Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Boca Beacon Back Pages, Columns.
Boca Beacon backpages FIVE YEARS AGO Waylon took his team on “Blaze” to victory at Ladies Day, the “Grande” Tradition began and the roster for the World’s Richest was announced with Capt. Chad Bombenger signed up in the number one spot. TEN YEARS AGO The “Elusive Tiger Shad” team took top honors at Ladies Day, […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
Big news has been handed down from the Boca Grande Cellphone Tower Committee and tower building company Vertical Bridge. They announced that it is possible we will have a fully operational cellphone tower – a permanent one – by the end of August.
According to Steve Gosnell, vice president of development with Vertical Bridge, they have received word that our tower would be fabricated and ready for delivery by the end of June. Sometime around the 4th of July it would be delivered if the schedule holds true.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
It was easy to see that the Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board didn’t want to make the decision they felt they had to make on Wednesday, May 10 at their monthly meeting. The proposal was from the Boca Grande Health Clinic to demolish the old Annex building and to build a new building approximately four times the size of the old one – weighing in at 13,299 square feet. After a series of pointed questions directed to several Clinic representatives, though, they had to deny the Certificate of Appropriateness based on two criteria within the Boca Grande Historic District Design Guidelines, specifically addressing the mass and scale of the proposed building and its height.
The reasons given officially to the county were submitted as, “Although the Board did not object to the form or materials proposed for the proposed office, it found that the height of the structure is too large for the immediate block of surrounding residences. The proposal is therefore not consistent with Guideline 4.1. The Board finds that the proposed structure exceeds both the mass and scale of the block and therefore is not consistent with Guideline 4.3.”
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
If the first tarpon tournament of the 2023 season, held last Saturday night, gives any indication as to what is in store, it might just be a pretty interesting season. Capt. Chad Bombenger and his team aboard “Sabalo” brought home the prize money for first place with five of the 24 fish released in the #17 Classic.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
On Wednesday, May 11 Gov. Ron DeSantis had a bill on his desk that could affect Gasparilla Island in a big way. House Bill 949 is all about golf cart use and the requirements needed to operate one. As of Wednesday morning DeSantis issued a statement saying he was favorably inclined toward signing it.
The bill would require a golf cart driver to be 16 with a learners permit or drivers license or 18 and up. Drivers of all ages would be required to have a government-issued ID of some sort.
Written by Boca Grande Health Clinic on . Posted in Health & Wellness, News.
When it comes to trust, nurses continue to top Gallup’s annual Honesty and Ethics of Professions poll, according to the latest results published earlier this year. Nurses have held the top spot every year since 1999, except in 2001, when firefighters commanded that honor in the wake of the 9/11. (In case you’re wondering, medical doctors and pharmacists rank second and third; telemarketers, members of Congress and car salespeople rate worst.)
Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in Obituaries.
Lawrence Forsell, 84, passed away peacefully with family members present on May 3, 2023. He was born in Rockford, Illinois, May 29, 1938, the son of George and Petrona Kazlauskas Forsell. Lawrence was united in Marriage to Alice Rix on December 6, 1985. At the age of 6, Lawrence’s father died from appendicitis. He was […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.
It is a common myth that librarians are quiet, dull, and living in a world of fiction most of the time. If that is the image you have, Toni Vanover, Boca Grande’s librarian for the last 20 years, will quickly dispel it. She is funny, clever, and extremely smart. She loves people even more than she loves learning and sharing knowledge, and that says a lot, because those are things that really get her going.
Toni had not intended to be a librarian. It was more like a calling. After growing up in Staten Island, New York, she decided to go to George Washington University, in Washington, D.C., to become a diplomat or work in the Peace Corps.
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
Billions of acres of submerged land off the nation’s coast are thought to contain large reserves of cobalt, manganese and other minerals considered critical to our national interests.
Ocean areas and resources offer a wide range of uses to both the state and nation. The maritime industry relies on safe shipping channels. Commercial and recreational fishing industries are dependent on productive marine habitats, including coastal reefs, seagrass beds and artificial reefs. Universities and other institutions need a natural marine environment for their research and to provide educational and economic opportunities now and in the future. Oil, gas, sand, gravel, phosphate, and heavy mineral reserves all elicit industry interest.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Columns.
Boca Beacon backpages FIVE YEARS AGO Waylon, Matt and Dan took top honors in the Howl at the Moon Tournament. There were 39 releases in that three-hour tournament. TEN YEARS AGO The new “Love Thy Neighbor” plan proposed by the residents of Gilchrist Avenue seemed to be working … at least for the meeting held […]