Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY T MICHELE WALKER – Some things just run in the family. It’s not unusual to find the children of physicians choosing to study medicine. Or you have your political dynasties like the Adams, the Kennedys or the Bush family. For the Woodard family, the family business is music. “Yes, music definitely runs in my […]
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BY MARK DRISCOLL, CEO OF THE BOCA GRANDE HEALTH CLINIC – This week is Patient Experience Week (April 26-30) and we wanted to spend a few minutes discussing why this is important and how it helps all of us. Patient satisfaction and patient experience are healthcare terms that are often used interchangeably to describe the […]
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BY MARCY SHORTUSE – The Gasparilla Island Municipal Service Benefit Unit, a.k.a. the “iguana panel,” held their regularly scheduled advisory meeting on Friday, April 23, and discussion featured a commitment to continue discussions with state entities to allow iguana trapper George Cera permission to hunt on lands they own. Currently Cera is not allowed to […]
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BY MARCY SHORTUSE – While no sea turtle nests have been found yet this season on Gasparilla Island, May 1 heralds the beginning of this very special time. Most residents who live on the island year-round may feel like they know sea turtle regulations pretty well, but we like to take this week every year […]
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STAFF REPORT – If you haven’t had a chance yet this season to stop by and shop at Boca Bargains, you can draw a sigh of relief. The ladies of the Boca Grande Woman’s Club have announced they will keep the store open through May, by appointment only. A maximum of six shoppers will […]
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BY TONYA BRAMLAGE AND MARCY SHORTUSE – It’s common to hear the phrase “There is no use in dredging things up,” but when it comes to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – the people charged with keeping U.S. waterways unobstructed for boats and ships – they feel just the opposite is true. Recently the […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
STAFF REPORT – After taking 2020 off because of COVID-19, the Gasparilla Island Kids Classic Tarpon Tournament will return on Saturday, June 5, and will be held in Boca Grande Pass from 3 to 6 p.m. According to Capt. Sandy Melvin, the founder and coordinator osf the tournament, this is the world’s greatest kids fishing […]
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BY KAREN GRACE AND THE BOCA GRANDE HISTORY CENTER – The beginning of the du Pont family in Boca Grande came in 1916 or 1917 when Louise (du Pont) and Frank Crowninshield rented Frank’s brother’s (Benjamin) Gulf front cottage. In the years that followed, Louise and Frank bought land at First Street and Gulf Boulevard, […]
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BY T MICHELE WALKER – Zoom meetings are as ubiquitous as love bugs in spring. After months of coffee interviews and visits to lovely homes and marinas, the Boca Beacon finally had our first profile Zoom interview with Cathy Ballman from St. Paul, Minnesota. “Zoom fatigue is all too real,” Cathy said, as she sat […]
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BY SUSAN HANAFEE – Excuse us for stating the obvious: The housing market in Boca Grande and environs is hotter than Florida asphalt in September and shows no signs of cooling off. The situation prompted Kevin Hyde of Parsley-Baldwin Real Estate, a district vice president for Florida Realtors, to post a humorous comment on Facebook […]