Sanibel

Lee County spends tens of millions of dollars to replace sand Hurricane Ian washed away

The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife's hospital, visitor center, and student housing all sustained damage a year ago from Hurricane Ian, but staff were able to return in the months following the storm. CROW on Tuesday held a groundbreaking for new outdoor enclosures, which had not fared well. The event marked a significant milestone in CROW’s recovery from the devastating effects of Hurricane Ian.

People living on Sanibel and Captiva weren’t the only ones driven from their homes by Hurricane Ian’s churning storm surge.Wildlife, amphibians and birds were displaced. Some species have come back fine, others are struggling to survive while others yet remain missing-in-action.

The Captiva Community Panel will meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday via Zoom to hear panel reaction to last week’s Lee County Commission vote to lift height restrictions on Captiva were lifted.

Trucks will begin hauling sand to northwest Sanibel on Monday to replace sand lost to erosion due to Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Nicole last year.

South Seas Island resort would like to rebuild higher than is currently allowed. It would also like an exception to the county's density rules. These ideas are not sitting well with some residents.

The restoration efforts at Puschel Preserve are on once again after Hurricane Ian. The progress is swift. And it’s (almost) all about the water, where it’s going, what’s using it, and how clean it stays.

The Bayside parking lot at 110-153 Periwinkle Way used for the Lighthouse Beach Park, and the Causeway Beach parking lot at 888 Sextant Drive next to the boat ramp opened on Friday.

The city has setup temporary telephone numbers that can be used to contact each department.

Projects in the state budget for Lee County included $51.67 million for Sanibel Causeway corridor repairs where Ian made initial landfall, $12.4 million for repairs in the Matlacha corridor and $6 million for studies on the Big Hickory Pass, Little Carlos Pass and New Pass bridges.