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Historical Society to take over care of veterans’ marker on 5th Street

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community History.

There’s a little-known memorial in Boca Grande that is about to get some much-needed love and care. It is the Veterans’ Memorial at the corner of Gilchrist and 5th St., by the entrance to The Gasparilla Inn’s Beach Club parking lot. 

There is a flagpole and flags there, but the memorial plaque is gone from the white monument. 

While it is currently unmarked, that is about to change with some help from the Boca Grande Historical Society, Lee County and other organizations that feel there should be an upgrade to the marker. 

Boca Grande Historical Society’s Executive Director Crystal Diff said details are still under wraps, since they are being finalized, but an official dedication is being planned for Veterans Day.

Local men to take Honor Flight this fall

Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Community, News.

Two local men will be taking the trip of a lifetime in October, as they have been chosen to be aboard the second Honor Flight from Southwest Florida in a year. Pastor Gary Beatty of island’s First Baptist Church and his parishioner, Robert Armstrong, both served their country admirably and feel blessed to take part in this adventure.

Beatty said he had two special goals for himself. The first was to go to Israel, and the second was to go to Washington, D.C. to visit the veterans’ memorials. A couple of years ago his first dream was fulfilled, and now he is excited to have the second one come to fruition.

Fixing the island’s low points: High water worries continue on north, south end

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

Since Hurricane Ian, Boca Grande has seen a dry year. Of course, that could change at any time. 

After hurricanes or, really, any big rainstorm, there are a few areas of the island that flood – namely at the north end of the island along Gasparilla Road and on the southern end of the island, including Gulf Boulevard at the Gasparilla Island Light and the very south tip of the island.

Depending on the depth of the water, residents with taller SUVs and pickups can plow through the standing water, as they clear about over 10 inches. Cars today, however, can only clear about six inches.

OBITUARY: Lucy Hamilton

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Obituaries.

Lucy Battel Hamilton died peacefully on July 19, 2023 at her summer home in Cooperstown, New York surrounded by her loving family.  Known to all as “Bunny,” she was born in Buffalo, N.Y. on November 13, 1933, the daughter of Lucy Mills Battel and John Lawrence Battel. After attending the Buffalo Seminary and Bennett College, […]

PROFILE: WSEB radio and general manager Ken Lindow Jr.

Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community History, Profiles.

In Cape Haze, just behind the Ace Hardware and Cool Pickle in Paradise restaurant, a 300-foot radio tower that most see, but few pay attention to, peeks out of the woods. 

The tower, with its blinking red light, is the broadcast point for 91.3 FM, WSEB. It is a small, independent Christian radio station that runs on a tiny budget but has considerable reach. 

WSEB’s signal reaches north up to Bradenton, east 10 miles outside of Arcadia, and south to the airport in Ft. Myers. Its signal also goes out across the Gulf of Mexico, reaching the very occasional boater or fisherman. Most often, boaters just use the blinking red light atop the tower as a guide.

“We’ve heard from fishermen that they use our tower for guidance,” said WSEB General Manager Ken Lindow, Jr. “Sometimes it’s a blessing to them.”

THIS DATE IN THE BOCA BEACON

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

FIVE YEARS AGO Crowder Gulf, a name we know and love from Hurricane Ian cleanup, was on our beaches cleaning up dead fish from red tide. TEN YEARS AGO The first cars went over the new center bridge on August 1, 2013. The Boca Beacon published the first Gasparilla Gazette, newly purchased from the Breeze […]

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Englewood yoga instructor enters final week of beach yoga challenge

Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.

To the Editor:
Facing off against what has proven to be a mean season of hot summer days under a blistering Florida sun, on August 6 Kris Hleuka of Loving Light Yoga is set to complete a streak of 31 consecutive days leading fellow yoga enthusiasts in their regularly scheduled morning yoga practice on Englewood Beach. Pinch-hitting for Loving Light owners Lata and Robert Coykendall, who after 15 years of sponsoring Englewood’s Community Beach Yoga each and every day (holidays included) decided to actually take a vacation, Hleuka was asked to lead during what turned out to be a record-breaking heat wave.

Cutting the Gordian Knot that is the Boca Grande cell tower

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.

Another chapter has been written in the ongoing “Gordian Knot” saga of the Boca Grande cell phone tower, as this week cell tower committee members have announced that Lee County has finally issued a demolition permit for the Bakery Building. 

At the same time, the committee has had contractors come out to look at the wall between the bakery and The Barnichol Hardware, to determine if it is possible to start construction on the new cell tower base while the building still stands.

It wasn’t days after Hurricane Ian hit the island hard on September 28, 2022 when cellular services started putting up COWs on the island. These Cells on Wheels were placed in the middle of town, as well as one at the north end. There are no COWs south of 1st Street. Even with the COWs, service has been unreliable for many for 10 months now, with some people – primarily on the south end of the island – having no service at all.

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.