Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: We are deeply disappointed to report that Governor DeSantis has signed Senate Bill 540, legislation that will decimate citizens’ planning rights and imperil the future of Everglades restoration. We regret that he did not heed the warnings of so many Floridians like you, including more than 5,770 who signed our veto petition, […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News.
This week, Boca Grande was added to the communities in Lee County being asked for input on how well the County has been doing in response to Hurricane Ian. Every city in the county, and several planning areas of unincorporated parts of the county – such as Boca Grande – are being asked by the […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
The Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association has been busy already with the annual activities, including one very unusual nest, bird nests and lighting issues on the beach.
According to Denise Juergens, a resident found these sea turtle tracks (shown at right) on the Charlotte Harbor side of the island, which is the first time in a long time – if ever – that a turtle has tried to nest there.
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
Lee County Parks and Recreation and the Boca Beacon will sponsor another youth fishing event this Saturday, May 20 beginning at 9 a.m. at the Boca Grande North Fishing Pier (the road behind Kappy’s Market). There is no fee to enter, and all children up to the age of 14 are welcome to participate. Bring […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.
Being in the family chiropractic business was not the original plan for Francine Finucan (fah-NU-kin). She was supposed to be a college-educated stay-at-home wife and mother. That was her father’s plan for her. Francine – Frankie to her friends – had other plans. Among them was to come to Florida and help people stay healthy and fit in multiple ways.
Frankie was the oldest of three siblings. According to her father, who was a well-known chiropractor in Roseville, Michigan for 50 years, Frankie’s brother Paul was to be the chiropractor. He was to take over dad’s business when the time was right. Their younger brother Andrew was going to be president of the United States. Dad is one out of three so far. (Andrew could still become president if he really tried.)
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: Immense pride was my reaction to reading the Beacon’s feature about our stellar librarian, Toni Vanover. She has added so much to the spirit of our community by making everyone who enters the doors of Fust Library feel welcome, informed and at peace. For centuries, whether small or large, libraries […]
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
Editor’s note: This poem was sent in by an island resident, who was sitting with a young family member at the restaurant when she wrote it. It is beautiful. These yellow walls are still the same: The tables worn, The paintings crooked. Even after all that happened here, Boats still line the docks. And though […]
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: You could call it, “The Miracle of the Lemonade Stand.” Two little girls wanted to help put the old Baptist Church back together again. You see, they knew that Hurricane Ian had left the church much like Humpty Dumpty after he fell off the wall, scattered all over the place. Eleanor and […]
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: Governor DeSantis has only days left to VETO the “Sprawl Bill”, SB 540. SB 540 would threaten ordinary Floridians with financial ruin for exercising their right to legally challenge amendments that conflict with their communities’ comprehensive plans. Floridians who lost such challenges could be forced to pay the attorney fees and costs […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
It was easy to see that the Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board didn’t want to make the decision they felt they had to make on Wednesday, May 10 at their monthly meeting. The proposal was from the Boca Grande Health Clinic to demolish the old Annex building and to build a new building approximately four times the size of the old one – weighing in at 13,299 square feet. After a series of pointed questions directed to several Clinic representatives, though, they had to deny the Certificate of Appropriateness based on two criteria within the Boca Grande Historic District Design Guidelines, specifically addressing the mass and scale of the proposed building and its height.
The reasons given officially to the county were submitted as, “Although the Board did not object to the form or materials proposed for the proposed office, it found that the height of the structure is too large for the immediate block of surrounding residences. The proposal is therefore not consistent with Guideline 4.1. The Board finds that the proposed structure exceeds both the mass and scale of the block and therefore is not consistent with Guideline 4.3.”