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Boca Grande parking Questions and Answers from Lee County

Lee County’s 2026 parking Ordinance No. 25-16 has changed the landscape and use of Gasparila Island. The Boca Beacon has had many questions about the ordinance from readers. Below are some of these…

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Good Friday, Easter worship and events

Easter is early this year, and all of the island traditions are scheduled and underway for the busy weekend ahead. Easter weekend begins on Good Friday with Stations of the Cross at noon. The sta…

Don Pedro beach

Charlotte County Public Works welcomes residents of Don Pedro Knight Islands to an informational meeting at 10 a.m., April 7, 2026, at Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park Recreation Center’s Multipu…

Beacon wins 13 press awards

The Boca Beacon has won 13 weekly awards at the upcoming Florida Press Association competition. Exact winners will be announced June 4 & 5 at the Florida Media Conference, held at the Hilton Res…

Island School Bake Sale benefits teacher

The Island School students, parents and teachers came together to sell baked goods and lemonade on Saturday, March 28 to benefit their fourth grade teacher, Dorothy Rahal. From all the helpers…

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Jeff Swift

Engineer at the Boca Grande Preschool Above, Jeff and Betty Swift. Photo submitted Jeff Swift laughs when asked about retirement. “Retirement isn’t doing nothing,” he said. “Retirement is doin…

Introducing The Island School’s Wax Museum

Second graders of The Island School appeared in character for their Historical Heroes Wax Museum. The second graders spent the third quarter of this school year reading, researching and writing abou…

Mount Vernon historian discusses legacy of John Adams

Historian and author Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky returns to Boca Grande on Monday, April 13, at 4:30 p.m. to present insights from her latest book, “Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents T…

Events Roundup: April 3-9

Friday, April 3 Farmers Market, Bayou (last market) Frondezvous Mini Market Finale, Pink Pony Courtyard Stations of the Cross, begins at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church courtyard…

Art Upstairs

Rae Medgyesy shown with some of her art as she welcomes you to her gallery in the Depot Building now through Sunday. Photo by Matt

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: On the hunt for Gasparilla’s Easter Egg Traditions

This Saturday, the Boca Grande Egg Hunt will be held at 10 a.m. at the Community Center, continuing a long island tradition. Easter egg hunts are a springtime staple across the Christian world, but Gasparilla Island has made them uniquely its own. As both a resort destination and a close-knit community, the island has hosted […]

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Health & Wellness

Ask a Doc: What happens when your doctor recommends a specialist?

The Boca Grande Health Clinic is the first stop for many residents and workers seeking care, from routine checkups to serious conditions such as cancer, heart disease and complex infections. Each ye…

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Anita Dust

Parkinson’s advocate on troubling disease Anita Dust almost threw it away. It was just another piece of mail, a small educational flyer listing the early signs of Parkinson’s disease. Like most p…

Clinic takes guests on ‘rounds’ of new offerings

Serving since 1947, taking operation into the future On a chilly island morning, residents gathered at the Boca Grande Community Center for the Feb. 24 Grande Rounds Program on how the Clinic wor…

Boca Grande Preschool celebrates dental health month

February was dental health month! The Boca Grande Preschool students had a visit from “Kids Choose Us Dentistry.” They learned how to keep our teeth healthy and clean! Top photo, front left to r…

Testing a new truck ladder

The Bradenton Fire Department responded to a request from Boca Grande Fire Department Chief C.W. Blosser, to borrow one of their fire trucks. On Wednesday, a crew brought a Pierce 107 ladder truck…

Advanced Life Support certification up for renewal at next Lee Commission meeting April 7

The Boca Grande Fire Department’s certification to provide Advanced Life Support (ALS) and non-transport services is up for renewal at the Lee County Board of County Commissioners meet-ing next Tues…

Missing person located on island

At 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 26, Lieutenant Mike Sawicki and Deputy David Scozzafava of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to Gasparilla Island regarding a missing/endangered person who ha…

205 parking citations issued after ordinance enforcement

From Feb. 1 to March 28, 2026, there were a total of 205 parking citations issued in Boca Grande. During the same period, there were six warnings issued, according to Autumn King, public informa…

News Archives

Memorial for Richard Scott Faley

A memorial mass for Richard Scott Faley (1947-2026) will be held at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church on Thursday, April 9th at 11 a.m. All are invi…

Paul Lewis Csank 1939-2026

Paul Lewis Csank (November 14, 1939 – March 28, 2026) was not a man who did things halfway. A native of Cleveland, he began studying psychology…

Charles Edward ‘Ched’ McConnell, 1948-2026

Charles Edward McConnell (Ched) of Boca Grande, Florida, passed away on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at the age of 77. Ched was born on September 1, 1948…

Paul ‘Chico’ Euwer 1935-2026

The Beacon received word of the recent death of Paul ‘Chico’ Euwer of Boca Grande on Monday, March 23. A memorial service will be held next fall.

John William ‘Tater’ Spinks, 1947-2026

On New Year’s Day, 1947, Lillian and Roy Spinks welcomed their 5th child, a boy named John William, nicknamed by his older siblings as “Tater,” and…