Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Obituaries.
Heidi Ann Cahill, 49, of Port Charlotte passed away on Saturday, October 21, 2023. A gathering for Heidi will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023 from 3:30 to 8 p.m. at Kays, Ponger & Uselton Funeral Home, 1935 South Tamiami Trail, Venice, 34293. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at lemonbayfh.com […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Featured News, Obituaries.
A Celebration of Life service for Norm George will be held at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 11 a.m. A memorial luncheon will be held afterward at 12:30 p.m., at the Boca Bay Power House. Norm passed away on July 24, 2022.
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News, Profiles.
It was time for Barbara Stirling to open a new book, to try something different. She is not one to stagnate or rest on her laurels, so the newest incarnation of Barbara is as a thespian.
No, that is a bit grandiose for her taste. She has taken up community theater.
“I am a novice actor. I am a behind-the-big-people-in-front kind of actor,” she insisted. “I am the kind of person who loves to watch and be with these actors and actresses. They are so enthusiastic and they are so inclusive.”
Barbara is one of several community members who have decided this year to be part of the Royal Palm Players. She is moving from an audience position to an “on stage” position. And she is loving it. She will be playing several parts in the first program of the season, “The Dining Room on Boca Grande,” opening in mid-November.
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Featured News, Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor:
The structured parking plan that now seems to be a source of controversy is not about Gilchrist Ave. The plan is for the Lee County portion of Gasparilla Island. It is intended to protect our entire community from becoming a massive beach parking lot, which it soon will be because of the exploding population growth around us. Aside from the tens of thousands of platted lots on the Cape Haze Peninsula, there are thousands of new homes being built from Winchester Boulevard all the way out South River Road to I-75. Have you noticed the new subdivisions and apartments under construction on SR 776 on the way to Murdock? Where do you think all of these people will be going to the beach?
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor:
As a member of the Boca Grande Parking Committee, created by the GICIA in 2015, I am thrilled that a comprehensive parking plan is up for a vote by the Lee County commissioners on Tuesday, November 7th. Commissioner Kevin Ruane will present his structured parking proposal. It is very comprehensive, ensuring that, for example, a change in parking regulations that benefits one neighborhood doesn’t harm another. The commissioner’s plan is similar to the one he implemented very successfully in Sanibel.
Commissioner Ruane presented this plan to the Parking Committee in April 2022. The committee voted unanimously to adapt it for Boca Grande.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Columns, Community History.
FIVE YEARS AGOIslanders came together with donations for victiams of Hurricane Michael in the Panhandle. Smitty, J.T. and Chef Jim were back together in one place – Hudson’s Grocery. TEN YEARS AGOThe Temp’s martini sign got a check-up, as it was 36 years old. Jack Damioli resigned as president and general manager of The Gasparilla […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Columns, Entertainment.
Aries: It is entirely possible that your paranoid nature will pay off this week. Your cell phone, your computer and your car have all broken in one form or fashion, not to mention you’re camping indoors, listening to the sounds of flapping tarp and banging metal all night. If you feel like this is all […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
While Tuesday morning’s meeting of the Lee County Board of Commissioners was relatively quick and painless, with no big agenda items pertaining to Gasparilla Island, there was one public comment that is of great importance to the island and its future.
The comment was made by Mary O’Bannon, chairman of the Boca Grande Parking Committee. She attended the meeting with Vice-Chair Deb Martin and asked the Commissioners at the meeting for one thing – transparency – in an upcoming item that was to be presented to the Board at their November meeting by Commissioner Kevin Ruane, and to not leave the fate of anything in Boca Grande in the hands of one person.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
A decision has been made in the case of the property owner at 161 Gilchrist Avenue vs. Lee County, heard on September 12 of this year by Chief Hearing Examiner Donna Marie Collins.
The appeal was made by the property owner and their representatives, based on their belief that in denying a special Certificate of Appropriateness to permit construction of a home (161 Gilchrist Avenue) and a garage and maintenance building on the adjoining lot (181 Gilchrist Avenue), the Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board did not apply the correct law, they did not afford the property owner due process and did not use the proper evidence to back up their denial.
Representing the County was Amanda Swindle, Esq.; representing the property owner at 161 Gilchrist Avenue were Jenna Persons-Mulicka, Esq. and Megan Strayhorn, Esq.
It was at the BGHPB’s April meeting when this item was on the agenda. Prior to any engagement, conversation or examination of the actual proposed structures on the two properties, which is all the COA was for, Board members asked about a feature on one of the properties called
the Whispering Bench.
Written by Boca Grande Health Clinic on . Posted in Health & Wellness.
What: Welcome Back to the Island WebinarWhen: October 26, 2023, 3-4 p.m. EasternWhere: Virtual event. Register at:geniecastbroadcast.com/boca-grande-back-to-boca-2023-registration/ The Grande Rounds health lecture series sponsored by the Boca Grande Health Clinic and the Boca Grande Health Clinic Foundation will open the season on October 26 with a special virtual event to kick off the 2023-24 season. […]