Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, News.
For more than 75 years, the Boca Grande Woman’s Club has consistently fulfilled its mission of community improvement through contributions to community projects, local non-profit organizations, and local scholars. The Club is grateful for the support and generous contributions of island residents and businesses in achieving the Club’s mission. In response to Hurricanes Helene and […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Columns, Community History.
BY JAMES J. BLAHA, DIRECTORBOCA GRANDE HISTORY CENTER “To write history requires a whole life of observation, of inquiry, of labor, and correction,” Thomas Jefferson 1817 On March 14, 1986, the Boca Beacon published an adaptation from a “Letter to the Editor” originally written by Sarah Helen Pouncey. The letter is an excellent example of […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
Charlotte County will re-landscape Gasparilla Road, in an ordinance passed on April 8 at their regular meeting’s consent agenda. The landscape plan for County Road 771, which will be on the four-lane part of the highway from McCall Road, will cost $621,829.98, with a contract from Brightview Landscaping Services, Inc. The landscape design by Johnson […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Featured News, News, Real Estate, Sports & Outdoors.
Ferryman returns making Placida/LGI runs The Little Gasparilla Island resort complex Hideaway Bay Beach Club finally has its land access open. On Saturday before last, residents were out on Placida Road fixing their parking area after their land-side dock passed inspection. “We got our ferry back,” said Maria De La Nuez, a board member who […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Breaking News, News.
On Wednesday, the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority voted to harden the islands around its bridges and roadway to prevent further deterioration in the event of a future hurricane. “One thing the board takes very seriously is maintaining access to the island,” said George Milne, engineering chair for the authority. “We know where a lot of […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Opinion.
BY EMERSON WICKWIRE Today, while reading yet another installment in the Beacon’s never-ending stream of church-related letters about their Gilchrist parking access, I paused to wonder: Why, in our fabulously warm and wonderfully welcoming little barrier island community, has this issue been so loudly ongoing for so many years? And why has it recently become […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Opinion.
BY ALICE GORMAN One of the results of living and caring about a small community for many years is the awareness that certain complicated and difficult issues seem to never be permanently resolved. As a visitor to Boca Grande when my parents settled here in 1971 and a winter resident myself for the past 25 […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Editorial.
It is time we had some good news here on Gasparilla Island. This summer, the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority (GIBA) will embark on two major infrastructure projects – referred to as “hardening” efforts. The first will focus on fortifying their headquarters, and the second will enhance resilience on the islands of the Causeway itself. The […]
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: I am writing in opposition to proposed changes in Boca Grande parking and to briefly mention our experience. We vacationed yearly in Boca Grande since 1992 renting for a week or so. Once I retired we wanted to stay longer and now have a place in Rotonda and are here four months […]
Written by Anna Ridilla on . Posted in Entertainment, Profiles.
Bailey Seybolt Author Bailey Seybolt was in Boca Grande with her kids just this past February on vacation; now she is in New York for the release of her debut novel with Simon and Schuster, “Coram House.” “Coram House,” which came out in hardback on April 15, follows a crime writer investigating mysterious deaths at […]