Skip to main content
Search Results for “was

Downed power line fire on Belcher

A power line came down at 805 Belcher Road on Saturday, March 23. While the images are dramatic, no one was hurt, and power was restored to the South end of the Island after the incident, reported at about 10:26 p.m. Photos by Dusty      

Dean Laux, Boca Beacon editor & consultant

The Boca Beacon received word Wednesday that Dean Laux, an editor at the Boca Beacon, died Tuesday evening. His wife Miryam (Micki) informed us. He has been a copy editor at the paper since he joined the staff in 2015 in his retirement. We will have a full obituary in the April 5 edition of […]

Hertz drives superstar Englewood soccer team 

The West Coast Chaos, the under-12 boys competitive soccer team from Englewood, has won a major Florida tournament for the third consecutive year.  Head coach Mark Hertz, who also coaches the boys soccer team at Lemon Bay High School, said that the Best of the Bay Tournament teams this year have been increasingly competitive. “I […]

Record day, month for bridge traffic 

March has been a historic month for traffic at the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority, and visits to Gasparilla Island. “Friday March 15 was the highest one-day traffic count in GIBA’s history with 5,495 vehicles,” said GIBA Executive Director Kathy Banson. The month has also had multiple record consecutive days for vehicles crossing the bridge.  “There […]

Youngquist pulls out of Useppa Island Club purchase deal 

A fall deal to purchase the Useppa Island Club by investor and entrepreneur Sandy Stillwell Youngquist, owner of the Key Lime Bistro in Boca Grande, has fallen through. Stillwell, CEO of the Stilwell Enterprises & Restaurant Group of Ft. Myers, had entered into an agreement to buy the club in late 2023, but the sale […]

Extensions for some at Gasparilla Estates

Losing a good neighbor  Gasparilla Mobile Estates residents, at least the few that still remain, are packing up and leaving the park. They have until Easter Sunday to be out, according to a settlement offer reached in February of this year, though some residents have been allowed to stay on. “It’s like living in the […]

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Energy trader values outdoors, Africa

There’s an interesting phenomenon among Boca Grande residents: they tend to perceive their lives as rather mundane or uneventful. However, engaging them in conversation often reveals fascinating stories, and Doug Tinkler exemplifies this phenomenon. Initially claiming he has little to share, Doug soon delves into recounting the time he found himself alone in a buggy […]

A Clinic Foundation anniversary

As we celebrate the 21st birthday of the Boca Grande Health Clinic Foundation, it’s an appropriate time to honor the visionaries who laid the groundwork for a healthier community and to recognize the generosity that has kept this vision thriving. Twenty-one years ago, faced with the task of ensuring the financial sustainability of the Boca […]

Pascua Florida, or Feast of Flowers

Of the two big religious holidays, it is Easter that is the one that makes the most sense, culturally to Florida. In the imagination, Christmas is a cold weather holiday, and a “too hot” Christmas in Florida, frankly, can be a disappointment if you wish a bit of chill. But Easter is a holiday that […]

SW Florida Fishing: Spring has sprung?

BY CAPT. SANDY MELVIN A little late season cold front with strong winds knocked back our local fishing for a few days last week. There was a pretty strong bite for snook and redfish going on in the backcountry as well as some nice kingfish and bonita out in the Gulf. There’s been lots of […]