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Travel + Leisure magazine’s ‘Best Small Town Beach’ spawns accolades in People, Time Out

Mostly forgotten 1970s teen idol Leif Garrett is reputed to have told Justin Beiber not to believe his own publicity, as every “chicken hawk wants a piece of you.”

That might be an apt warning for the nation’s newest media travel darling destination, Boca Grande, which seems to have an endless supply of effusive travel writers highlighting the island in the last few months.

Boca Grande zip beats Nantucket for priciest real estate … but not Fisher Island

The Boca Grande zip code 33921 is one of the top 50 highest-valued real estate zip codes in the U.S., according to new data from Zillow that measured typical home value, akin to a median value.

At 46th on the list, Boca Grande ranks just ahead of resort towns like Aspen’s 81611 at $2,848549, the Hamptons’ Quogue zip 11959 at $2,765,902 and Apple headquarters zip 95014 in Cupertino, Calif, which is 56th on the list, and had an average house value of $2,616,572.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: John Gaffney

John Gaffney has never had a job he didn’t love. The one he has now is no exception. John collects tolls at the Boca Grande Swing Bridge.  

“Being a police officer will always be my favorite job,” John admitted, “but this job at the bridge is a job where I get to enjoy it and not worry as much. I can go to work and just have fun. I get to talk to the people and it’s not stressful. The job is great.”

THIS DATE IN THE BOCA BEACON

FIVE YEARS AGO Roads in town were being paved, and snook health was a hot topic after a severe red tide bloom in preceding years took its toll on the population. TEN YEARS AGO Gasparilla Island Magazine hit the stands for the first time, a dead Lithuanian man was found on a sailboat in the […]

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: BIPS to hold golf tournament to benefit the Gasparilla Island Lighthouse

To the Editor: Save the date! Barrier Island Parks Society (BIPS) will host the Light Keeper’s Open on Monday, Oct. 30 at the exclusive Coral Creek Club to benefit the historic Gasparilla Island Lighthouse.  BIPS is calling all golfers to join in the festivities at the charity benefit tournament, featuring a continental breakfast, scramble format, […]

Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy At , accessible from , one of our main priorities is the privacy of our visitors. This Privacy Policy document outlines the types of information that is collected and recorded by and how we use it. 1. Information We Collect We collect information in various ways: Directly Provided Information: If you register for […]

BREAKING NEWS FROM GIWA:

“Gasparilla Island Water Association would like to inform all customers that they may experience slower flushing toilets and showers during Hurricane Idalia storm. With the higher tides and rain fall totaling close to 4 inches in two days the sewer system is working at maximum capacity. We ask the customers to limit use as much […]

No pets in Publix? More stores are in agreement

A recent decision by Publix Supermarket’s corporate office to enforce their policy regarding their customers’ ability to bring pets into their stores has created quite a stir in many animal-loving circles. It brings up the question, however, as to what constitutes a “service animal” and how far a store can go to question the owner.

RESTORING CELL COVERAGE … HERE’S THE LATEST

While the Atlantic is kicking up, action at the Bakery Building has slowed down this week. A new demolition crew will begin work on Monday, headed up by Kevin Kelley, and the Lee County Attorney’s Office has spoken with the building’s new owner, Sue Sligar, who is back in town. The building is listed under […]

Environmental and manmade problems plaguing local seagrass leave manatees and other aquatic wildlife in dire straits

After a massive hurricane and a year of drought, the status of seagrass in Charlotte Harbor could perhaps be characterized by experts as “not better, in fact marginally worse.” 
“We have lost massive amounts of seagrass,” said Dr. Richard Whitman, who heads up the nonprofit environmental charity Heal our Harbor. The group looks regularly at the water quality in Charlotte Harbor and its tributaries, enlisting volunteers in monitoring and educating about the importance of our water.
Observations are often anecdotal and micro-observations, and not all seagrass is the same. Whitman likens the question to how the stock market is doing. Are you asking about how it is doing this week, this year or over decades?