Written by Anna Ridilla on . Posted in News, Police & Fire.
Officers issued over 1,021 citations citations The upcoming Boca Grande parking draft ordinance that will come before the Lee County Commission in August contains numerous references to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. It includes an array of parking permits, with four tiers, as well as rules for parking around the areas of Gilchrist Avenue, and […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Breaking News, Community, News.
While a new parking plan is under consideration by Lee County, what is not defined in the ordinance is how much these permits will cost for island residents, homeowners and workers. A new parking draft ordinance presented June 17 for Gasparilla Island would have a tiered plan for residents, hotel guests, house guests and island […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community.
The directional signs pointed to a quiet sunset last week at South Beach Bar & Grille. Many of the winter regulars, we assume, are now at Pond Hill, Pioneer Ohio and Cape Porpoise, Maine. Photo by […]
Written by VAN HUBBARD on . Posted in Columns, Sports & Outdoors.
We have a challenge to deal with; dolphin have mastered welfare. Dolphins, aka Flipper, have developed into a significant problem; they have become dependent on us to fish for them. We exhaust the fish, and they enjoy the easy meals. It started decades ago. The first encounters I remember were back in the eighties. They […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Editorial.
This Fourth of July we are in a countdown to July 4, 2026 – our nation’s 250th. Is it a semiquincentennial or a sestercentennial? Bicentennial, in 1976, was a lot easier to say. In 1976, there was a wave of patriotism that came seemingly out of nowhere to bring the nation together after the divisions […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Columns, Sports & Outdoors.
BY CAPT. WILL WATERHOUSE We have had lots of great fishing this past week in the back country. Scattered showers and cloud cover have had the mornings feeling cooler than usual and the fish in the back bay have been biting. Lots of really nice sized snook in the high twenty to mid thirty inch […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Uncategorized.
The canoe/kayak launch and parking area at the Boca Grande Fishing Pier 5810 Gasparilla Road, Gasparilla Island, FL 33921 reopened officially today. Portable toilets are available on site for public use. The county said that patrons are advised to use caution as fenced off areas that include the pier and pier approach walkway remain closed […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in News.
The publicly traded firm Blackstone (NYSE: BX), the new owner of Burnt Store Marina just across Charlotte Harbor, has been figured to be a purchaser of the Sunseeker Charlotte Harbor Resort, according to Reuters and Bloomberg reports. Local tourism officials are watching closely, as the 785-room Sunseeker, owned by the airline Allegiant, has been promoting […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community, News.
This week the Beacon made a public records request of Lee County to obtain the parking petition that Commissioner Kevin Ruane cited in last week’s commissioners meeting. “I think you all may have received an email from Brent Cross,” Ruane said at the Lee County meeting on June 17. “With that was an attachment of […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Featured News, News, Sports & Outdoors.
Tarpon season this year was a little quieter than some years, but fishing was great, and the annual tournaments were as spirited as always. “It was a good season, not the greatest for business, not as busy as some past seasons,” Capt. Sandy Melvin said. “We’ll recover into next year.” This year’s tarpon tournament season […]