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Health Clinic operations detailed

BY MARK DRISCOLL, CEO The Boca Grande Health Clinic is operational with a small team onsite and physicians on call for urgent care. As you can imagine, our doctors have been busy over the last few days mending broken bones, and attending to falls, bites and scrapes. All those injuries we typically see after major […]

Ballot: Homestead exemption, public finance

Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5, will not only be a Presidential election, but it will have a large number of state, federal and local candidates on the ballot, including a Florida Senatorial election. It will also have six ballot initiatives. In the last two weeks, the Boca Beacon has reviewed the first four. This […]

Gasparilla recovery the subject of Lee Commission meeting on Tuesday morning

Lee County provided a hurricane recovery update at its regularly scheduled Board of County Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, including updates on the Boca Grande Community Center grounds. Assistant County Manager Robert Codie said that the Community Center and The Island School had between 2-22 inches of water intrusion. “Those buildings are old, […]

Water Authority kept system intact during island floods

As Gasparilla Island dried out from Hurricane Helene, staff from the Gasparilla Island Water Authority continued to pump through much of the standing water that had leached into the sewer system due to the storm. “We anticipate normal operations for all utility services to be restored this week,” said Ron Bolton, executive director. It was […]

Helene left her mark on Boca

Almost exactly two years from hurricane Ian, another hurricane touches Gasparilla Island and the community of Boca Grande. Here’s what’s left of the pink wall at the end property of Belcher Road overlooking the Gulf.                                          […]

What’s Open, What’s Closed: Helene Update

Retail Establishments & Marinas: Aqua Boutique is closed until further notice. 421 Park Ave. Ariel, LTD is closed until further notice. 444 4th St., (941) 964-0480. Barbara Anne’s Jewelry & Repair is open Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., 410 Park Ave., (941) 964-1776. The Barnichol is open Monday to Friday 8 a.m. […]

Post office ‘temp’ break in Placida

The Boca Grande Post Office is temporarily closed until officials can assess any damage from Hurricane Helene. All the mail and packages that would go to the Boca Grande Post Office will now go to the Placida Post Office, where they will be sorted and kept in trays. Whatever forwarding instructions that were in place […]

After a storm, hope for the quiet waters of October

Editor’s Note: Van Hubbard was up in North Carolina, on vacation, when the flood waters came up to his cabin. He came through the storm, only to find his house flooded here. The bill came due for waterfront views. Just some thoughts on the sustainability of living on our beaches and open-water views. Our Florida […]

A stiff upper lip, for an Act of God

Everyone thought the storm would pass us by.  Before Helene, there was sandbagging and some boarding up. There was unease, but confidence. The island just finished cleaning up after Ian, and everyone was prepared. Be prepared. Here at the Beacon, we planned to get our issue out early Thursday, in case the power went out. […]

Edward A. Dean Jr., 1940-2024

No one can deny that Edward A. Dean, Jr. was a devoted, loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle who cared deeply for his family. He fought the good fight for 84 years. He was born in Bartow, Florida on January 23, 1940, and passed away on Sunday morning in his beloved mountain cabin in […]