Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community History, Opinion.
BY KATHY Y. FUTCH It was 10 p.m., on a February evening in 1975 at the intersection of Hwy. 41 and SR 776, which was very dark and desolate back then and only used by those who lived off it. A young man, named Mark, had gotten off a bus from Tampa where he had […]
Written by Anna Ridilla on . Posted in Breaking News, News, Police & Fire.
A little after noon on Wednesday, June 11, a child was injured by an apparent shark bite on the 2200 block of Shore Lane, according to Lee EMS alerts. The 911 alert, which went out at 12:11 p.m., read: “SHARK IN THE WATER/KID ARM INJ; SERIOUS bleeding; ARM BY HAND.” No one on the beach […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Columns, Community History.
Kiwanis Club challenge BY JAMES J. BLAHA, DIRECTORBOCA GRANDE HISTORY CENTER “Miss Lana Turner, famous movie actress and her husband, Mr. Dan Topping, who spent four days in Boca Grande on their yacht this season will not return again until the Yacht Dock (L Dock) is in better repair and electric current and other facilities […]
Written by Anna Ridilla on . Posted in Featured News, News, Real Estate.
Lee County Property Appraiser Matt Caldwell released the initial estimates for 2025 property values on Sunday, June 1. They include a $3.5 billion estimate of valuation of Boca Grande real estate. In 2025, the total assessed value of all taxable property in Lee County is estimated to be over $167 billion, which is about 4.85 […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community History, News.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE Editor’s Note: This August, Lee County commissioners are scheduled to vote on an ordinance related to parking in Boca Grande. It could contain a sweeping revision of current ordinances, which have evolved over the last decades. With that in mind, the Boca Beacon has gone back and reviewed how we got to […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community History, News.
Editor’s Note: Last month, the Boca Beacon filed a public records request with Lee County on issues related to Boca Grande parking. In the files, there are interesting tidbits related to Gasparilla Island. One item that came up was the 1925 plat that shows donation of public streets from the Boca Grande Corporation to public […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community History, Featured News, News, Sports & Outdoors.
With this year’s back-to-back winning of the World’s Richest Tarpon Tournament, the Boca Beacon has compiled a list of historical winners of the tarpon season below. One name that has come up over and over is Capt. Wayne Joiner, of Hey, Moma! On May 15, the Hey, Moma! team led by Capt. Wayne Joiner won […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Editorial.
Here in Boca Grande, during this hurricane cleanup, we have been well served by Lee County and its various departments, from Parks and Recreation to DOT. There had been a past sense, quite right, that taxpayers on the island were paying an enormous amount of money to the county, and had been left out of […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Breaking News, Community History, News.
Editor’s Note: The flag is up! While the American flag may not be up by Memorial Day, the Boca Grande Veterans Memorial at 5th and Gilchrist is at least landscaped and ready, after help from The Gasparilla Inn. “Once repairs are completed, Parks & Recreation has a new American flag to raise,” said Betsy Clayton, […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Police & Fire.
On May 6, Lt. Mike Sawicki of Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a criminal mischief complaint involving an altercation with a group of young men and a man driving a Tesla at the bridge on Harbor Drive. The victim was driving his 2023 Tesla Model 3 across the bridge when he passed a group […]