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2026 Gasparilla Island Tennis Classic begins in January; Register now

The Boca Beacon’s Gasparilla Island Tennis Classic opens on Saturday, Jan.17, 2026. The annual all-island tournament will be held at the Boca Bay Pass Club, The Gasparilla Inn Tennis Club and the…

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Community

Christmas Walk and tree lighting set

November 26, 2025

Two important dates have been set as part of annual island Christmas traditions. The annual Boca Grande Christmas Walk is Saturday, Dec. 6. Santa will drive through town in a Boca Grande Fire Dep…

Snowman and tree on South McCall

November 26, 2025

The Mavis Tires and Brakes shop on McCall in Englewood got its holiday spirit early with a green Christmas tree and a white Santa, all made from used tires. The electric-tape relief snowflake was pa…

Ladies Fa La La La Luncheon at Lighthouse United Methodist Church

November 26, 2025

Ladies (not just Methodists!) are invited to the Fa La La La Luncheon at Lighthouse United Methodist Church, 325 West 3rd St. at Gilchrist Ave. on Monday, December 8 at 11:30 a.m., in their Fellowsh…

Education

The Island School sets date for Chowder Dinner

November 13, 2025

The Island School PTO will host its 10th Annual Chowder Dinner on Friday, Jan. 16, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Gasparilla Inn Beach Club. Guests can enjoy a cash bar, live music by the Green Flash Ba…

K-9 Birdie visits The Island School

November 13, 2025

Lee County Deputy Barrs and his K-9 partner Birdie paid The Island School a visit on Tuesday, Oct. 14. Birdie is a Labrador, and her primary duty is to search for weapons on school campuses. She is…

Boca Grande Preschool given Palm Avenue commercial building

October 30, 2025

The Boca Grande Preschool, Inc. is new the owner of 311 Palm Avenue. The Palm Avenue property was donated by the Pete and Ginny Nicholas family. It is zoned as commercial, located behind the 3rd…

Entertainment

Upcoming Events: December 2025-January 2026

November 26, 2025

Boca Grande Sleuths Join the sleuths on Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 2 p.m. as they investigate “Snow” by John Banville presented by Susan Hanafee. This free event is held in the Boca Grande Community Ctr…

Alison Brown Quintet at the Crowninshield

November 26, 2025

Grammy-winning banjo player, Alison Brown played with the Alison Brown Quintet this past Friday at the Crowninshield Community House. This event is the first concert in the Rhythm & Boots series…

Englewood’s Pioneer Plaza to host first Art Festival of the season

November 26, 2025

Above, art by Martin Figlinski. Photos submitted The Englewood Invitational Fall Art Festival is slated for Thanksgiving weekend, Saturday and Sunday, November 29-30, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. While…

IN THE SPOTLTIGHT: Mark Horan

From tennis court to animal habitat Mark Horan’s path to conservation work in Boca Grande and Cape Haze began long before he ever paddled out to collect water samples or walked the edges of a burrowing owl colony. His roots stretch back to rural Vermont, where he grew up on his parents’ cattle farm and […]

Sports & Outdoors

Health & Wellness

Ask a Doc: Avoid the uh-ohs when the grandkids visit

November 20, 2025

BY CHARLOTTE C. COWAN, MD Few things are more joyful – or more unpredictable – than a grandchild’s visit. Children inevitably bring with them both fun and minor chaos. And, as every grandparent k…

Englewood Hospital earns distinctions

October 30, 2025

HCA Florida Englewood Hospital announced Wednesday that it has earned multiple five-star distinctions for exceptional clinical performance from Healthgrades, the online doctor or hospital ratings se…

OPINION: MARK DRISCOLL

October 23, 2025

Reflecting on five years at the Clinic I was walking on the island the other day, passing the construction site where the new Clinic of the Future is taking shape, when I stopped for a moment to…

Health Clinic taken from the air

October 9, 2025

An aerial view of the construction of the future Boca Grande Health Clinic, looking south, taken Thursday morning. The building, replacing a storm damaged Annex, is part of their Clinic of the Futur…

Police & Fire

Shark bite victim tells her story on Inside Edition

November 20, 2025

Leah Lendel, the then nine-year-old girl who got bit by a shark in Boca Grande in June, was featured on an Inside Edition interview Monday night. In her first interview since surviving the shark…

Briefly: Boaters rescued 35 miles offshore by Coast Guard

November 20, 2025

A Coast Guard Station Cortez boat crew rescued eight boaters on Saturday, after their 26-foot vessel became disabled approximately 35 miles west of Venice. The boaters and vessel were brought back t…

Chili Challenge and Firehouse 5K this weekend

November 13, 2025

The Grande Firehouse 5k, followed by the Boca Grande Area Chamber of Commerce Big Mouth Chili Challenge is on Saturday, Nov. 15. The race, hosted by the Boca Grande Fire Department begins at…

Historic Collier Inn nearly burns on Tuesday

November 6, 2025

Maintenance worker Peter Frazzetta, up early Tuesday Nov. 4, helped saved the historic Collier Inn on Useppa Island from a fire during its renovation. “He gets up early and grades the roads befo…

News Archives

Obituaries

Sarah Sharp Farish, 1942-2025

Sarah Sharp Farish passed away on November 24, 2025 at home in Boca Grande, Florida, surrounded by her family. Raised in Wilmington, Delaware, Sa…

Cheryl Midyett 1944-2025

On the 18th of November, Cheryl Midyett of Knoxville, Tennessee, and Boca Grande, passed on to the realm of peace and eternal love. On Easter Sunday…

Robert A. Dishman 1944-2025

Robert A. Dishman, Ph.D., of Chatham, MA and Boca Grande, FL, passed away on September 27, 2025, at the age of 81. Born on May 7, 1944, in Miami, FL…

Lewis L. Hamilton 1939-2025

Lewis L. Hamilton, M.D. of Boca Grande, FL and Salisbury, CT died peacefully at home in Salisbury on July 20, 2025 surrounded by his loving family a…

David John Williams 1942-2025

David John Williams of East Haddam, Conn., and Boca Grande, Fla., passed away on November 2, 2025, after a courageous battle with metastasized melan…