Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: I just picked up a copy of Gasparilla Island magazine with the cover photo of Banyan Street. I very often proudly profess that Mark and I were the first couple to be married on that street in 1975 by the Methodist minister at that time, Rev. Saunders. People were even in the […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Editorial.
What started out as the slow process of returning to “normal” (were we ever normal?) after Hurricane Ian, has been speeding up over the last few weeks. When they started the construction and demolition debris pickups this past weekend, you could really start to see a difference. Most of the shops are open. The restaurants […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
There’s a lot of misinformation floating around about what the wind speeds were during Hurricane Ian. Some people swear their neighbor has a device that measured 225 mph winds. Others say they know someone who clocked 230 mph winds and one even swore they knew someone who got a 256 mph reading. That being said, […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in News.
The Barrier Island Parks Society (BIPS) is delighted to extend an invitation to friends and families to share the magic of the season at the annual Lighting of the Lighthouse! Please join us at Port Boca Grande Lighthouse & Museum between 5:30 and 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10. Gates to the Port Boca Grande […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
Next on the roster for Friends of Boca Grande’s breakout Rhythm & Boots series is a special duo who bring us the sounds of country legends Floyd Cramer and Chet Atkins. These unique sounds live on through Floyd’s grandson, pianist Jason Coleman, and Chet’s great-niece, guitarist Meagan Taylor. This one-of-a-kind performance will take place at […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News.
Fallen palm trees are everywhere on Little Gasparilla Island. It seemed like such a waste to Don Schlandt, who lives on the island. Don is someone who tends to make lemonade when life gives him lemons. He saw the downed trees as a gift that could help him rebuild his own home, and maybe help […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
If you have been coming to Gasparilla Island for a few years or more and you love golf, perhaps this name will ring a bell with you: Leon Oliver. Oliver is a Gasparilla Inn & Club course record-holder (63, five times) who moved to Maine. Oliver has served as the owner/superintendent of Sheepscot Links Golf […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.
Silas Kai Swartzendruber went through Hurricane Ian in a unique way. He was inside his mother, Nikki Heimann. He was due to be born right around the time the hurricane hit, but for a while it appeared he would come early. In the end, he came almost two weeks late. Silas Kai was born on […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
And yes, that includes the ‘Lake in the Road’ The Friday, Nov. 18 Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority quarterly meeting was abuzz with talk of the hurricane, and how so much has been learned since that day in September. To begin, the GIBA Board voted to implement a Temporary Hurricane Relief Emergency Overweight Policy. “This policy […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
“I don’t think that every staff member reads their emails, and that is a common error in any organization,” he said. Supervisor of elections Tommy Doyle It would appear that the results are in from the 2022 election, and it only took a couple of weeks. Of course, everyone with a television set or a […]