Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
The Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association has been busy already with the annual activities, including one very unusual nest, bird nests and lighting issues on the beach.
According to Denise Juergens, a resident found these sea turtle tracks (shown at right) on the Charlotte Harbor side of the island, which is the first time in a long time – if ever – that a turtle has tried to nest there.
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
Join the folks at Lemon Creek Wildflower Preserve for a rock garden workshop from 9 a.m. to noon on May 31 with Bonnie Stuhlmiller. They will provide the paint, brushes, cocktail napkins, mod podge for decoupage and different types of acrylic pens for group use. Everyone is welcome, though, to bring their personal supplies as well.
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.
Being in the family chiropractic business was not the original plan for Francine Finucan (fah-NU-kin). She was supposed to be a college-educated stay-at-home wife and mother. That was her father’s plan for her. Francine – Frankie to her friends – had other plans. Among them was to come to Florida and help people stay healthy and fit in multiple ways.
Frankie was the oldest of three siblings. According to her father, who was a well-known chiropractor in Roseville, Michigan for 50 years, Frankie’s brother Paul was to be the chiropractor. He was to take over dad’s business when the time was right. Their younger brother Andrew was going to be president of the United States. Dad is one out of three so far. (Andrew could still become president if he really tried.)
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
Editor’s note: This poem was sent in by an island resident, who was sitting with a young family member at the restaurant when she wrote it. It is beautiful. These yellow walls are still the same: The tables worn, The paintings crooked. Even after all that happened here, Boats still line the docks. And though […]
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: You could call it, “The Miracle of the Lemonade Stand.” Two little girls wanted to help put the old Baptist Church back together again. You see, they knew that Hurricane Ian had left the church much like Humpty Dumpty after he fell off the wall, scattered all over the place. Eleanor and […]
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: Governor DeSantis has only days left to VETO the “Sprawl Bill”, SB 540. SB 540 would threaten ordinary Floridians with financial ruin for exercising their right to legally challenge amendments that conflict with their communities’ comprehensive plans. Floridians who lost such challenges could be forced to pay the attorney fees and costs […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Boca Beacon Back Pages, Columns.
Boca Beacon backpages FIVE YEARS AGO Waylon took his team on “Blaze” to victory at Ladies Day, the “Grande” Tradition began and the roster for the World’s Richest was announced with Capt. Chad Bombenger signed up in the number one spot. TEN YEARS AGO The “Elusive Tiger Shad” team took top honors at Ladies Day, […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
Big news has been handed down from the Boca Grande Cellphone Tower Committee and tower building company Vertical Bridge. They announced that it is possible we will have a fully operational cellphone tower – a permanent one – by the end of August.
According to Steve Gosnell, vice president of development with Vertical Bridge, they have received word that our tower would be fabricated and ready for delivery by the end of June. Sometime around the 4th of July it would be delivered if the schedule holds true.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
It was easy to see that the Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board didn’t want to make the decision they felt they had to make on Wednesday, May 10 at their monthly meeting. The proposal was from the Boca Grande Health Clinic to demolish the old Annex building and to build a new building approximately four times the size of the old one – weighing in at 13,299 square feet. After a series of pointed questions directed to several Clinic representatives, though, they had to deny the Certificate of Appropriateness based on two criteria within the Boca Grande Historic District Design Guidelines, specifically addressing the mass and scale of the proposed building and its height.
The reasons given officially to the county were submitted as, “Although the Board did not object to the form or materials proposed for the proposed office, it found that the height of the structure is too large for the immediate block of surrounding residences. The proposal is therefore not consistent with Guideline 4.1. The Board finds that the proposed structure exceeds both the mass and scale of the block and therefore is not consistent with Guideline 4.3.”
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
If the first tarpon tournament of the 2023 season, held last Saturday night, gives any indication as to what is in store, it might just be a pretty interesting season. Capt. Chad Bombenger and his team aboard “Sabalo” brought home the prize money for first place with five of the 24 fish released in the #17 Classic.