County expecting to start Causeway Islands project in July
Erosion and safety are driving Lee County’s three-year project to improve the Causeway Islands, Lee County Parks & Recreation Director Jesse Lavender told members of the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce at the April 14 virtual business meeting.
“This is your corridor from the mainland, and we’re going to do it right,” he said. “These two islands will get re-created in a fashion that gets us set for the future and addresses safety issues — on-and-off access points and erosion. We want to make a really nice corridor for people who live on the islands and for visitors — to keep that nice ‘I’m on the islands, this is why I’m here’ feeling.”
The newest measure Lavender announced is the addition of two T-groins on Island A, closest to the mainland, to prevent erosion and the need to renourish the beach every year or so. They will also help address the problem with waves washing up over the base of the island during high tides and storm events.
Other new measures of the $8.5 million project will include limiting driveways onto both islands, designating parking spots, restricting RV parking to Island A, building restrooms on Island A, renourishing the beach on Island B, creating new jet ski ordinances, and planting native landscaping on both islands.
“We want to keep the nature of these islands as close to what you have experienced all these years, without putting a seawall up,” Lavender said, emphasizing the high priority of maintaining the islands’ recreational opportunities for non-motorized sports like kayaking, paddleboarding and windsurfing.
Events such as the Easter Sunrise Service and annual Sanibel Sea School fundraiser will be grandfathered in and their venues enhanced, but no other such events will be permitted.
Construction will take place starting in July through June 2024. During that time, one side of the islands will always remain open for recreation, he said. It will not impact the roadway; no changes are being made to the elevation or other aspects of the drive.
The number of designated parking spots will likely cut down available parking space. The county has not yet determined the total number of spaces, nor whether eventually it will charge for parking.
In his introduction, new chamber Board of Directors Chair Mark Blust called Lavender “a dedicated public servant … His leadership has done wonders for our county.”
“You have certainly spurred a lot of conversation,” President John Lai said. “We’re excited about the project and grateful for the opportunity to open the discussion. We’re anxious to see what it looks like.”
In his opening comments, Lai also reported on the chamber’s legislative priorities activities for water quality locally and in Tallahassee, where he attended sessions with Captains for Clean Water on March 19 through April 1.
“They were great meetings, and we look forward to those efforts coming to fruition,” he said.