Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Columns, Community History.
From Badcock to Lykes, and so many automobile dealers, physicians Above has tournament organizer and director Dixie Hollins with Capt. Wayne Joiner and daughter Effie after winning his four Hollinswood tarpon tournament back in 2003 BY KAREN GRACE Summer in Boca Grande has always been different from winter. The weather is hot 24 hours a […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
The Resilient Florida Program invites prospective speakers to present on flood resilience topics at the upcoming Quarterly Resilience Forum, scheduled for Aug. 6, 2025. The forum provides an opportunity to share project updates, introduce new resources and, most importantly, connect and collaborate with other resilience professionals. Attendees include consultants; staff from city, county, state and […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Columns, Sports & Outdoors.
BY CAPT. WILL WATERHOUSE We are getting into the latter part of tarpon season here in Boca Grande, but the tarpon fishing is still hot! Whether you are pass fishing or fishing the beaches there are lots of tarpon around and willing to eat. Summer time weather patters have started to set in with the […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Editorial.
It is the end of an era in Florida. Lu, the hippopotamus at Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, died June 8, 2025. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Alexandra Kuchta had the good sense to send out a tribute email over the weekend. They said that the state’s “beloved” citizen hippo “passed away […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Columns, Sports & Outdoors.
BY CAPT. WILL WATERHOUSE June is here and we have started to switch into summer weather patterns with scattered showers and thunderstorms popping up in the mornings and afternoons. The tarpon have been the main story this time of year. We are still catching lots of tarpon in Boca Grande Pass, Little Gasparilla Pass and […]
Written by Delores Savas on . Posted in Columns, Sports & Outdoors.
“The single biggest threat to our planet is the destruction of habitat and along the way loss of precious wildlife. We need to reach a balance where people, habitatand wildlife can co-existIf we don’t everyone loses … one day.” Steve Irwin, famous Australian wildlife conservationist and advocate for protection of endangered species If the Florida […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, Community History.
Looking back into previous Boca Beacon issues: FIVE YEARS AGO: The Seagate Development Group was reconstructing the pier accessible to the Hill Tide Estates. The pier used to be an old oil dock. TEN YEARS AGO: FPL was replacing utility poles along Gasparilla Road near 18th Street with more resilient poles, rated to winds up […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Columns, News, Sports & Outdoors.
BY ARLENE HALL,BGSTA SECRETARY The Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association (BGSTA) is back out patrolling the beaches of Gasparilla Island for sea turtle nesting activity, and we didn’t have long to wait for some action. The nesting season began on Thursday, May 1st and not only were the volunteers eager to get the season going, […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Columns, Sports & Outdoors.
BY CAPT. JOE LECLAIR As always this is one of the best times of the year to be fishing charlotte harbor. With all the boats chasing the tarpon it also makes it a great time of year to wade for snook, reds, and trout. After putting on the boots, I slipped into the water this […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE As the ongoing debate about parking continues through this summer (see p. 1), there are still questions, as a formal plan has not been released. One issue is enforcement. If a paid parking and/or time-limit-enforced parking plan is implemented, how much will it cost, and what entity will bear the cost of […]