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Boca Grande Preschool sets New Beginnings Groundbreaking

The Boca Grande Preschool will hold a New Beginnings Groundbreaking Ceremony at its new property at 3 p.m. on Friday, May 1. The new location is at 311 Palm Ave. It was donated by the Pete and G…

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State Park parking discussed at county meetings

One recently proposed solution to the parking issue in Boca Grande is to create extra parking spaces in the Gasparilla Island State Park, either near the Range Light, or in other undeveloped areas…

Kids Needs gift

Kids’ Needs of Greater Englewood was inadvertently left off the list of 10 charitable organizations that received monies from the 2026 Strawberry Festival in Boca Grande. The list appeared in the Ap…

New Mako’s at Tiffany Square

Chef Mike Klocinski has recently opened Mako’s Coastal Kitchen in the Tiffany Square shopping center in Englewood. They offer a menu centered on fresh seafood dishes such as ahi tuna tartare, Gulf s…

Hope-filled restart for the Boca Grande Preschool

This Friday, something very happy is happening for the island: the groundbreaking, without fanfare, of the Boca Grande Preschool. The school will return to the island. It is a recognition of hard…

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The Nicholas family

A new day for the Boca Grande Preschool Above, the Nicholas family are from left, Peter Jr., Ginny, the late Pete Nicholas, Katie and J.K. Photo submitted For 45 years, the Nicholas family has…

Boca Grande Preschool sets New Beginnings Groundbreaking

The Boca Grande Preschool will hold a New Beginnings Groundbreaking Ceremony at its new property at 3 p.m. on Friday, May 1. The new location is at 311 Palm Ave. It was donated by the Pete and G…

Memorial Day sandbar lineup announced

On Saturday, May 23, the Uncle Don’s Boca H2O Music Festival will be held in the water off the sandbar between Gasparilla Island and Placida. The concert is put together by Big Boy Toyz Expo. The…

Lemon Bay High spring concert salutes America 250

The Lemon Bay High School band will present a spring concert Thursday, May 7, at the Lemon Bay Performing Arts Center, featuring a program celebrating the sound, spirit and story of America as the n…

New Gasparilla Island Magazine out for May/June, with Tarpon Times

To start off the summer season, Boca Beacon’s Gasparilla Magazine May/June Edition is out with new feature stories, recipes, shopping and social pages. Features include “Crossing For Cystic Fibro…

Education, Profiles

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The Nicholas family

A new day for the Boca Grande Preschool Above, the Nicholas family are from left, Peter Jr., Ginny, the late Pete Nicholas, Katie and J.K. Photo submitted For 45 years, the Nicholas family has been a prominent name on the island, their legacy shaped by deep involvement in the Boca Grande community, notable generosity and, […]

Sports & Outdoors

Health & Wellness

Clinic: Mother’s Day is perfect time to reflect on women’s health

BY NATALIE COLE, R.N. BOCA GRANDE HEALTH CLINIC If you are struggling to think of the perfect gift this Mother’s Day, consider something many women rarely give themselves: time to focus on their…

Parkinson’s: A growing disease hiding in plain sight

Pictured above are Larry and Anita Dust, Red Tulip Board Members and volunteers at an Indiana Parkison Foundation event held at The Picklr in 2025. April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month, a time t…

Letters: Health Clinic grateful to Hank Wright sponsors

To the Editor: On behalf of the Boca Grande Health Foundation and the Boca Grande Health Clinic, we extend our sincere thanks to the Boca Grande community for its continued support of the 3…

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Erin & Dusty Stanczyk

Local plant-based cookbook authors Fresh out of college and living in Nebraska, the Beef State, Dusty and Erin Stanczyk decided to make a change for their health. That choice led them to adopt a…

Hurricane passes available at Boca Grande Fire Department; needed if an emergency

As hurricane season approaches, the time to prepare is now. Part of that preparation for Gasparilla Island residents, property owners and business owners is to obtain hurricane passes from the Boca…

Kids in Fire School

Seven Island School students, grades third through fifth, spent last Friday morning at the Boca Grande Fire Department for the first ever Mini Fire Cadet Academy. Students got to try on gear, got a…

Fire Cadets Friday

The Boca Grande Fire Department will host a Mini Fire Cadet Academy on April 17 at BGFD Station for students in grades 3 through 5, ages eight to 11. The three-hour program is designed to provide ha…

Update on accident

Last week, the Beacon reported a golf cart and car accident on Thursday afternoon at 7th Street and the GICIA Bike Path. The accident was on April 2, 2026 at 3:55 p.m. The driver of the reported tha…

News Archives

DeeAnn Phillips 1938-2026

We are heartbroken to share the passing of our beloved DeeAnn Phillips, who passed peacefully with her family by her side on April 20, 2026. DeeAnn…

Celebration of Life April 26 for Chef Lenny Clymer

There will be a celebration of life at The Temptation Restaurant from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 26 for Leonard “Lenny” E Clymer, 66. Leonard…

Robert Vanden Bosch 1936-2026

Robert Vanden Bosch of Chicago, IL and Boca Grande passed away on March 22, 2026 at Brighton Gardens Assisted Living in Chevy Chase MD. Robert grew…

Paul ‘Chico’ Euwer 1935-2026

Paul (Chico) Euwer, from Boca Grande and Ligonier, PA, died on March 23, 2026. He graduated from the Lawrenceville School, Princeton and the Wharton…

Capt. John Spinks Celebration

Capt. John Spinks, best known as Capt. ‘Tater’ Spinks, died March 8, 2026. Born Jan. 1, 1947, he was a long-time Boca Grande fishing captain. Ta…