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Garden Club final season meeting features talk by landscape restoration specialist Rick Joyce

Arborist consults with Edison-Ford, Bahamas gov’t  SUBMITTED BY THE BOCA GRANDE GARDEN CLUB During the 2023-24 season, Boca Grande Garden Club members benefited from horticultural lectures by an impressive lineup of speakers.  Gardening experts from Maine, New Jersey, Connecticut and Washington, DC shared their expertise and personal stories based on colder climes than we experience […]

Fire Dept’s Hammerhead truck damaged 

The Boca Grande Fire Department is raising money to replace its ladder truck and refresh the department fleet after damage caused by hurricane exposure.  “We can’t even rely on it as a backup because it is mechanically unsound,” said Fire Chief C.W. Blosser of the truck.  At 15 years old, “Hammerhead” Ladder 231 has reached […]

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Renowned Paper boy celebrates 80

Editor’s Note: This profile has been in the works for a number of years; we realized that in all the years of Dusty and the Beacon, we had not spotlighted him, and thought his 80th would be the perfect time. The profile includes a draft from our previous editor, Marcy Shortuse. There’s a story behind […]

Captains for Clean Water gather April 16

Captains for Clean Water is holding a gathering at the Eagle Grille on Tuesday, April 16, to discuss its work in helping protect the state’s water resources. Special guests will be Captains Daniel Andrews and Chris Wittman, along with other members of the organization, including Chandler Chase, Captain Doug Stewart, Chandler Converse and Jim “Hooter” […]

Preservation study slated for historic Placida rail bunkhouse

Last remnant of historic Placida village  The Placida Bunkhouse, a 1907 cottage used to house the railroad workers of the Charlotte Harbor & Northern Railroad, will get an architectural survey, courtesy of its owner and caretaker, Charlotte County.  The building, which was once a landmark of the disappeared village of Placida and a gateway to […]

New Gasparilla Magazine and Tarpon Times out now

The May/June edition of Gasparilla Magazine is out, featuring stories on water quality organizations, Boca Grande brands and Florida’s 3,500-year-old Senator Tree. Plus, this edition includes our Tarpon Times Guide to the Season, printed on high-quality glossy magazine paper for the first time ever.  Keep an eye on your mailboxes for the new edition or […]

Eldred’s Marina listed with national brokerage

$40 plus million price hoped The Placida marina Eldred’s is listed for sale with the national brokerage firm Avison Young as of March 15. “We are excited by the listing of this iconic property,” said Michael Fay, chairman of the U.S. Capital Markets group Executive Committee, and he understands its importance as a “gateway” to […]

Shelley Lewis 1943-2024

Shelley Lewis of Boca Grande, Florida, and Greenwich, Connecticut, a loving wife, mother, grandmother and sibling, all of whose lives were enriched by her love and ever-present cheerfulness and caring spirit, passed away this week from complications related to a long-term battle with Alzheimer’s dementia.  She is survived by her husband of 46 years, Roger; […]

Why Placida matters to Gasparilla Island

This week, we have a story on the sale of Eldred’s (pictured here). Of course, we all know it needs a new custodian. Its current, old Florida, charming and useful state, cannot survive when the property is so valuable. It is literally the tip and entrance to not only Gasparilla Island, but a lifeline for […]

Lee County seeks barges, debris staging

Lee County voted to accept the Resilient Lee Recovery and Resilience Plan at its Board of County Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, March 19. This plan is the product of the Long-Term Recovery Task Force, which was approved by the board back in December 2022. The plan is to survey and assess Lee County needs, identify […]