Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
BY RENEE WILSON, THE AUDUBON SOCIETY While most Floridians slept, more than 30 million migrating birds crossed the Sunshine State last night as they made their way south to spend the winter in warmer climates. “Fall migration is much longer than spring, as birds don’t move as quickly,” says Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Director (and […]
Written by Arlene Hall on . Posted in Columns, Sports & Outdoors.
Adoptive ‘parents’ for nests across Gasparilla Island BY ARLENE HALL, BGSTA SECRETARY As of this week, the 2025 sea turtle nesting season for the BGSTA is down to single digits, with only six (6) incubating green turtle nests remaining. Hopefully by the time this article is printed, some of them will have hatched. We have […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
Interlocal agreements with beach and shoreline funding recipients, including the Barrier Island Parks Society, were approved unanimously at the Tuesday, Oct. 7th Lee County Commissioners meeting. “It’s good to put the tourist tax dollars to work,” said Nancy MacPhee, Visitor and Convention Bureau product development manager. The agreements are between Lee County and the Barrier […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Breaking News, News, Sports & Outdoors.
After a brief pause, renourishment at the Gasparilla Island State Park at the south end of the island recommenced this week. Photo by Dusty
Written by Arlene Hall on . Posted in Columns, Sports & Outdoors.
BY ARLENE HALL, BGSTA SECRETARY Wow, the 2025 sea turtle nesting season is sure winding down quickly now! If you’ve been tracking the weekly statistics in the Boca Beacon, you may have noticed the total number of crawls (combined nests and false crawls) has held steady since the week of August 23. That means there […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, Featured News, News.
At the Florida Press Association’s annual conference and awards, the Boca Beacon won 19 awards in the weekly paper category. The awards ceremony, held on Aug. 1 at the Sunseeker Resort, recognized the newspaper for its work in photography, journalism and community service. Since 1989, the Beacon has won 76 first-place awards in the weekly […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community.
Last Tuesday, Aug. 5, Boca Grande Fire Department’s Daniel Martinez won first place at Visani’s 1st Comic Standing in Port Charlotte. Pictured from left, Daniela Kirvin, Peter Kirvin, Jason Hutchinson, Pat Bigness, Julianne Greenberg, Daniel Martinez, Shawn Martinez, Daniel Martinez, Anna Ridilla, Matthew Martinez, Nancy Swain, Christin Rossow, Dustin Rossow, Wyatt Steyer and Summer Gibson.The […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, Featured News, News.
Above, newspaper and magazine awards from last year’s convention. Boca Beacon archives The Boca Beacon and Gasparilla Island Magazine received word that has been nominated for 39 awards at the annual Florida Magazine Association and Florida Press Association contests. The Beacon is a finalist for 18 awards, including a The Jon A. Roosenraad First Amendment […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Police & Fire.
Lee County Emergency Medical Services has received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline EMS Gold achievement award for its commitment to offering rapid and research-based care to people experiencing the most severe form of heart attacks and strokes, ultimately saving lives. This is the 11th consecutive year for the national recognition. Mission: Lifeline EMS is […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Police & Fire.
State Rep. Danny Nix joined Charlotte County Commissioners on Tuesday, July 22, to present a ceremonial check of more than $8 million in state funding for local infrastructure, emergency response and waterway safety projects. The funding, was included in Florida’s 2025-2026 budget and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. “Bringing good ideas to Tallahassee is important—but […]