Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in News.
BY ANGIE MILLS AND MARCY SHORTUSE The 4th Annual Turnin’ Tides Invitational, is now in the history books. It began with a whole lot of patient anglers biting their nails for two hours, and ended with 20 minutes of exceptional activity with four boats battling it out for the “last fish” award.With a little more […]
Written by BBadmin7502 on . Posted in Featured News.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE Island resident Daly Walker and a few of his close friends will be taking the “big” trip to Texas this year to meet former President George W. Bush, have a little lunch and tour the president’s museum … to the tune of $75,000. Walker outbid all competitors at the Hank Wright Live […]
Written by Anna Ridilla on . Posted in Breaking News, Community, Events, News.
Easter is early this year, and all of the island traditions are scheduled and underway for the busy weekend ahead. Easter weekend begins on Good Friday with Stations of the Cross at noon. The stations begin in the courtyard of Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church, traveling through the downtown area of Boca Grande with […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
Little Laser sailboats in annual competition The Basin Sailing Yacht Club, also known as BSYC, held its annual Island Championships this past Sunday, March 29, at the Boca Bay Power House lagoon. Racing conditions for the RC Lasers were great with breezy, northeast winds. Then midway through the races the winds lightened up a bit […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
Above, Jasmine Sanders was photographed on the Pine Island Sound Fishing Shacks. She is as “Golden Barbie” to her loyal social media following, Sanders uses her platform to share her interest in the beauty and fitness spaces. The Lee County Tourist Development Council partnered with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit to shoot their annual issue on Lee […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Police & Fire.
The Boca Grande Fire Department’s certification to provide Advanced Life Support (ALS) and non-transport services is up for renewal at the Lee County Board of County Commissioners meet-ing next Tuesday, April 7. Commissioners will vote on whether the issuance of a Certificate of Public Convenience and Ne-cessity to the Boca Grande Fire Control District satisfies […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Obituaries.
Paul Lewis Csank (November 14, 1939 – March 28, 2026) was not a man who did things halfway. A native of Cleveland, he began studying psychology at The Ohio State University before turning to law, following his brother Jim into the profession. He earned his degree from Cleveland State University College of Law and went […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Profiles.
This Saturday, the Boca Grande Egg Hunt will be held at 10 a.m. at the Community Center, continuing a long island tradition. Easter egg hunts are a springtime staple across the Christian world, but Gasparilla Island has made them uniquely its own. As both a resort destination and a close-knit community, the island has hosted […]
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Community, Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: I wanted to share data from three reports documenting conditions on Gasparilla Island since Lee County Ordinance 25-16 took effect. The first data is from a community survey report prepared by Open Shores of Southwest Florida, collecting hundreds of responses between February 4 and March 16, 2026 – the height of peak […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community History.
FIVE YEARS AGO The Divine Swine barbecue fundraiser was held at the Boca Grande Lighthouse Methodist Church. Over 200 meals were prepared for the community and over $7,300 raised for Englewood Helping Hand. TEN YEARS AGO The United States Coast Guard gave BIPS a license to restore and maintain the Range Light and the 7.4-acre […]