Chamber virtual Power Hour provides update on causeway upgrades
Lee County’s primary goal in improving the Sanibel Causeway is to keep intact the two islands’ Sanibel feel and their historical usage, Lee County Parks & Recreation Director Jesse Lavender told Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce members at a virtual Power Hour on Oct. 6.
“That’s kind of why I wanted to get these renderings drawn up to share with the public,” he said during his Zoom slide presentation. “I’ve lived here my whole life. If I look at these renderings, I feel it’s in keeping the nature of the island. We’re not looking to change that up. It’s not Marco Island, it’s not Naples, it’s not even Fort Myers Beach. We want to preserve what we’ve had.”
Work began this summer on the project, which has a hard completion date of June 20, 2024. County crews have taken down invasive, nonnative Australian pines and started to build T-groins on Island B, closest to Sanibel. Lavender emphasized that design planning is only 30 percent decided, and the county welcomes feedback on the plans, which are available to view at leegov.com/parks.
Improvements already decided include more T-groins on both islands with beach renourishment, designated ingress and egress for parking areas, a roundabout for dropping off paddle craft and small sailboats, native landscaping that will provide more shade than the Australian pines did previously, stormwater management measures, pavilions on both islands, and permanent restrooms on both sides of Island A. Key to the new design, a dunes system with crossovers between parking and the beach will stabilize the islands and slightly raise their elevation to counteract sea-level rise.
Still on the drawing board, the county is considering a bike lane, a pervious walking path, rock enhancements on the south side of Island A to keep down wave action, fishing enhancements such as a cleaning station, and restrictions for Waverunners.
“We want to keep the historical activities on each island and make it safer and prevent erosion,” Lavender said. “Jet skis sometimes get careless and close to swimmers. We’re talking about swim zones, but that won’t come until later in 2024.”
Questions from attendees reflected concern about changes to parking. Together on the two islands, there will be a total of 238 designated parallel and pull-in parking spots, including four RV spots. Lavender compared that to vehicular counts on the causeway this past Labor Day weekend — a total average of 411 a day on both islands. Some of the parking on Island A will be converted to event space for the Easter Sunrise Service and the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation’s annual fundraiser for the Sanibel Sea School.
County commissioners will meet soon to decide on whether or not to institute parking fees on the causeway, plus other facets of the project, Lavender said.
“We appreciate what you’re doing on the project,” chamber President and Chief Executive Officer John Lai said. “You’re on the hot seat today. I think we had more than 20 questions. The community is very engaged with this project, as it should be. I know it will be something we can be proud of when it’s completed.”
A Fort Myers native, Lavender has served with Lee County Parks & Recreation for 17 years at almost every level. Prior to that, he graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a bachelor’s degree in travel, tourism and commercial recreation, and he worked as a fishing guide in the Pine Island Sound and Everglades National Park.