Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Breaking News, News, Police & Fire.
Sheriff’s office had held off on adopting Motorola recorders As a result of a county-wide purchase of bodycams from Motorola, Lee County deputies on Gasparilla Island are now wearing body cams. That necessarily includes the officers here in Boca Grande. “By policy, deputies will record when responding to all calls for service and during all […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: Thank you for the great editorial in the paper this week. (See Lake Okeechobee’s overflowing, Feb. 16, 2023). We’re at the apex of a life-threatening water disaster here in Florida and our community seems to think that someone else will fix it. Everyone needs to be pro-active when it comes to clean […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Community History.
BY GINGER WATKINS Editor’s Note: At her last meeting as chairman last month, outgoing GIBA Chairman Ginger Watkins assembled facts and history about the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority. We have presented here a brief excerpt for Beacon readers who wish to know more about the “early years” from 1996 on. The Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority’s […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Community History, Events, News.
Closing out the season’s History Bytes series was a lively hour of story-telling by jack-of-many- trades and master of all of them, Viola Dyer. She came to the island in the 1980s and established the Pass Marina at the southern tip of the island, before the area around Belcher Road was developed. It was a […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Entertainment, Events, Featured News, News.
The Boca Grande Woman’s Club Spring Fair, All Aboard the Boca Grande Express, arrives on Saturday, March 9. Come out and celebrate what makes Boca Grande special and have a great time with friends and neighbors. It all starts with the Bike Path Parade. It begins promptly at 10:30 a.m. near the traffic cones on […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Events, Featured News, News.
The Annual Boca Grande Strawberry Festival, held on the grounds of the Boca Grande Community Center, is a long-standing island tradition known for fresh Strawberry Shortcake, a fabulous Silent Auction, the Bargain Boutique and for the past 3 years, the Strawberry Art Festival. The Strawberry Festival is organized by the United Methodist Women who have […]
Written by Anna Ridilla on . Posted in Breaking News, News.
Early voting for the upcoming presidential preference primary begins Saturday, March 9 for Lee County and Monday, March 4 for Charlotte County. Florida is a closed primary state, which means that only voters who are registered members of political parties may vote for respective candidates or nominees for an office in a primary election. The […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Entertainment, Events, News.
On March 14, at 4 p.m., local writers Linda Fairstein, Susan Hanafee, Candice Shy Hooper and Bobbie Marquis will gather in the loggia of the Johann Fust Community Library to talk about how they approach research as it pertains to their writing. Whether you are reading nonfiction, historical fiction, mystery or literary fiction, you enter […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Events, News.
The Boca Grande Easter Egg Hunt will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 30, 2024. This free event is sponsored by Lee County Parks & Recreation and The Friends of Boca Grande Community Center. Activities include an egg hunt for ages 11 and under, goodie boxes for all children and a photo opportunity with […]
Written by Anna Ridilla on . Posted in Events, News.
The restaurant Rum Bay in the Palm Island Resort on Palm Island has a new look and fully renovated interior and exterior. “It’s got a new logo, a new menu, a new chef and a new general manger,” said Rob Brown, general manager of Palm Island Resort. The restaurant was one of the first places […]