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Friends gears up for season

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community.

The Friends of Boca Grande team is gearing up for the 2025-26 season. Left to right: Kyle Rich, Judy Prestia, Melissa Richardson, Tammy Rigney, Marta Howell, Martina Long and D.J. Keisling.                            Photo by Matt

Cruising the Island!

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community.

The Porsche Club of America was in Boca Grande recently for one of its regular outings. Rob Vigorito, vice president of the Everglades Region of the PCA, organized the outing, which included lunch at the KeyLime Bistro in the old train depot. Members came from across Southwest Florida. The club has about 1,700 members; the […]

Lee County passes island beach parking restrictions

Written by Anna Ridilla on . Posted in Breaking News, Community, News.

Above, Chamber director Gary Cross addresses the board. Photo by Matt           The Gasparilla Island parking ordinance passed unanimously at Tuesday’s Lee County Commissioners meeting with several amendments, including increasing a downtown two-hour parking limit to three hours. Commissioners Kevin Ruane and Brian Hamman motioned and seconded the ordinance before hearing public […]

Sea Turtles: Disorented hatchlings can be prevented

Written by Arlene Hall on . Posted in Columns, Sports & Outdoors.

BY ARLENE HALL, BGSTA SECRETARY Last week, shortly after the start of one of our morning patrols, BGSTA volunteers received an urgent text message stating, “All, Denise has a major disorientation with turtles going into the road. She needs help asap. See if the senior walker can do without the help this morning and (come) […]

Preservation Board meets Aug. 13

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community History, News, Real Estate.

The Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board meeting will be held on August 13, at 10 a.m., at St. Andrew’s Chapter House.  The agenda includes items by the public, two Special Certificate of Appropriateness cases and an item by the staff.  In the first item on the agenda, SCA2025-00017, the applicant is seeking approval to deconstruct […]

Questions for Chairman Kevin Ruane in advance of Aug. 5 vote

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, News.

BY MARCY SHORTUSE Lee County Commissioners are scheduled to vote August 5 on a parking amendment for Boca Grande that, if passed, would make monumental changes to the landscape of the island. With that thought in mind, it seemed like this would be a good time to get some answers from the ordinance’s backer and […]

One injured in boat fire at Turtle Bay Saturday

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Breaking News, News, Police & Fire.

Saturday, July 26 around 9:30 a.m., a coordinated Marine Emergency Response Team (MERT) activation was launched for a vessel fire in Turtle Bay, an estuary at the south end of Cape Haze near the Island Bay National Wildlife Refuge.  Charlotte County Marine 1 arrived to find a 20- to 24-foot recreational fishing vessel fully engulfed […]

Two suspects arrested in fishing equipment theft

Written by Anna Ridilla on . Posted in Featured News, News, Police & Fire.

On Friday, July 25, Lee County Sheriff’s Department arrested two people for burglary and grand theft of approximately $5,000 of fishing equipment from a boat.  The previous Sunday, July 20, the equipment was reported missing from Miller’s Marina. Lee County Sherriff’s office obtained a video depicting two people with shirts over their faces around 2:15 […]

Beacon wins First Amendment Defense award

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, Featured News, News.

Above, newspaper and magazine awards from last year’s convention. Boca Beacon archives The Boca Beacon and Gasparilla Island Magazine received word that has been nominated for 39 awards at the annual Florida Magazine Association and Florida Press Association contests. The Beacon is a finalist for 18 awards, including a The Jon A. Roosenraad First Amendment […]