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IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Sok Nam Park

From Korea to a Boca Grande garden An interesting life is rarely a carefree life. It is in overcoming obstacles that much of the fulfilling and exciting twists and turns of life take place. Sok Nam Park, a resident of Boca Bay, has lived that kind of life, and believes the happiness she has come […]

Patchwork of Policies: How Florida beach towns manage public access

BY MARCY SHORTUSE With a considerable population increase in Florida in the last five years, more and more Florida beach towns are being forced to consider what their options are as far as parking for their “destination” locations, specifically beaches and the more tourist-driven areas. It’s difficult to compare the situation in Boca Grande – […]

Emails shed light on parking and beach access, as policy develops

Currently, the Boca Beacon is waiting on a public records request from Lee County to get a better understanding of what is happening with a proposed parking ordinance. This week, we were made aware that a Boca Grande resident, opposed to the possible restrictions, had also asked for and received over 600 pages of emails […]

O’Bannon on famed fishing podcast

Capt. Phil O’Bannon appeared this week on the Mill House podcast. The sporting show podcast is led by Andy Mill, an athlete, broadcaster and author. Mill, an Olympic skier, is the author of “A Passion for Tarpon.” “Phil O’Bannon is a sixth-generation Boca Grande fisherman whose life has been defined by the water,” the description […]

Fund for replacement deputy house now at about $190,000

Fundraising continues for a new house for a sheriff’s deputy house on Gasparilla Island. This week, over $55,000 came in, with a total of approximately $190,000 raised so far. Last week, $76,000 was raised. “We are making good progress,” said Larry Hannah, one of the members of the Boca Grande Disaster Fund who is working […]

Advanced water treatment begins on island

The Gasparilla Island Water Association now has its advanced water treatment up and running. “We turned on yesterday,” said GIWA Executive Director Ron Bolton. “We sent the ‘mixed liquor’ over.” The utility started the switch at 10 a.m. Wednesday, when the pipes were switched over. By 6 p.m., the utility was sending high quality reclaimed […]

Health Clinic breaks ground for Clinic of the Future

With the ceremonial turning of dirt, the Boca Grande Health Clinic has officially launched the construction of a new facility designed to better serve the Island’s healthcare needs – today and well into the future. The Clinic of the Future project is being developed in two phases to allow care to continue uninterrupted during construction. […]

Port Boca Grande Lighthouse reopens after hurricane closure

The Barrier Island Parks Society (BIPS) will reopen the historic Port Boca Grande Lighthouse and Museum at Gasparilla Island State Park on Monday, May 5 after nearly eight months of closure due to hurricane damage.  Nestled at the southern tip of Gasparilla Island, the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse, originally built in 1890, has withstood the […]