Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Obituaries.
Mark Steven Wyman, 70, died on Friday, May 12, 2023. Born in Detroit, Michigan on Nov. 16, 1952 to Douglas and Barbara Wyman, he graduated from Fenwick High School, where he developed a passion for swimming. At the urging of his grandmother and his Aunt Peg, he moved to Boca Grande, Florida in the 1970s. […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News, Profiles.
Gary Robinson loves making music. Making it for the people of Boca Grande raises it to a whole new level for him. Gary is the drummer for the new rock band known as “The Green Flash, Boca Grande,” which has taken the island by storm this past spring. The music the band plays and the town have a lot in common.
“It’s what I love about Boca Grande, “ Gary said. “We’ve been coming here for over 30 years, and it’s like stepping back in time. Like when I was younger, much younger. Like the ‘60s and ‘70s. That hasn’t been lost here … courtesy and friendliness. I get very emotional about it.”
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Columns.
Boca Beacon backpages FIVE YEARS AGO The “Blaze” team with Capt. Waylon Mills took first place in the World’s Richest Tarpon Tournament, right after taking top honors at Ladies Day. TEN YEARS AGO There was a protest in the Pass. About 20 boats carrying more than 100 people were protesting the first Professional Tarpon Tournament […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News.
This week, Boca Grande was added to the communities in Lee County being asked for input on how well the County has been doing in response to Hurricane Ian. Every city in the county, and several planning areas of unincorporated parts of the county – such as Boca Grande – are being asked by the […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
The Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association has been busy already with the annual activities, including one very unusual nest, bird nests and lighting issues on the beach.
According to Denise Juergens, a resident found these sea turtle tracks (shown at right) on the Charlotte Harbor side of the island, which is the first time in a long time – if ever – that a turtle has tried to nest there.
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.
Being in the family chiropractic business was not the original plan for Francine Finucan (fah-NU-kin). She was supposed to be a college-educated stay-at-home wife and mother. That was her father’s plan for her. Francine – Frankie to her friends – had other plans. Among them was to come to Florida and help people stay healthy and fit in multiple ways.
Frankie was the oldest of three siblings. According to her father, who was a well-known chiropractor in Roseville, Michigan for 50 years, Frankie’s brother Paul was to be the chiropractor. He was to take over dad’s business when the time was right. Their younger brother Andrew was going to be president of the United States. Dad is one out of three so far. (Andrew could still become president if he really tried.)
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: Governor DeSantis has only days left to VETO the “Sprawl Bill”, SB 540. SB 540 would threaten ordinary Floridians with financial ruin for exercising their right to legally challenge amendments that conflict with their communities’ comprehensive plans. Floridians who lost such challenges could be forced to pay the attorney fees and costs […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Boca Beacon Back Pages, Columns.
Boca Beacon backpages FIVE YEARS AGO Waylon took his team on “Blaze” to victory at Ladies Day, the “Grande” Tradition began and the roster for the World’s Richest was announced with Capt. Chad Bombenger signed up in the number one spot. TEN YEARS AGO The “Elusive Tiger Shad” team took top honors at Ladies Day, […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
Big news has been handed down from the Boca Grande Cellphone Tower Committee and tower building company Vertical Bridge. They announced that it is possible we will have a fully operational cellphone tower – a permanent one – by the end of August.
According to Steve Gosnell, vice president of development with Vertical Bridge, they have received word that our tower would be fabricated and ready for delivery by the end of June. Sometime around the 4th of July it would be delivered if the schedule holds true.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
It was easy to see that the Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board didn’t want to make the decision they felt they had to make on Wednesday, May 10 at their monthly meeting. The proposal was from the Boca Grande Health Clinic to demolish the old Annex building and to build a new building approximately four times the size of the old one – weighing in at 13,299 square feet. After a series of pointed questions directed to several Clinic representatives, though, they had to deny the Certificate of Appropriateness based on two criteria within the Boca Grande Historic District Design Guidelines, specifically addressing the mass and scale of the proposed building and its height.
The reasons given officially to the county were submitted as, “Although the Board did not object to the form or materials proposed for the proposed office, it found that the height of the structure is too large for the immediate block of surrounding residences. The proposal is therefore not consistent with Guideline 4.1. The Board finds that the proposed structure exceeds both the mass and scale of the block and therefore is not consistent with Guideline 4.3.”