Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
■ STAFF REPORT When September rolls around and the Florida Press Association holds its annual convention, the Boca Beacon crew will be looking to win or place in five categories. It was announced earlier this week that Beacon editor Marcy Shortuse is up for two awards – one for noninvestigative reporting and […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE Several men and a dog set out from Pineland Marina in Bokeelia on Wednesday, July 27 in a continuing search for a swimmer missing from Boca Grande waters. The missing boy’s father, Edwin Castro, was one of the men. He is heartbroken, and he is exhausted from his efforts […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Profiles.
■ BY SUE ERWIN If you haven’t met the newest staff member at the Friends of Boca Grande Community Center, you’ll want to read more about this week’s profile candidate, Jessica Smith. Jessica, 23, started her position as program assistant at the Community Center in May. She was born in California, but […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Letters to the Editor, News.
Jason Maughan is vying for the District 27 Florida Senate seat currently held by Lizbeth Benacquisto. He has issued a challenge to his District 27 Florida Senate opponent to sign the Now or Neverglades Declaration. In her official statements and campaign literature, Senator Benacquisto claims she supports stopping Lake Okeechobee releases and is in favor […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE – Island residents David and Patty Hayes walked down the street the 1.5 miles from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland Ohio on Tuesday, July 19 with an easy heart. They were leaving a party hosted by Ohio Governor John Kasich and were en route […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY SUE ERWIN The Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association reported record-breaking numbers for sea turtle nests on July 15, 2016. A turtle patrol volunteer said one zone alone had 84 nests on Monday, July 18. “We are (along with the rest of Southwest Florida) having a record year for nests and crawls,” […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Editorial, News, Opinion.
To be exact, taxpayers spent $11.8 million in 2007 and $7.3 million in 2013. Florida taxpayer dollars spent on Boca Grande beaches mean that Florida taxpayers get to use the beach, and use of the beach includes a reasonable number of places to park to access the beach. Insidious, isn’t it? It’s crazy talk. I don’t mean to belittle the plight of the beach access street homeowners.
I understand that they want privacy, they want clean streets, and they want to be able to leave their house by using their driveway any time they want. The flip side of that coin is something I have preached time and time again: When you buy beachfront property in paradise, understand exactly what you’re getting into prior to your purchase.
Don’t expect the world to change just because it inconveniences you. That’s not how it works.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY SUE ERWIN Guests at the The Boca Grande Club had an exciting morning when they witnessed a rare daytime hatch on Friday, July 8. Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association volunteer Melissa Csank said there have been numerous hatches across the island recently, including one very rare late morning hatch that was discovered by […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Profiles.
■ BY SUE ERWIN If you live on the island and ever had to deal with a pest issue, you’ve probably had to call Statewide Pest Control. And chances are, you may have spoken with Gale Kocab, who would have helped you schedule a service technician to help deal with the problem. Gayle has been […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY SUE ERWIN The Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association reported the latest numbers for sea turtle nests on Friday, July 1, 2016. As of July 1, there were 474 loggerhead (caretta caretta) turtle nests and 4 green sea (chelonia mydas) turtle nests on the island. Also, 634 false crawls (turtles that emerge on to […]