Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Editorial.
Using the most sensitive technology available for detecting harmful algal bloom (HAB) toxins, the Calusa Waterkeeper (CWK) research team started airborne toxin monitoring in July 2021 at eight locations in Lee County, Florida. Samples were collected with the use of a monitoring device designed and optimized from the ground up, incorporating elements of other design […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
To quell the rumor mill, this project does not include a “hotel” per se, but a “condominium hotel” experience. The units will be privately owned, and if the owners wish to enter their units into the rental management program, they can do so. It will be no different than the condominiums and homes that are rented out by island real estate rental companies.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Obituaries.
Father Sullivan was the first resident priest the island ever had. According to local history, the rectory as we know it now used to be a convent when he came to the island in1985. The sisters who lived there moved to Englewood to be closer to the Placida Road church, St. Francis. He was also responsible for purchasing the house and property next door to the church, which he renovated into a daycare center, now called the Boca Grande Preschool. The old rectory was sold to a resident, Mark Shevitski, and Father Sullivan moved across the street into the newly purchased house.
Written by T Michele Walker on . Posted in News.
Planning and organizing such an event would be an exhausting venture for many people. For Camille, it was a rush. “I loved working with Bayard Sharp. He trusted me. He had the most wonderful sense of humor and a sense of adventure, like no one I have ever known in my life. We spent a year-and-a-half planning that party, and we had a wonderful time. It was probably one of the greatest experiences, not just in my career, but also in my personal life.”
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, Entertainment, News.
No one in Boca Grande will ever say that Terry Seitz doesn’t know how to throw a party. The “Damfi” parties have been going down in history as some of the biggest and best shindigs to be had on the island, and the one held on Saturday, April 23 was no exception. Photos […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in News.
And then we found a message in a bottle. Somewhere along a stretch of Boca Grande beach, probably the same day we found it, some kids decided to send out a message to the world in a time-honored way, by tossing a bottle into the water with a note in it and letting the currents take it to its destiny.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community.
The Island School held their annual art show this past week at the Boca Grande Art Center, and there was a lot of enthusiasm for the students’ work. Here are a few highlights …
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.
Gina Thomsen has a passion for life…the life of every creature she encounters. Thomsen is sometimes known as “the bird lady,” but she is really the “every living creature” lady. If you want evidence of that, go swimming or paddleboarding with her in the Gulf sometime. The dolphins and manatees know her board and honor her presence by seeking her out. She is known by some as the dolphin and manatee whisperer.
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Obituaries.
Isaac “Ike” Blackburn Roberts, age 93, Nokomis, Fla., died on Sunday, April 24, 2022. He was born August 19, 1928 in Clayton, Ga., while his parents, Julian Bryant Roberts and Effie Elvira Blackburn Roberts were vacationing. He graduated in June 1947 from Sarasota High; and he married Dorothy Wilma Buckmaster on June 20, 1948. Ike […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Editorial.
The sense of loyalty to our island community in our newsroom is profound. Whether you are a billionaire from the Northeast or a high school baseball player selling cookies to support the team, we are here for you. We want your news – good or bad – to be printed in our newspaper so we can contribute to the history of this amazing place. We hope that someday 100 years from now, someone sorting through their grandmother’s attic will find an old Boca Beacon news article about how she won the Ladies Day Tarpon Tournament raffle. We hope that someone searching for their ancestors online can find a scanned version of an article about their great-great-grandfather that brings them more information in their search.