Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
Each year, the Boca Beacon publishes a guide to all things Gasparilla Island, the Boca Beacon Visitor’s Guide. The annual publication is the official guide to Gasparilla Island. The booklet, which is free, has a 30,000 circulation. It is the only all-inclusive printed resource for visitors and residents to find out about all things Boca […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Community, Sports & Outdoors.
This Community Croquet program opens the game to anyone who is interested, for one day or the whole season.
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, News.
But just in case the Thanksgiving spirit is not enough to ignite the kind islander spirit of every path user, thanks to a generous grant from the Boca Grande Woman’s Club, local off-duty deputies will patrol the path most days between now and the end of April.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community History, News.
Another precious piece of Boca Grande history has gone with the winds of Hurricane Ian – the 7th Street Boathouse. In fact, everything on the little point – the boathouse, the covered slips and makeshift marina used to sit on – has been demolished. All that is left now is a blank landscape and an […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Community, News, Profiles.
Worden’s Ph.D. is in ecosystem management, and Dr. Chris’ Ph.D. is in crop science. Together they make a formidable team. They grow certified-organic crops and sell them at markets and to subscription-holders throughout Southwest Florida, from St. Petersburg to Naples.
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
SWFWMND, or the Southwest Florida Water Management District, declared a water shortage in multiple Tampa Bay counties on Tuesday, causing certain restrictions to go into place for residents, including those in the Lee County portion of Gasparilla Island. Dry conditions throughout the area, coupled with heightening water-supply concerns, led the Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in News.
The Useppa Island Club has a presumptive new owner, led by Sandy Stilwell Youngquist, CEO and owner of Stilwell Enterprises & Restaurant Group of Fort Myers. “The letters have gone out to the homeowners,” said Youngquist, who owns the Key Lime Bistro in Boca Grande and operates a group of restaurants and inns under her […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Featured News, News.
On Wednesday, Dec. 6, the Lee County Board of County Commissioners will vote on amendments to the Lee County Comprehensive Land Use Plan that will eliminate current height restrictions on Captiva Island. In September, Lee County’s Board of County Commissioners voted four to one to overturn longstanding height precedents due to a storm “resilience” initiative […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
The dog park at Wheeler Road Community Park, closed since June, will reopen to the public at dawn on Wednesday, Nov. 22, in time for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The county started construction on the dog park in June 2022. The project was 90 percent complete, but the opening was delayed due to Hurricane Ian. […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
The meeting of the Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board on Wednesday, Nov. 8 featured a presentation by Friends of Boca Grande regarding their proposed renovations for the Community Center, The Island School, the Teacherage, the Dishong-Bowen House and the Crowninshield Community House. They wanted to see how the Board perceived their ideas and, to their benefit, everyone on the Board seemed to have no objections at all.
Three speakers were included in the presentation – Bayne Stevenson, from the Friends of Boca Grande Board of Directors; Marta Howell, Chief Executive Director of Friends; and Jeff Mudgett, an architect from Parker/Mudgett/Smith Architects, Inc. out of Fort Myers (the planners of The Island School).
Stevenson spoke first, explaining that the $11 to $12 million dollar project was strictly in the preliminary stages. Friends has sent out about 300 booklets to members of the island, to stress the importance of Louise du Pont Crowninshield’s part in the origin of the community center and the Crowninshield House. Keeping to the original vision and community use of the buildings, as well as the architecture, is vital to them, Stevenson said, as well as honoring its history.