Last Saturday, April 29, Boca Grande participated in the National PanCan Purple Stride event with our own 1.5 mile walk. All funds raised will be used to increase research and support for those people affected by pancreatic cancer.
What started as a small grassroots effort to honor Mary Tucker and support Priscilla Masselink blossomed into 220 people gathering under the Sunshade in the Community Center, raising over $65,000 and placing our little team in 12th place in the nation.
“This started when we lost friend and Boca resident Mary Tucker last summer. Then another friend, Priscilla Masselink, was diagnosed in December. Priscilla is part of a gold standard chemotherapy clinical trial at Dana Farber Cancer Institute, in Boston, Mass. (and 15 other oncology hospitals around the country) that is funded by the organization PanCAN. When I found out they were having a fundraising walk on April 29th in Tampa, I formed Team Boca and asked other friends of Mary and Priscilla to help me: Honey Skinner, Julia Pierce, Zayra Calderon and Kathy Spiteri. When we knew we had enough people, we called the PanCAN Event Organizers and asked if we could do the walk in Boca. They have been wonderful at accommodating this.”
To the Editor: This week, the Department of Financial Services (DFS) announced that, as a follow up to last year’s deployment of initial payment centers and the insurance village in January, the Division of Consumer Services will be hosting Insurance Villages from Monday, April 17th to Wednesday, April 19th. The villages will serve as an […]
Florida Lighthouse Day is celebrated every year at lighthouses throughout the state to commemorate Florida’s lighthouse heritage and preservation, and on the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse grounds between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. festivities will be held as well. Join them to celebrate outside with free cupcakes and lemonade, with unique souvenirs and gifts available for purchase at both Port Boca Grande Lighthouse & Museum and Gasparilla Island Lighthouse.
The Florida Press Association’s Better Weekly Newspaper contest has released their nominations for the year 2022, with the Boca Beacon up for nine awards. In the “Best Headline” category, Editor Marcy Shortuse was nominated. She was also nominated for an award for the “Hurricane Feature Story” category, the “Hurricane Coverage – General News Story” category, […]
According to the agenda published by Lee County government two days ago, Lee County commissioners were supposed to gather for their regular monthly meeting to discuss many items, including the Gasparilla Island cell phone tower and surrounding site. The agenda describes the item as a decision to be made to allow the new tower’s construction, as it has to be approved by county commissioners because of the Gasparilla Island Conservation District Act. The GICDA specifically addresses any buildings or structures over 38 feet, which are not allowed on the island.
However, the Community Cell Tower Committee, which is the island’s group of community leaders and emergency officials overseeing the new cell tower project, said they have asked that the description of the agenda item be changed due to a few miscommunications, primarily due to the historic nature of the buildings around the site. The committee was surprised to see this item on the agenda, as they hadn’t even had time to get a good look at its contents.
Staff recommended that the Board approve the item to “maintain consistent, reliable telecommunication services for residents of Boca Grande,” which makes sense. It had also already been signed off on by Community Development Director Dave Loveland, Anne Henkel of Budget Services, Peter Winton of Budget Services, County Attorney Michael Jacob and Marc Mora from the County Manager’s office.
But there were still a few questions from island committee members that had not been answered at the time they last met with Vertical Bridge (the cell tower company) … questions that were supposed to have been answered prior to final submittal of a plan to the county.
To the Editor: The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission continues to monitor bird mortalities suspected to be attributed to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza throughout Florida. This strain has been documented in the United States since 2021 and was detected for the first time in Florida in January 2022. The FWC has documented the virus […]
At this month’s “Let’s Talk About Florida” book discussion, author Gary Mormino shared comments on his book, “Land of Sunshine, State of Dreams.” Gary shared that one of his great interests is World War II and the impact it had on the subsequent growth of Florida from a small southern state to the third most populous state in the nation, after the two other Sunbelt states, California and Texas. The book analyzes the many changes that occurred between 1950 and 2000 but Florida’s growth and development have continued to a present day population of more than 22 million people.
To the Editor: Several years ago, The Gasparilla Inn rebuilt the bridge that traversed the Boca Grande bayou and the golf club. At that time a “temporary” metal bridge was put in place for passage. This “temporary” bridge is much lower than the old or new bridge, thus making it impossible for boats, kayaks, paddleboards, […]
A more complete list of chefs and restaurants contributing to The Island School’s annual chowder dinner has been released, as well as information about entertainment and an auction. As of press time, the following eateries and chefs will be serving their deliciousness at the dinner: Eagle Grille, Ephesus Mediterranean, Farlow’s on the Water, The Gasparilla […]
