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Friends speaker to discuss The Marquis de Lafayette:Facts you probably didn’t know

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, Featured News.

From New York Times bestselling author Mike Duncan comes the story of the Marquis de Lafayette, to be presented on Wednesday, Nov. 15 at the Boca Grande Community Center. Duncan, a self-described “complete history geek” and one of the most popular American history podcasters, will be giving a lecture on, “The Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution.” This talk is part of Friends of Boca Grande’s History and Heritage series, which lets you experience some of the world’s most significant historical events and individuals through captivating stories.
The Marquis de Lafayette is one of history’s most interesting people.

PROFILE: Pastor Gary Beatty

Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Featured News, Profiles.

If it is wrong to lie about your age when you are 16 so you can earn money to help your mother support the family, Pastor Gary Beatty has probably been forgiven. What was truly wrong was how poor he and his mother and five sisters were. Someone had to relieve the burden, so young Gary took it up as his responsibility. He joined the National Guard to get a paycheck. 

The Beatty family was not the only poor family in Lancaster, Ohio, and Gary was not the only underage boy who enlisted in 1956. 
“It wasn’t that uncommon,” Pastor Beatty recalled. “There were probably eight or 10 of us in our company who were underage.”

THIS DATE IN THE BOCA BEACON

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community History, Featured News.

FIVE YEARS AGOThe Boca Grande Historical Society was celebrating “Railroad Week” by introducing a new exhibit called “Railroads, Phosphate and Real Estate.” TEN YEARS AGO We had a sunrise eclipse. FIFTEEN YEARS AGO John McCain took the island vote in the polls with 58 percent. Island businesses were shuffling from locations and some disappeared altogether […]

Turtle Patrol gives end-of-season wrap-up

Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News.

Hurricane Idalia effectively ended the sea turtle nesting season this year, much like Hurricane Ian did last year. The good news is that most of the nesting season was already completed before either storm hit the area. 

This season the number of nests and hatchlings was down from 2022, according to Denise Juergens, marine turtle permit holder for the Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association (BGSTA), which covers the entire island except for the state park properties. She said, however, that there was good news with this year’s final tally of nests and hatchlings. 

“This year the depredation rate in our nests went from roughly 47 percent in 2022 to 12 percent,” she said. 

Depredation is the disturbance of the nests and hatchlings by dogs, seabirds, raccoons, ghost crabs and other predators. On Gasparilla Island, most of the destruction is done by coyotes, Juergens said.

Clinic holds first webinar of season, discusses updated potential renovation  

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Health & Wellness, News.

There was a lot of information to cover at the first Boca Grande Health Clinic “Welcome Back to the Island” webinar” on Thursday, Oct. 26. The doctors spoke about updates at the Clinic in technology, numbers and vaccinations. Fire Chief C.W. Blosser discussed emergency medical information and varying levels of emergency care. But the most intriguing part of the presentation was made by Clinic Executive Director Mark Driscoll and others, discussing their newest plan for the second renovation proposal that will go before Lee County and the Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board in the future.
After their initial plan was denied by the Historic Preservation Board in May of last year by a unanimous vote, Driscoll said the Clinic Foundation members have been listening to the people of the island, as have been the doctors. They’ve heard many comments, such as that the building was too big, there were too many entrances and exits, they didn’t like the windows and that there would be parking problems with a bigger facility.

Charlotte County tourism eagerly awaits opening of Sunseeker

Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in News.

As fall visitors arrive and winter visitors begin to make plans, local tourism officials are looking for good news as vacation rentals come back on line.
“I think we are seeing some pent-up demand,” said Sean Doherty, the tourism director for Charlotte County tourism, which is branded the Punta Gorda and Englewood Beach Convention and Visitor Bureau.

Looking at Charlotte County’s tourism development tax revenues, in August the county saw its first actual increase in revenue since Hurricane Ian, with an upward blip of 0.7 percent. TDC revenue is derived from the lodging tax, which is assessed on any rental of less than six months and one day. These bed tax funds support both the Charlotte County and Lee County visitor bureaus.

Rental properties coming back on the market on Don Pedro and Little Gasparilla are also helping Charlotte tourism figures, as many were off market after Ian, Doherty said.

Tarpon and snook catch $1.2 million research grant

Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.

Increasing development and the importance of local tarpon and snook populations have spurred a $1.2 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that will specifically target Charlotte Harbor. 

“These are very specific needs of a very specific fish,” said Nicole Iadevaia, director of research and restoration for the Coastal & Heartland National Estuary Partnership. CHNEP is working on the project with a team that includes the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Charlotte County government.

The study is unique in that it takes into consideration economic development, and asks for “realistic options for implementing habitat protection or restoration.” It is officially titled “Implementation of a research plan to guide decisions on place-based recreational fishery conservation in Charlotte Harbor.”

OBITUARY: Karen Hugger

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Obituaries.

Funeral services for Karen Hugger, 78, longtime Boca Grande resident and real estate broker, will be held at 10 a.m. at the Lighthouse United Methodist Church in Boca Grande on Saturday, Nov. 11. A reception will follow in the church’s Fellowship Hall. All are welcome. Karen passed away in October following a stroke in March. […]

PROFILE: Gordon Allen

Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.

High tech meets high drama. And it’s all happening in a quiet neighborhood in the elegant town of Boca Grande. 
This is not the plot of a new play, but the real-life story of one of the newest actors joining the ranks of the Royal Palm Players. 

Gordon Allen took a couple of acting classes when he lived in Santa Barbara, California some 20 years ago. He was not actually looking to perform on stage, though. He was hoping to improve his skills as a salesman. 

“It was more just for fun. I’m in sales, so I spend a lot of time in front of people,” he explained. “I was talking to lots of senior-level executives, tech executives, things like that. So taking an acting class was a help in getting better at just talking … talking on my feet and thinking on my feet.”

That changed recently, however.