Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Breaking News, Community History, News.
The Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board unanimously approved four projects at their Sept. 11, 2024 meeting, including two Tesla solar projects. Present were members Barbara Wickwire, Paul Eddy, Jerry Edgerton, Becky Paterson and Chair Bill Caldwell. The first request was to legitimize a black chain link fence at 1771 17th St. E. The fence was […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Breaking News, News.
Work continues on the tile roof of the Boca Grande Community Center, which was damaged by Hurricane Ian. This repair work is separate from the renovations and additions to the Community Center proposed by the Friends of Boca Grande, beginning this fall. The roof work began in the spring and involves replacing the original tile. […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Columns, Community History, Featured News.
BY JAMES J. BLAHA, DIRECTOR, BOCA GRANDE HISTORY CENTER The year was 1949, when NATO was established, West Germany was created, the People’s Republic of China was formally proclaimed and the Soviet Union began testing nuclear weapons. At that time, federal spending was $38.84 billion, unemployment 3.8 percent and the cost of a first-class stamp […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community, Editorial, Featured News.
Editor’s Note: The Friends of Boca Grande just released their 2024-25 Happenings booklet, in mail soon. On the cover is a talk with Heidi McKee on Artificial Intelligence. As an experiment, the Beacon “asked” the two biggest AI services, Chat GPT and Grok (from Elon Musk’s X.com) to write a 250 to 300 word promotional […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
The Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority has installed six new bike signs at each bridge approach. The signs, which were agreed upon at an Aug. 15 quarterly board meeting, inform bikers that they may use the full main lane to cross the causeway. The causeway shoulder does not meet the qualifications of a designated bike path, […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.
The Friends of the Boca Grande Community Center is a hub for entertaining, educational and thought-provoking programs that set a tone and reflect the interests of the people of the island. One of the behind-the-scenes people who help make this happen is Josh Cross, the organization’s technology specialist. Josh likes being behind the scenes, not […]
Written by Delores Savas on . Posted in Columns, Community, News, Sports & Outdoors.
“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike.” John Muir, naturalist and poet Last week, residents of Florida were facing a situation akin to a weather emergency, as if a hurricane were on the way. The Governor’s office […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Breaking News, News, Real Estate.
The Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board will meet at 10 a.m. on September 11, to consider four items, including two solar panel installations in the historic district. The cases include the Sackett house, 291 Gilchrist Ave., with new roof mounted solar panel arrays and the Soderberg house, 255 Whiskey Row. In each case, the solar […]
Written by Anna Ridilla on . Posted in Breaking News, News.
Lumen Technologies, the parent company of old CenturyLink, Gasparilla Island’s landline telephone company, has had a major stock run-up this summer, due to speculator interest in demand for artificial intelligence-fueled connectivity, and the company’s fiber-optic network. Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN), through its CenturyLink subsidiary, provides telephone and internet services for Boca Grande. As late as […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, Featured News, News.
The Boca Beacon’s Visitor’s Guide is the only promotional magazine for travelers to Gasparilla Island, and an essential for advertisers, as it is the key to one of Florida’s wealthiest zip code, 33921. It includes restaurants, shopping, recreation and lodging options, as well local recreation ideas, such as boating and golf. Each year, the guide […]