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PROFILE: Gordon Allen

Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.

High tech meets high drama. And it’s all happening in a quiet neighborhood in the elegant town of Boca Grande. 
This is not the plot of a new play, but the real-life story of one of the newest actors joining the ranks of the Royal Palm Players. 

Gordon Allen took a couple of acting classes when he lived in Santa Barbara, California some 20 years ago. He was not actually looking to perform on stage, though. He was hoping to improve his skills as a salesman. 

“It was more just for fun. I’m in sales, so I spend a lot of time in front of people,” he explained. “I was talking to lots of senior-level executives, tech executives, things like that. So taking an acting class was a help in getting better at just talking … talking on my feet and thinking on my feet.”

That changed recently, however.

OBITUARY: Emerson White

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Obituaries.

Emerson Donald White, 86, of Placida, Florida peacefully passed away on October 29, 2023 at home, surrounded by family. Known to all as Don, he was born in Winchendon, Massachusetts to Emerson and Alice White. He graduated from Leominster High School, received a business degree from Babson College and was also a veteran of the […]

GUEST EDITORIAL: SHARING THE RESPONSIBILITY

Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Editorial.

Over the years, I’ve read the Boca Beacon without fail. The best parts of the weekly paper are what I call “The Boca Soaps.” I savor every word. I love the Gilchrist sagas that kept going for several months … then the private fence on the south end of the island that extended across the […]

THIS DATE IN THE BOCA BEACON

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community History.

FIVE YEARS AGO The Barrier Island Parks Society announced they would be relighting the restored Gasparilla Island Lighthouse (the Range Light) following the installation of a replica of the original fourth-order Fresnel lens needed. TEN YEARS AGO At the Whidden’s Back Bay Tournament a lot of fish were caught. The first-place team included anglers Capt. […]

Parking discussion continues

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community, Police & Fire.

NOTE: This story contains new information that cannot be found in the hard copy or e-edition story. Just after press time we received information requested earlier in the week that is pertinent to the facts of the story and is included here.

We went from no towers to lots of towers

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community.

BY SHEILA EVANS AND MARCY SHORTUSE Not only do we have a new cell phone tower in the middle of town, baby cell phone towers have popped up as well … and more are being planned. Right now we have two new “Q-tip” towers at the north end – one at Gulf Shores Drive and […]

A lack of south end dunes has led to a lot of flooding … so what can be done?

Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in News.

Back in July of 1967, the headline in the News-Press of Fort Myers was, “What to Do About Eroded Tip of Boca Grande.”

Then, as now, islanders were looking to beach nourishment to help prevent erosion on the southern tip of Gasparilla Island. At that time, the Boca Grande Conservation Council, headed by Homer Addison of The Temptation, was in favor of establishing a park at the tip of the island, as the Lighthouse was for sale from the Coast Guard through the General Services Administration. It seemed an ideal solution; the only challenge being the “erosion problem.”

Six decades later, the issue of erosion, while not fixed, is regularly addressed through a mix of federal, local and tourist tax monies. Gasparilla, and indeed all of the Gulf of Mexico islands in Florida, are under regular schedules for replenishment. But what is also a challenge is the flooding at the tip of the island, which hit the south end’s streets and historic buildings during hurricanes Irma, Ian and Idalia.

Gone too soon: ‘Miss Heidi’ Cahill

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Obituaries.

There are few people in this world who made as much of a positive impact on so many people as did Heidi Cahill, who passed away last week at the age of 49.  After years of tending island little ones at the Boca Grande Childcare Center – 2009 to 2016 – Heidi moved on from […]

GICIA Bike Path mulching will finalize summer planting project

Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Community.

SUBMITTED BY THE GICIA The Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association (GICIA) is entering the final phase of the Bike Path landscaping plan, which began in August. Hurricane Ian destroyed nearly 300 trees and countless shrubs and grasses. The focus of this project was to return the GICIA’s Bike Path property to pre-hurricane condition.   […]