Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY SUSAN HANAFEE – A walk on the beach didn’t have the same meaning that it used to for some island residents and visitors this past season, as developers and homeowners took steps to keep the public away from their waterfront properties. The addition of “private beach” signs, plus cameras and the posting of a […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY T MICHELE WALKER – On any given day, the Division of Park and Recreation’s concessionaire transports as many as 100 people across the 450-foot wide mangrove and beach dune area for shelling trips. These trips are sponsored by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Parks and Recreation’s. According to a Florida State […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Sports & Outdoors.
For more photos of the 2021 #17 Classic, go to bocabeacon.smugmug.com BY MARCY SHORTUSE – The #17 Classic, held on May 13 and 14, yielded 14 releases for the full field of boats that fished Boca Grande Pass in search of a win. By the end of day one there were five releases, with the […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Police & Fire.
STAFF REPORT – Dog Island, a spit of land just off the Boca Grande Causeway, continued to burn as of press time on Thursday, May 20 after a fire started there on the preceding Monday. According to officials the call came in at approximately 11 a.m. on May 17. Charlotte County Fire responded, as did […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Health & Wellness.
SUBMITTED BY THE BOCA GRANDE HEALTH CLINIC – Last week the Center for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidance that says “fully vaccinated” Americans do not need to follow precautions at all (not masks nor distancing) except for as required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Health & Wellness.
SUBMITTED BY THE BOCA GRANDE HEALTH CLINIC – A monumental milestone has been reached in our Island’s fight against COVID-19 as the Boca Grande Health Clinic has now vaccinated more than 3,100 patients and members of the Island community with their first and/or second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. “We’ve come a long way in […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Profiles.
BY T MICHELE WALKER – For those who want to see the world, there are many professions to choose from. Travel is one of the advantages of a career in the military, flight attendant, cruise ship worker, or foreign service officer. You can add to that list, tennis pro. For John Janes, tennis pro at […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY SUSAN HANAFEE – Even as the Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board was conducting its routine monthly meeting this Wednesday, the skirmish over a controversial plan to nominate 129 downtown residences to the National Register of Historic Places was heating up at the local, county and state levels. The latest salvo included copies of 60 […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Entertainment, News.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE – Back in the day when Gasparilla Island was more about community and less about being an exclusive second-home or vacation destination, there was a guy named Mike Weddle and his buddies who made up this little group called the Boca Bande. They may not have made worldwide headlines, but when the […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY SUSAN HANAFEE – Sometimes it takes time for dreams to come true. That appears to be the case for the Puerto family, out of Miami, who have been building a 5,000-plus square foot home on the southern tip of Little Gasparilla Island since 2012. The unfinished concrete structure that rises three stories out of […]