Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
One of the biggest changes to take place in a very long time is about to occur on July 1, when the newly-signed golf cart law goes into effect. House Bill 949 was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis a few weeks ago, which makes the legal age to operate a golf cart 16, or 15 with a learner’s permit and an adult present. If you’re 18 and older, you have to have valid government-issued identification.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
While there was only one item on the agenda for the June meeting of the Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board on Wednesday, June 14, it was one that could not be decided easily. It was all about the “Octopus Tree,” a banyan that has stood along the property line at 181 Gilchrist Avenue since the early 1900s. The ground where it stands was once part of the Crowninshield compound and the children who used to play there gave it its strange nickname.
The property that includes 181 and 161 Gilchrist Avenue is owned by a family that wants to demolish the large house, as well as the small cottage that the banyan tree stands right next to and has actually grown under and into.
Therein lies the rub.
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
The anglers who fished the “Ladies Night Out: Howl at the Moon” tournament on Saturday, June 10 barely had any time to howl, as 53 tarpon kept almost all 23 boats busy for three hours.
The first fish was released by Capt. Wayne Joiner’s team aboard “Hey, Moma!” and the last fish was released by Capt. Jessie Craddock’s team on “Outcast” at 10:03 p.m.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
On Monday, June 5 a little girl made a fantastic find just off the north end of Palm Island, south of Stump Pass. Amateur sheller Olivia Green, eight, of Texas had visited this beach many times before, as her family has a place on Palm Island and she always checked her shell guide – purchased at Fugate’s – to research her found treasures.
Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in Obituaries.
Kevin Benjamin Whispell, 68, dedicated husband, loving father of three, and beloved friend of many, has passed on June 1st, 2023, at his home in Greenwood, South Carolina. Kevin was born on February 24, 1955 to Kenneth and Jeanne Whispell and raised in Kingston, New York along with his four sisters, Cheryl, Dawn, Tammy and […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Profiles.
I’ve been coming to Boca since I was a kid. I remember coming to the beach and coming to go fishing. I started working in Boca Grande in 1990, when I started as a maintenance worker for The Gasparilla Inn & Club. Not long after, I accepted a position as assistant mechanic. I worked at The Gasparilla Inn for 16 years.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Columns.
Boca Beacon backpages FIVE YEARS AGO “Miss Sarah” won the Ladies Howl, the red tide was really bad, and the night-blooming cereus was spectacular. TEN YEARS AGO The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted 4-3 to pursue the ban on jigs, a type of bottom-weighted lure that has a tendency to snag a tarpon, […]
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: Lemon Bay Conservancy is pleased to announce it has received a $6,800 grant from the Charlotte Community Foundation. These funds will support replacement of the maintenance shed at Lemon Creek Wildflower Preserve that was destroyed by Hurricane Ian. As the center for philanthropy in Charlotte County, the Charlotte Community Foundation (CCF) envisions […]
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: As we go about our daily lives, watching our country self-destruct and slouching toward oblivion, there have been concerning developments far away that receive little attention. I listen to what people who have lived in China and our military personnel are saying about the brewing conflict with China. It is not only […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
As they headed home on the waters of Boca Grande Pass last Saturday night, Hugh Potter and his friends Braden Dolphin, Grady Abbott and Brandt Cataldo were pretty sure they had won the Gasparilla Island Kids Classic with their five releases. There’s always that bit of trepidation that stops one from completely believing it’s true until you’re standing on stage receiving the awards. Not to mention, Grady caught that fifth fish just minutes before the tournament ended, when radio traffic in the Pass was pretty crazy.
Eventually, of course, they were on that stage. Out of 21 boats and 78 anglers, they were the four who made it to the big time … maybe with a little help from Capt. Travis Joiner on their boat, “Family Tradition.”