The South Seas Group has been battling residents and civic groups on Sanibel and Captiva as it tries to persuade the Lee County Board of County Commissioners to sign off on a deal that would significantly expand the number of people at the resort.
South Seas encompasses the northern third of Captiva Island.
To get to Captiva by car, you have to drive through Sanibel Island. The populations of both islands swell significantly during the winter tourist season.
Several days have been set aside beginning Friday for the public to learn about and weigh in on the proposal as the South Seas Group tries to persuade a hearing officer that the zoning request should be approved.
The hearing begins at 9 a.m. Friday and continues February 20 and 21. Additional days will be added as needed.
The hearings will be broadcast live on LeeTV for those who cannot attend.
One of those expected to weigh in is property owner Ken Suarez.
“So, you know, this resiliency narrative is just it's just nonsense. It's just a way to take everybody's eye off the ball for the density play. They never come out right? And tell everybody in public. Yeah, we want 356 more units. They just never come out and tell you that.”
There’s near 100 percent opposition to South Seas plan to stray from decades-long zoning rules that allow for only 3.5 housing units per one acre of land. A single hotel room is considered a housing unit.
The old 107-room hotel was torn down after Hurricane Ian. South Seas would like to rebuild with quadruple the number of rooms among other things.
It says it wants to rebuild a more resilient, world-class resort that could withstand storms like Ian. The public isn’t buying the resilient narrative, saying Florida code on rebuilding already dictates that.
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