Sanibel Island

While a precautionary boil water order affecting Sanibel and Captiva islands has been rescinded, one remains in place for the Caloosa Shores Association on Sanibel.

With more than 900 rental bikes gone, along with vehicles and other items, Billy Kirkland is trying to figure out how his future and the island fit together.

A memento in the shape of a inscribed memorial rock, brought to Sanibel Island and thought to have been tossed away by Ian, instead found its way back to the family of the person memorialized.

Drone-delivered meals to Sanibel Island residents will be available Saturday through Monday this week via a partnership with several companies including Zing Drones of St. Petersburg, A2Z Drones of Los Angeles, Skyway drone service and World Central Kitchens.

Two days ahead of the expected finish date, repairs on the Sanibel Causeway, broken in multiple places three weeks ago by Hurricane Ian, are completed enough to allow residents and island businesses access. Gov. DeSantis announced the access at a briefing Wednesday morning moments before a convoy of Lee County Sheriff's Office units heralded the opening by crossing the link with a load of local and state politicians.

A procession of utility trucks and other official vehicles crossed a temporarily reconstructed Sanibel Causeway today to providing utilities and other essential needs to the hurricane-damaged island.

There will be conditions attached to driving on Sanibel Island at this time, including obeying traffic laws.

Residents must have a current Sanibel Hurricane Reentry pass or a valid Florida driver’s license showing a Sanibel address. Sanibel residents who do not have a Hurricane reentry pass may obtain one at Temporary City Hall (Crowne Plaza Hotel, 13051 Bell Tower Drive, Fort Myers). Anyone who is on the island to assist City residents, property owners, or business owners must be accompanied at all times by a city resident, a property owner, or a business owner while on island.

The Torah scrolls are safe in the vault at Congress Jewelers, said Rabbit Stephen Fuchs of Temple Bat Yam, but he’s unsure what exactly has happened to the synagogue where normally 50 to 60 congregants gather for services on Sanibel Island.

Extended summary: As people return to Fort Myers to pick up the pieces after Hurricane Ian, some are finding that harder than others. Crystal Edge of Naples has spent days trying to pry the last vestige of her mother’s memory from the water. She left the 28-year-old sailboat that belonged to her mother tied up at a marina underneath the Fort Myers Beach bridge when Hurricane Ian made landfall. When Edge’s mother died last year, the boat became more important to her. When she checked on the family heirloom after the storm, she was distraught to see it sunken and piled underneath another boat in the marina. Edge has been trying to recover the mast from the boat’s wreckage. She intends to repurpose it as a flagpole to honor her mother.