Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Editorial.
Thursday morning, three crows flew over Park Avenue, one leading with a full hamburger bun in his mouth, the other two blackbirds in hot pursuit. The hamburger bun had both sides attached. It did not look crumpled, nor stolen. Two other blackbirds were chasing him. There is not a joke to this story, nor a […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles, Sports & Outdoors.
Sorting through water policy In our June 13, 2025, issue we ran a profile of the new Calusa Waterkeeper, Joe Cavanaugh. During that interview he noted in the interview a number of issues he felt strongly about regarding coordination and cooperation among environmental nongovernmental organizations, as well as changes the current administration is making regarding […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community.
As the weather heats up, stop in to the cool shops and spend some time checking out the seasonal merchandise available. Shown above: Drea at Boca Grande Outfitters shows off some great t-shirt options they offer. Kenzie was repping some attire from The Tide and showing off the great sale items in their lobby. Stop […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Columns, News, Sports & Outdoors.
BY ARLENE HALL, BGSTA SECRETARY Since my last article, we have started seeing hatches of our first loggerhead nests! Our first nests were documented on May 1, and with an approximate two-month incubation period, the hatchlings from these first nests are emerging right on schedule. We should now be seeing hatches on a regular basis […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community History, News.
Above, a detail of the Lebourgeois residence from plans from architect T.A. Krebs. The simple carport is on 11th Street. BY TALIA ECKSTEIN The Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board will meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 9, at St. Andrew’s Chapter House to review the following four special certificates of appropriateness: Proposed rehabilitation of the […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is preparing to implement a new law aimed at strengthening vessel accountability and enhancing protections for Florida’s waterways. Senate Bill 164, signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis on June 19, went into effect on July 1. This legislation is designed to help reduce the number of […]
Written by Anna Ridilla on . Posted in Featured News, News, Sports & Outdoors.
In Florida, possession of live queen conch at any time is prohibited, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. All harvest of the Bahama starfish is also illegal. In Lee County, you may not harvest or possess any shells that contain a live organism except for oysters, hard clams (quahogs), sunray venus clams and […]
Written by Alici Ouellette on . Posted in Entertainment, Featured News, News.
Featuring Wanamakers, gumbo limbo and Sugarshack The July/August edition of the Boca Beacon’s Gasparilla Island Magazine is out now with new feature stories, recipes, shopping and social pages. Featured stories include a history of the Wanamaker family on Gasparila Island; a story of the Florida gumbo limbo tree with photos; a look at beautiful estate […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Breaking News, News, Sports & Outdoors.
Above, the causeway from the days following Hurricane Milton. GIBA Photo The Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority will begin its causeway armoring project in July, and is expected to be completed by mid-November. “This summer will be a busy one for GIBA,” wrote Executive Director Kathy Banson in a statement to the Beacon. “While we recover […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Profiles.
A Boca Grande family celebrates This week, the large extended Forristall family gathered at their cottage on Gasparilla Road. They are one of the many regulars in the Fourth of July parade. They first started coming to the island in 1989. They would stay at the Anchor Inn, or wherever they could find a rental. […]