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GIWA releases information regarding island’s annual water quality report

Submitted by the Gasparilla Island Water Association Gasparilla Island Water Association, Inc. (GIWA) is pleased to present to you this year’s Drinking Water Quality Report. This report is designed to inform you about the quality of water and related services we deliver to you every day. As always, we are committed to ensuring the quality […]

Dana Carr, past president & past chairman of Florida International Air Show, inducted into the Tourism Hall of Fame

This year marks the 8th year that the Punta Gorda/Englewood Beach Visitor and Convention Bureau would induct a member of the community’s hospitality industry into the Hall of Fame. 

Charlotte County Commissioner Chris Constance presented the award, stating that “the honor is a special one, given only to those with an extensive body of work that has had a positive and lasting impact on Charlotte County’s tourism Industry. Dana has not only created that impact, he has made it “soar.”

OBITUARY: David Hayes

David Leon Hayes, 74, passed away peacefully on May 11, 2023 at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, surrounded by his loving children and wife. David was born on July 28, 1948 to Harold and Marilyn Hayes in Tiffin, Ohio. His collegiate scholastic endeavors took a pause when duty called to defend his country in Vietnam, much like […]

PROFILE: Kevin Mills

Kevin Mills is almost an institution in Boca Grande and Gasparilla Island. Nearly everybody knows him.They recognize him by the brown uniform he wears and the big brown truck he drives, but mostly they recognize him by his smile and his infectious friendliness. Kevin is our UPS delivery driver. “Our” is appropriate because this is […]

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Buchan Airport celebrates top-flight scholars

 To the Editor: After a record attendance of nearly two thousand people during last year’s 15th annual Buchan Fly-In, the Scholarship Committee decided to move ahead and award three well-deserved aviation scholarships. In spite of the inability to hold the Fly-In this year since the airport was under storm restoration by Sarasota County, the 74-year-old […]

THIS DATE IN THE BOCA BEACON

FIVE YEARS AGO There were many tears and laughs at The Island School graduation, as nine students tossed their caps in the air.   TEN YEARS AGO Capt. Stevie Ahlers took first in the World’s Richest, where 63 tarpon were released. The Reference Room in the Boca Grande Community Center closed after opening in 1987 […]

Island employee almost loses son to alligator

When Jordan Rivera saw the line at the bathroom in the local bar called Bandito’s early Sunday morning, he did what a lot of guys would do in the same circumstance – he went outside to find a place to take care of his needs. Guys are usually lucky to be able to do that, […]

What you need to know about strokes

Strokes happen when the blood supply to part of the brain is interrupted or reduced, which prevents brain tissue from getting oxygen and nutrients, which leads to brain damage or death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stroke is the fifth- leading cause of death in the U.S. and is a leading cause of long-term disability. 

May is National Stroke Awareness Month, an opportunity to learn about stroke prevention and treatment. Stroke risk increases as we age. Women generally live longer than men, so it’s not surprising that more women have strokes over their lifetimes than men. In the U.S., one in five women between the ages of 55 and 75 will have a stroke, according to the 2006 Framingham Stoke Study.

Recycled oyster shells to create new reef in Charlotte Harbor

On Thursday, May 18 Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) Florida partnered with Ingman Marine, Abbott Construction, Lee Reefs, Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association (GICIA), Capt. Jay Withers, Clermont Oyster Bar, Oyster Boys Conservation and Lake County to deploy oyster shells in Charlotte Harbor’s Turtle Bay in an effort to boost water quality, marine fisheries and recreational angling.

The oysters were hauled from CCA Florida’s Oyster Recycling Program in Lake County and transported to Placida. The oysters will be loaded onto a barge, provided by Abbott Construction, and deployed in Turtle Bay at a pre-permitted location.