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Summer heat becoming a real issue with humans, as well as with pets

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Health & Wellness, News.

Anyone who knows island resident Libby Frazier knows that she is a lover of all animals. You might see her on her golf cart in town, several dogs in tow, running daily errands. There are few people who can say they have taken their cockatoo or their chickens to the Blessing of the Animals that the churches used to have here, but she is one of them.
Just recently Libby was at home when she saw her dog, Lucy, running toward her and knew right away that something was wrong. Libby could feel the heat emanating from her, could see her labored breathing and realized that she was overheating.
She did the only thing she could think of, the same thing that many people would do in her position – she filled a tub with cold water, dumped some ice in it and put her little dog in to cool off.
Two days later, though, Lucy passed away. Libby was devastated. We are so sorry for her loss.

Florida real estate prices stable, but fewer sales going on lately

Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community, News.

In spite of interest rate increases, the Florida real estate market this June remains stable, with the average house selling for $420,000, the same as June 2022, and the average condo selling for $325,000, also the same as 2022.
However, statewide there has been a decrease in closed sales of existing houses, down 7.9 percent year over year. Condo and townhouse sales were down 11 percent, to 10,494. Florida Realtors Chief Economist Brad O’Connor said in a national press release that a 7.9 percent year-over-year decline in closed single-family home sales is understandable due to interest rates. 
Today, the 30-year fixed rate is in the 7-7.375 percent range, according to Terese Dulge, vice president and residential lender for Englewood Bank and Trust, now Crews Bank and Trust. She said that rates, coupled with today’s property prices, are making it more and more difficult for many borrowers to qualify for a new mortgage.

Beacon/Gasparilla Island Magazine staff brings home 15 awards

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.

The Boca Beacon/Gasparilla Island Magazine staff attended the Florida Press Association and Florida Magazine Association awards ceremony last Friday, July 21 at The Westin in Sarasota and came home with 15 awards. Out of more than 1,200 entries in the Florida Press Association “Better Weekly Newspaper” contest, our little newspaper took nine awards. Editor Marcy […]

New airlines make for breezier visits, fewer stopovers

Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in News.

In the last few years, new airlines serving Southwest Florida have meant hundreds of new direct flights and cheaper fares – as cheap as a Greyhound bus fare in the 1980s.  For Boca Grande residents like Anne Honey, one can now take a direct flight – at a discount and in a new plane – […]

OBITUARY: Bob Halford

Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in Obituaries.

Robert “Bob” Sidney Halford, 94, died Thursday, July 20, 2023 at his home surrounded by his family. Interment will be held at a later date in Memorial Park Cemetery, Mason City, Iowa. Visitation was held from 4 to 6 p.m., on Monday July 24 at Ward Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, Clear Lake, and one hour […]

PROFILE: Fr. Anthony Hewitt

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Profiles.

Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church is now in the hands of its new pastor, Father Anthony Hewitt. Fr. Anthony began offering masses at the church this past weekend. This will be a major change of pace for him, but one he is looking forward to.  For the last 10 years, Fr. Anthony has been […]

THIS DATE IN THE BOCA BEACON

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Columns, Community History.

FIVE YEARS AGO PJ’s Seagrille and The Grapevine were officially out of business. TEN YEARS AGO Kathy Banson-Verrico was named as the new GIBA director. The pipes were smokin’ in some island homes, as GIWA was looking for pipe leaks. FIFTEEN YEARS AGO The Boca Grande Reference Room in the Community Center was complete, featuring […]

Time marches on at the Fishery property …

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community History, News.

Tuesday, July 18 was the beginning of the end for two pieces of Cape Haze Peninsula’s history. The former home of Mike Schworm was dismantled and taken down to the ground, while Eunice Albritton’s little house that stood nearby waited forlornly for its turn under the proverbial wrecking ball.

Both homes were in grave disrepair even before Hurricane Ian, but afterward they were damaged even more. They had stood there since the 1940s, when Walter Gault brought his fishing operation from the village of Gasparilla at the north end of the island over the waters of Gasparilla Sound to the southern tip of the Cape Haze Peninsula, in Placida. He purchased the Gasparilla fishery property in the 1930s, but a decade later the railroad sold the land.

The saga of ‘The Forgotten Ones’ at Gasparilla Mobile Estates continues …

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, News.

More developments have unfolded in the Gasparilla Mobile Estates controversy and they are just as strange as the ones that preceded them. Residents have a new eviction notice, a new reason given by the property owner for them to leave and a big difference in appraisal amounts.

Mike Leslie, a resident of the little community just off island, has been watching closely what happens to his southern property while he’s at his home in Michigan. He is doing everything in his power to make sure that the people of the park can be allowed to keep their homes. It is a constant battle, to be sure, as they face a new challenge almost every week.

$3.8 million restoration contract signed for Lighthouse

Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community, News.

This week, Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) signed a contract to complete repairs at the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse at Gasparilla Island State Park, according to Brooke Keck, communications and external affairs officer for the Department.

“The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has replaced the roofs for the Boca Grande Lighthouse and Museum and chapel,” said Keck. “Park staff continue to work diligently on these ongoing restoration projects and are working closely with the Florida Department of State’s Division of Historical Resources to ensure care is taken to repair and restore these historic structures to their original conditions.”