the University of South Florida, Tampa, this week with a B. A. degree in communications. She is a high school graduate of The Classical Academy in Sarasota and has accepted a teaching position at St. John’s Episcopal School in Tampa, where she will teach Latin. She is the daughter of […]