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Gasparilla Island Magazine team nominated for eight Florida Magazine Association awards

STAFF REPORT – The staff of Gasparilla Island Magazine (primarily consisting of the same staff who brings you the Boca Beacon) have been nominated for eight awards in the Florida Magazine Association annual contest. In the Service department, “Best Feature – Best Writing” category,  the staff was nominated for their story, “Honoring those who served.” […]

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: FWC launches the new Florida fishing pier finder

To the Editor: Are you looking for a place to fish from shore? Check out the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s new Florida Fishing Pier Finder, an interactive map that allows anglers to find publicly-accessed fishing piers, jetties and fishing-specific bridges in freshwater and saltwater locations throughout the state. Visit MyFWC.com/PierFinder to search for […]

GIBA reports show a record March, with 125,000 vehicles crossing the bridge

SUBMITTED BY GIBA – The Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority Quarterly Board meeting was held on Wednesday, April 21 in the offices of the Authority, with part of the discussion featuring the fact that March of this year saw the highest amount of traffic in GIBA’s history. When the board was provided the traffic and revenue […]

Life is a game, but bridge is serious (Part II)

BY TONYA BRAMLAGE – Bridge part II explores the rumors, intrigue, and little known nuances of game play here in Boca Grande. In the 1940s, bridge was played in 44 percent of American homes according to the Association of American Playing Card manufacturers. In 1970, ACBL membership stood at 170,000. Today, that figure remains around […]

A new chapter in history begins where an old chapter just recently ended … Historic bridge-tender building ends up in Georgia, county proposes new kayak launch at old Grande Tours location

BY MARCY SHORTUSE AND T. MICHELE WALKER So many stories have been written about the railroad that ran to Boca Grande, but one forlorn piece of that history that was moved off-island 25 years ago left the state of Florida with little fanfare and minimal recognition this past month. The old bridge-tender’s building that sat […]

Wheeler Road Dog Park closed on Fridays 6 a.m. – 1 p.m.

STAFF REPORT – The Wheeler Road Dog Park is closed on Friday’s from 6 a.m. – 1 p.m. for dogs to run freely or  for individuals to congregate prior to 9 a.m.   The park is leased to Local Roots (the Farmers Market) and they have exclusive rights to the park during these hours.   […]

Boca Beacon up for 16 awards in the Florida Better Weekly Newspaper competition

STAFF REPORT – The nominations are in for the 2020 Florida Press Association “Better Weekly Newspaper” contest, and the Boca Beacon is sitting on 16 nominations in various categories. The Beacon received two nominations out of three in the “Sports Page or Section” category, with entries from Capt. Sandy Melvin and the Beacon’s Art Director, […]

Nine-county comparative report exposes troubling trends for water quality in Southwest Florida

SUBMITTED BY THE CALUSA WATERKEEPERS – Since 1993, March 22 has been known as World Water Day, and Calusa Waterkeeper is taking this opportunity to release a Report chronicling troubling trends in the quality of Southwest Florida’s waterways from 2018 to 2020. World Water Day is an annual UN observance day that highlights the importance […]