Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Profiles.
A Boca Grande family celebrates This week, the large extended Forristall family gathered at their cottage on Gasparilla Road. They are one of the many regulars in the Fourth of July parade. They first started coming to the island in 1989. They would stay at the Anchor Inn, or wherever they could find a rental. […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community History.
FIVE YEARS AGO Boca Grande Health Clinic announced the appointment of Mark Driscoll as Chief Executive Officer. TEN YEARS AGO Full July 4th festivities were in the works with a golf cart and bicycle parade and fireworks at the Boca Grande Marina. FIFTEEN YEARS AGO GIBA voted to keep the speed limit for the two-mile […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Columns, Sports & Outdoors.
BY CAPT. WILL WATERHOUSE We have had lots of great fishing this past week in the back country. Scattered showers and cloud cover have had the mornings feeling cooler than usual and the fish in the back bay have been biting. Lots of really nice sized snook in the high twenty to mid thirty inch […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Breaking News, Entertainment, Events, News.
Independence Day is right around the corner, and lineup for Boca Grande’s annual Fourth of July parade begins at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, July 4 in the gravel lot on the side of the Old Theatre Building. The parade will begin at 9 a.m. Decorate your golf cart in red, white and blue or spectate […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in News.
The publicly traded firm Blackstone (NYSE: BX), the new owner of Burnt Store Marina just across Charlotte Harbor, has been figured to be a purchaser of the Sunseeker Charlotte Harbor Resort, according to Reuters and Bloomberg reports. Local tourism officials are watching closely, as the 785-room Sunseeker, owned by the airline Allegiant, has been promoting […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community, News.
This week the Beacon made a public records request of Lee County to obtain the parking petition that Commissioner Kevin Ruane cited in last week’s commissioners meeting. “I think you all may have received an email from Brent Cross,” Ruane said at the Lee County meeting on June 17. “With that was an attachment of […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community.
In the early 1970s, a group of island residents came together with a mission to preserve the charm, character, and traditions of Gasparilla Island. They formed the GICIA in 1971, marking the beginning of a grassroots effort to preserve island life. With the assistance of Lee County Commissioners and State representatives, the GICIA successfully secured […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.
Cape Coral to WINK to Commissioner Lee County Commissioner Brian Hamman is proud of his heritage as a native of Lee County. His parents both came to the area as children, and so he counts himself as a “quasi-second-generation Lee Countian.” Brian has served as District 4 Commissioner since 2013, when he was appointed by […]
Written by Anna Ridilla on . Posted in Featured News, News, Police & Fire.
On Sunday, June 22, there was an electrical fire at the Boca Bay Pass Club. “The underground electrical system shorted out which created a chain reaction that ultimately caused the electrical panel to catch on fire,” Boca Grande Fire Department Chief C.W. Blosser said. The fire suppression sprinkler system put out the fire in the […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Breaking News, News, Real Estate, Sports & Outdoors.
Currently, there are three major marina projects on the table on Gasparilla Island and in Cape Haze, and there are no listed buyers or partners yet. The most notable is Eldred’s, which has been formally on the market since early 2024. Eldred’s was listed in March 2024 for a reported $40 million asking price. It […]