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LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Celebrating five years of films with ‘Friends’

Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Entertainment, Letters to the Editor.

The Boca Grande Film Festival (BGFF) is one of our biggest events of the season, and we have to say that we enjoy bringing the community together for a true cinematic experience. Utilizing almost the entire community center grounds, we transform our venues into a theater atmosphere. With the help of Artistic Director Jonathan Jackson, our BGFF Committee and our BGFF Sponsors, we are able to source and present the top films and documentaries in the major festival circuit.

This Date in the Boca Beacon

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Boca Beacon Back Pages, Community History.

FIVE YEARS AGO The lady who couldn’t make up her mind decided Boca Grande wasn’t for her. Hurricane Irma played tag with Southwest Florida for 11 days before she finally came through the state, but pretty much missed the island. TEN YEARS AGO Many local guides and fishermen went to the Florida Fish and Wildlife […]

Smoke on the water … and fire in the sky

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.

Boca Grande businessman Pearce Presnell took this photo from his back lanai on Wednesday night, as a wildfire raged just on the other side of Coral Creek, not too far off island. Pearce said the firefighters were camped out there for a long time, hoping the flames wouldn’t reach Placida homes. He said he could […]

Think the island is sinking in season?

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.

According to the last U.S. Census Bureau statistics, the Lee County portion of Gasparilla Island has 1,130 homestead-exempt people living here, which is a 41.8 percent decrease since 2020. The same area recorded 1,720 people in 2010, 1,500 in 2000 and 777 in 1990. If you go back to the 1980 figures above, that means 1980 was the last year for an increase in population that the Lee County portion of the island has had.

OBITUARY: Pamela Turnbull

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Obituaries.

Pamela L. Turnbull passed away August 30, 2022. She was born in California and raised in Virginia and Glencoe, Illinois.  Pam was most at home in Boca Grande, Florida and the mountains of Western Colorado. Her love of life brought an incredible richness to all the places she lived. Pam graduated from Culver Academy, attended […]

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: A new season of learning, music and much more in our area …

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Profiles.

October programming continues with returning Hermitage Fellow and Pulitzer Prize winner Michael R. Jackson, following his acclaimed Broadway debut with A Strange Loop, which won the 2022 Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical. In a conversation moderated by Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg, Jackson will delve into the inspiration and influences that have shaped his work thus far and what is on the horizon for him, including his fascination with iconic soap operas and the way they have shaped our cultural narrative. Presented on the Hermitage Beach as the sun sets on October 21st, don’t miss your chance to hear from one of the most exciting minds writing for the American theater today. Audience members are invited to come early and experience an open studio with acclaimed visual artist ektor garcia whose multifaceted work explores materials such as leather, ceramic, metal, and found objects. 

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Many thanks to Dr. Ervin for all he has done

Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.

For the record, oncologists on two coasts were absolutely confident that Nancy had leukemia. The clinic doctors saw differently. In our earliest conversations, Ray told us that Tom suspected it was “something else.” On Nancy’s first day in the ICU, a nephrologist (now her nephrologist) correctly isolated a rare and deadly vasculitis as the culprit, but not before three major organs failed. The vasculitis attacked her heart, her lungs and her kidneys, but she was being attended by the necessary specialists. And. it was all happening on a right-now basis. Today her heart and lungs are back, performing as desired. Nancy has finally been accepted into Tampa General’s kidney transplant program.

Timeline …

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Boca Beacon Back Pages, Columns.

Boca Beacon backpages FIVE YEARS AGO The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission decided to pursue a new “sportfish” designation that would include tarpon as a catch-and-release only species.  TEN YEARS AGO Toxins were found at the Boca Grande Community Center that included asbestos and lead. The Munchkin room was vacated, but other than that […]

Look for that TRIM notice in the mail … 

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.

The cost of living in a very desirable area just caught up with a lot of people in Lee County, and whether or not you have a homestead exemption, it still feels like a pretty good bite out of anyone’s budget.
For some people, it was an almost 20 percent bite this year.

Island dogs, take heed – a new shop is here to pamper you

Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News.

“Our owner, Jazare Alvarez, came in to purchase some goods the former owner had on sale, and just fell in love with the place,” reported the new store’s District Manager, Kaydance Owens. Jazare (pronounced Jah zear’) has been grooming dogs since she was 12 and working at it on her own since she was 14, Kaydance said.