Sanibel

Three bridges in Lee County were recently approved for construction beginning this year. A meeting was held on February 6, to allow Lee County Commissioners to voice their opinions and vote on the reconstruction of the bridges, Big Carlos Pass Bridge, Cape Coral Bridge, and Sanibel Causeway.

FDOT said that the Sanibel Causeway islands remain closed and vehicles are not permitted to stop in the active construction zone during reconstruction activity to allow for work to progress safely and to allow the contractor to focus on the reconstruction.

Changes in election laws in 2021 affected vote-by-mail requests. One request for a vote-by-mail ballot will cover all elections through the end of the calendar year of the next scheduled general election.

Lifting of the nearly four-month notice was due to the installation of new water main for the area and the satisfactory completion of the bacteriological survey showing that the water is safe to drink.

Karen Moore, special to WGCU, is the publisher of Southwest Florida Business Today. She recently attended a business luncheon featuring Sanibel Mayor Holly Smith.

The biggest industry in Southwest Florida may be facing its biggest challenge ever: coming back from Hurricane Ian's catastrophic damage. Sanibel, Captiva and Fort Myers Beach sustained the worst damage, and they have to rebuild hotels, resorts and condos to rent to visitors.

Closed since Hurricane Ian, the Sanibel Recreation Center reopens Tuesday, with free community services.

The nesting bald eagles on Sanibel and Captiva islands went somewhere, and did something, which allowed them all to survive Hurricane Ian’s 150-mph winds and near-direct landfall.But like many other inhabitants of barrier islands seaward of Charlotte, Lee, and Collier counties, the feathered members of America’s special species returned to a place they barely recognized.That is known thanks to the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, whose volunteers monitor nine bald eagle nest structures across Sanibel, Captiva, and North Captiva islands. They watch and record what happens at the nests from October through May and input everything into an Audubon Florida database.

All Commercial, Multi-Family, and Single-Family homes with an electrical service greater than 600 amps require a licensed Florida engineer to provide an inspection and approval of the existing electrical equipment.

With Sanibel’s causeway bridge still out of commission from damage during Hurricane Ian, many islanders in southwest Florida scrambled to secure transport by boat this weekend, the first time they were allowed home.