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Patient satisfaction at the heart of Experience Appreciation Week

BY MARK DRISCOLL, CEO OF THE BOCA GRANDE HEALTH CLINIC – This week is Patient Experience Week (April 26-30) and we wanted to spend a few minutes discussing why this is important and how it helps all of us. Patient satisfaction and patient experience are healthcare terms that are often used interchangeably to describe the […]

Iguana panel meets, discusses ongoing lizard eradication methodology

BY MARCY SHORTUSE – The Gasparilla Island Municipal Service Benefit Unit, a.k.a. the “iguana panel,” held their regularly scheduled advisory meeting on Friday, April 23, and discussion featured a commitment to continue discussions with state entities to allow iguana trapper George Cera permission to hunt on lands they own. Currently Cera is not allowed to […]

In the face of new proposed dredging deregulation that could mean 50 percent more sea turtle deaths, it seems strange that ‘relocation’ is no longer an option

BY TONYA BRAMLAGE AND MARCY SHORTUSE – It’s common to hear the phrase “There is no use in dredging things up,” but when it comes to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – the people charged with keeping U.S. waterways unobstructed for boats and ships – they feel just the opposite is true. Recently the […]

Greatest kids fishing tournament on earth to be held in Boca Grande Pass on June 5: Kids helping kids is what it’s all about

STAFF REPORT – After taking 2020 off because of COVID-19, the Gasparilla Island Kids Classic Tarpon Tournament will return on Saturday, June 5, and will be held in Boca Grande Pass from 3 to 6 p.m. According to Capt. Sandy Melvin, the founder and coordinator osf the tournament, this is the world’s greatest kids fishing […]

Foster takes first in Basin Sailing Yacht Club World Championship

STAFF REPORT – The Basin Sailing Yacht Club held its annual “World Championships” on Sunday, April 25 at the Boca Bay Powerhouse lagoon, with local legend John Foster taking the lead amongst many prestigious and worthy opponents.  Racing conditions were typical with shifty westerly breezes, and the heats were close. The final outcome after eight […]

A history of the du Pont family in Boca Grande

BY KAREN GRACE AND THE BOCA GRANDE HISTORY CENTER – The beginning of the du Pont family in Boca Grande came in 1916 or 1917 when Louise (du Pont) and Frank Crowninshield rented Frank’s brother’s (Benjamin) Gulf front cottage. In the years that followed, Louise and Frank bought land at First Street and Gulf Boulevard, […]

OBITUARY: Michael Calahan

Michael (“Mike”) A. Calahan, formerly of Boca Grande, died unexpectedly at his home in Fort Lauderdale on April 17, 2021. Mike and his wife, Midge, built a home in Boca Bay in the mid-1990s and resided there on a seasonal basis for almost 20 years, sharing residences between Holland, Michigan, Lexington, Kentucky, and Boca Grande. […]

PROFILE: Cathy Ballman

BY T MICHELE WALKER – Zoom meetings are as ubiquitous as love bugs in spring. After months of coffee interviews and visits to lovely homes and marinas, the Boca Beacon finally had our first profile Zoom interview with Cathy Ballman from St. Paul, Minnesota. “Zoom fatigue is all too real,” Cathy said, as she sat […]

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Many thanks to all who helped Hope for Haitians committee exceed their 2021 goal

Dear Editor and friends of the Boca Grande Hope For Haitians Committee,  We’ve exceeded our goal!  On behalf of the Boca Grande Hope for Haitians Committee, the people of Haiti, the most impoverished population in our hemisphere, and Food For The Poor, we wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to you for your contribution toward […]