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ASK A DOC: Is inflammation good or bad?

Written by Boca Grande Health Clinic on . Posted in Columns, Health & Wellness.

Chronic inflammation is the root of many health issues. While medical professionals recognize the link between inflammation and disease, there’s much more to learn about the connection and the impact on our bodies. According to Yale Medicine, inflammation has emerged as a key factor in serious diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, obesity, diabetes and a variety of infectious diseases. Raymond A. James, D.O. and medical director of the Boca Grande Health Clinic tells us what to know about inflammation and what you can do to combat it. 

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Using weed killer? You’re probably using glyphosate

Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.

To the Editor: One of the greatest threats to Florida’s fisheries is poor water quality resulting from too many nutrients and contaminants. Contaminants that have recently made the news are pharmaceuticals, which Bonefish Tarpon Trust (BTT) and its collaborating scientists found in bonefish in the Florida Keys and in redfish throughout the state. Another contaminant […]

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: We might soon be losing our sharks

Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.

To the Editor: Overfishing is driving reef sharks toward extinction, according to new study published today in the peer-reviewed journal, Science. The five main shark species that live on coral reefs – grey reef, blacktip reef, whitetip reef, nurse and Caribbean reef sharks – have declined globally by an average of 63 percent, according to […]

ECOWATCH: It is time to get back to nature and revel in its gifts

Written by Delores Savas on . Posted in Columns, Opinion.

Lately there have been countless problems facing residents who are still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Ian and the possibility of facing another herculean storm due to the overheating of Gulf waters and other issues. 

The prospect of wars, shortages of medicines and fuel, and the rise of crime rates in cities and smaller towns has many on edge.

Plus, the rising cost of home insurance, food, medicine and housing has been taking its toll on the masses. Instead of going to the doctor to get prescriptions for sleeping aids and other minor ailments, experts say we should giver Mother Nature a try.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Lee County Department of Health issues blue-green algae bloom alert

Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.

The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a Health Alert for the presence of harmful blue-green algal toxins in the Caloosahatchee River. The public should exercise caution in and around the Caloosahatchee, particularly in the Overiver Drive area.

Residents and visitors are advised to take the following precautions:

• Do not drink, swim, wade, use personal watercraft, water ski or boat in waters where there is a visible bloom.

• Wash your skin and clothing with soap and water if you have contact with algae or discolored or smelly water.

• Keep pets away from the area. Waters where there are algae blooms are not safe for animals. Pets and livestock should have a different source of water when algae blooms are present.

THIS DATE IN THE BOCA BEACON

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Columns, Community History.

FIVE YEARS AGO The television documentary called “Mullet and Mangroves: The Pioneer Fishing Familes of Cayo Costa” had aired, featuring cameos by Huddy Coleman Capt. Robert Johnson. Effie Joiner co-produced it. TEN YEARS AGO More than three inches of rain fell on the island in five days’ time, leaving us a bit soggy and moist. […]

The Florida insurance deadfall: Factors working against homeowners and buyers make it easy to see that reform is needed

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.

It isn’t easy to be stuck in a corner by an insurer that wants to issue only a fraction of the money it will take to fix a home, particularly when the option of hiring an attorney seems to be the only one left. Some public adjusters have done good work for their clients, and others have not, but either way the client is left to pay them 10 percent of recovered money. Knowing that, many homeowners pick up the phone to call an attorney and skip that middleman.

But Gov. Ron DeSantis has called out “frivolous lawsuits” many times when it comes to insurees, so if you are a person who normally would never consider that, what are you supposed to do?

Malaria cases put local mosquito control districts on alert

Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Health & Wellness, News.

Southwest Florida made national news this week as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported four cases of locally acquired malaria in Sarasota County.

“We need to keep our eyes and ears open,” said Scott Schermerhorn, Charlotte County’s mosquito and aquatic control manager. Charlotte County has 21 sites along the Sarasota/Charlotte border where they are monitoring mosquitoes, doing extra surveillance. Countywide, there are 90 locations.

‘The Gateway Project’ to Gasparilla Island discussed by the Boca Grande Disaster Relief Fund

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community, News.

Upon taking that first journey onto the island on the heels of Hurricane Ian, there are sights that were seen that many will never forget. The tall pines down across the Boca Grande Causeway after the middle bridge. Homes ripped wide apart. The lake of water at the base of the south bridge, stretching all the way past the Gulf Shores Drive and the Boca Grande Club. 

But it was the trees that came down across from Grande Quay that made so many so sad. One didn’t realize their size and girth until they were seen laying with their tips in the lake and their massive root systems exposed. These trees that lined the west side of the Causeway road were pulled up by the roots as if a giant had come through and picked them like weeds. Their root balls lining the roadway were 20 feet tall and 30 feet wide.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT – Firefighter Stephen Collison

Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News, Profiles.

Firefighter Stephen Collison is still pinching himself, hoping his job at the Boca Grande Fire Department is not a cruel joke. He was hired on April 1, so he’s pretty sure by now it’s no April Fool’s joke.

Steve likes a good laugh and can almost always be found with a smile on his face. He is a naturally happy person. Working for the Boca Grande Fire Department has substantially added to that happiness. It’s not that he was unhappy working for the Sarasota County Fire Department, but this station just fits his sense of community better, he said.

He had been with the Sarasota Department since September of 2021, and before that he was a member of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office for more than 11 years. Public safety and public service are his bedrocks.