Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community History.
FIVE YEARS AGO The Beacon swept the Florida Press Association awards presentation, and Hopkins & Daughter celebrated 30 years of ownership of the Boca Beacon. TEN YEARS AGO Fire destroyed a Pilot Point Lane home, and Capt. Phil O’Bannon was in Lee County trying to make a difference in tarpon fishing gear regulations. Also, our […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
The status of our new cell tower is now officially in question after the demolition company hired to do the job has now quit, citing the safety of his crew and the public as his reason for doing so.
Allegedly Robert Phineas, the owner of the Sarasota company called Roots SRQ, said he would not take responsibility for the project, so he packed up his equipment and left. In the mean time, part of the debris hanging from the second floor of the building fell into the street either Wednesday night or Thursday morning, which meant the road had to be blocked off. Heavy rains predicted in the next few days will endanger the project more by rendering the dangling debris soggier and heavier.
The original pile of debris that was left by the demo company was scooped back into the building by the workmen on site and contractor Leo Pfliger has already done his work on the wall between the Lumen Building and the Bakery Building, which was to cut a hole so the tower assembly company, Steele Construction (who works for the main tower company, Vertical Bridge) could get their equipment through to the tower site.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community, News.
After a disaster, when first responders aren’t able to communicate with each other and the public cannot communicate with them, there’s a feeling of hopelessness and anxiety that in this technological day and age we seldom feel. In part, that is why one island organization – the Boca Grande Disaster Relief Fund – has stepped up to make an initial donation of $50,000 to an island committee in charge of purchasing and implementing a new emergency operations/communications system that will be vital to our island.
There is hope that other island organizations will donate as well to help the committee reach their goal, which is a fluid number at this time – somewhere around $270,000.
The need for this type of technology became apparent after Hurricanes Irma and Ian, as Irma created a situation in which communications and cell phone failure took place sporadically up and down the Gulf Coast. Ian was worse, obviously. Not only did the island lose its cell tower, but also there was the realization that this one lone tower was serving us for just about the entire signal we had. If a tower goes down on the mainland, one might get a signal here and there – sometimes even a clear one – by repositioning and triangulation of other cell phone towers in the area, but we do not have that luxury here.
Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in Community History, Obituaries.
This generational pilot boat captain has crossed the bar Capt. Robert W. Johnson passed away on Saturday, August 12, 2023 at his family home, the historic Quarantine House. Robert was born on November 27, 1938 to Carey and Carrie Johnson on the south end of Boca Grande. Robert graduated from Boca Grande High School in […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community.
The Englewood Area Board of Realtors’ recent sales report for Boca Grande and the Cape Haze Peninsula, issued Monday, Aug. 14, shows that a 1,464 square-foot home on Waterways Avenue took the top price of the week at just over $4.2 million. The house was on the market for 67 days and was paid for in cash on August 8, through Gulf-to-Bay Sotheby’s International, Agent Maryjo Pigott.
Other sales include the following:
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community, News.
The two approach roads to Boca Grande, namely Gasparilla Road and Placida Road, are both part of one of 27 Florida Scenic Byways. Officially called the Lemon Bay/Myakka Traill Scenic Byway, the honorific status promotes and celebrates “cultural, historic, archaeological, recreational, natural and scenic aspects” of the entrance to Boca Grande. A key part of […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Obituaries.
The sun was a little less bright the day when Nelson Thomas was taken from us just recently. He was an island son who was known to all and loved by many, and he spent the last years of his life taking care of his aunt on Damficare Street, Jo Anne Speers. Nelson was ill […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Education, Profiles.
The Island School has not only found an art teacher with pizazz, they found one with a sense of humor and a sense of purpose. The new art teacher is Terry Hoffman, and she loves bringing out the artistic creativity she believes is present in everyone, especially children.
Monday, Aug. 14 was her first day with her new students. “It was a great first day!” she reported.
The bright orange sundress she wore was a great ice- breaker, as children noticed the drawings of pineapples on the dress. “I love pineapples,” one student told her. “I break out when I eat pineapple,” another offered. Everyone had something to say about the dress or the jewelry or the artwork … and Terry knew that is how it would work.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community History, Editorial, Obituaries.
There’s so much that has changed in our community in the last year or two. It’s difficult sometimes to wrap our minds around what has happened just since last September, much less the other changes that have taken place. Some of them were fast and furious, like Hurricane Ian, but others have been a slow, […]
Written by Delores Savas on . Posted in Columns, Opinion.
August weather can often make some people uncomfortable, and that has made the month known as “the dog days of summer.” The Farmer’s Almanac says that the name is linked to the rising of Sirius, the Dog Star. Ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks believed that the rising of Sirius in mid-to late summer caused the temperatures to rise and conditions to become less comfortable. Though temperatures remain hot and conditions humid in many parts of the northern hemisphere throughout the month of August, the dog days officially end on August 11.
While the dog days of summer may officially be over, no one has told the powers that be to shut the heat off, as so far, August is headed toward becoming the second-warmest month, with temperatures in the high 90s in Florida, while July 2023, at 99 degrees, is listed as the highest on record on Florida’s temperature chart.