Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Columns, Community History.
FIVE YEARS AGO Almost two weeks without any major red tide issues was a big deal, after a period of about two years where it was terrible. TEN YEARS AGO A ruling on the side of our resources. One aspect of the bottom-weighted tarpon jig saga was closed, as the FWC voted to adopt new […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community, Editorial.
If a hurricane doesn’t leave you dead It will make you strong. Don’t try to explain it, just nod your head, Breathe in, breathe out, move on. Those words went through my head a time or 10 on September 28th of last year. Since then, as well, as we’ve had our lives turned upside down […]
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor, News.
To the Editor: The Boca Grande History Center will be closed from September 1 – 30 as we refresh our exhibits for the coming season. We appreciate your patience and will announce our reopening after our short break. Our staff can still be reached by phone at (941) 964-1600 or by email at info@bocagrandehistoricalsociety.com. We […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
Kevin Kelley couldn’t have come at a better time. When he was hired to take over the demolition effort at the old Bakery Building on E. Railroad Avenue, he didn’t waste a moment. Kelley and his crew started on Monday, Aug. 28. He told everyone he hoped to have the second floor of the collapsed building taken down by lunch time … but in fact it was before 11 a.m. when it was down below the roof line of The Barnichol. By the end of the day, it was just about down altogether.
Getting the building down became an urgent priority when the feeder bands of Hurricane Idalia were expected to start hitting the island on Tuesday afternoon. Had the building been left the way it was, who knows what would have happened?
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community, News.
Here’s a look at the newest timeline provided by Steele Construction, Inc. as to when the tower might be up. Now that the bakery is gone things should move quickly, but this schedule is an optimist’s look at what could happen … if everything goes right.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community, News.
Sue Sligar stood watching the Bakery Building come down on Monday, Aug. 28 with mixed feelings. As the new owner of the building (or the space, we should say) she was grateful it would no longer be a hazard to The Barnichol Hardware Store and the general public. But one of the apartments above the bakery had been her home for several years, and she lost just about everything when the tower collapsed on it during Hurricane Ian.
“I lost everything, materially … all of it,” she said. “But in the face of losing it all, I became fearless. What else did I have to lose?”
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community, News.
The Gasparilla Island Water Association (GIWA) is investigating why wastewater output flowing through the system during Idalia was so excessive that they had to shut down some lift systems to allow the new treatment facility to keep up with the demand. Ron Bolton, GIWA’s executive director, said the normal range is 200 gallons per hour. […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
The proposal submitted by the property owner at 161/181 Gilchrist Ave. to the Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board earlier this year, one that was rejected by the Board, will be heard by the Lee County Hearing Examiner’s Office in September. The reason for the hearing, called for by the property owner, 161 Gilchrist, LLC on May 5, is to challenge the rejection based on the allegations that the Board failed to apply the correct law to the matter and did not provide “competent, substantial evidence” to support the denial. On May 17 the Hearing Examiner accepted the appeal and requested the county attorney to prepare a written submittal to explain why the request was or was not valid.
There were several reasons cited by the property owner’s attorney to argue the local board’s decision, most of which the Hearing Examiner said were irrelevant or outside their authority. However, they did say, “the only remaining issue raised in the Notice of Appeal for which the HEX does have authority is the question of whether there is competent substantial evidence on the record to support the denial, and any hearing on this matter should be limited as such.”
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in News.
The Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority (GIBA) adopted a 2024 budget of $3,827,064 at their Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023 quarterly meeting, which also included drainage issues, salary and investments.
Board Chairman Ginger Watkins began the meeting by moving up a public comment from a customer regarding the expiration of her toll account funds. Non-agenda public comment is traditionally at the end of the meeting. After the comment, Watkins reminded that all 7,700 accounts and customers are treated exactly the same, and thanked the customer for coming. (Toll passes expire after one year.)
Executive Director Kathy Banson presented members with updated traffic and revenue figures for the first nine months of the 2023 fiscal year. Toll revenue was down by comparison with last year by 3 percent for discount passes and 12 percent in cash nondiscounted tolls. Overall traffic was down by 5 percent. Bridge openings were down 21 percent.
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in News.
Mostly forgotten 1970s teen idol Leif Garrett is reputed to have told Justin Beiber not to believe his own publicity, as every “chicken hawk wants a piece of you.”
That might be an apt warning for the nation’s newest media travel darling destination, Boca Grande, which seems to have an endless supply of effusive travel writers highlighting the island in the last few months.