Lee County Lighthouses Lighthouse
Location & Light Range
About Lee County Lighthouses Lighthouse
The Port Boca Grande Lighthouse, built in 1890, stands 13.5 meters tall on the southern end of Gasparilla Island. This square cylindrical wood tower, painted white, is attached to a West Indian keeper's house. Its light emits a white occulting signal that is on for 4 seconds. The lighthouse became inactive in 1966 and was later restored between 1985 and 1986. It has survived significant hurricanes, including Charley in 2004 and Ian in 2022, with repairs undertaken after each event. The site reopened to the public in February 2024.
Why it matters: The lighthouse provides navigational guidance into Port Boca Grande and serves as a historical and educational attraction within Gasparilla Island State Park.
Light & Optic
- Flash Type
- Occulting
- Light Color
- White
- Interval
- 4s
- Raw Code
- Oc W 4s
- Focal Height
- 12.5m
- Geographic Range
- 11.2NM
Construction & History
- Year Built
- 1890
Significant events: Inactive 1966-1986, Lee County took title 1972, restored 1985-86 by Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association, light reactivated and museum opened 21 November 1986, survived Hurricane Charley August 13, 2004 (catwalk and two cedar cisterns destroyed), closed for repairs and repainting summer 2012 (reopened September), state legislature approved $89,435 grant for assistant keeper's house repairs 2017, damaged by Hurricane Ian September 2022 (closed for 2022-23 season), state Department of Environmental Protection signed $3.8 million contract for repairs July 2023, reopened February 2024
Visiting
- Open to public
- Yes
Nearby Vessels
Tower & Structure
- Tower Height
- 13.5m
- Tower Shape
- square cylindrical
- Tower Color
- white
- Material
- wood
Structure: A 13.5m square cylindrical wood tower with lantern and gallery, painted white, is centered on the roof of a square wood West Indian keeper's house.
Location
- Country
- 🇺🇸United States
- Region
- Florida
- Sea Region
- Southern end of Gasparilla Island in Gasparilla Island State Park, accessible by toll road from the mainland.
- Latitude
- 27.6309°
- Longitude
- -82.5592°
References & Identifiers
- Nearest Port
- Port Manatee(0.4 km)
- Admiralty No.
- J3110
- ARLHS No.
- USA-910
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