Sanibel Sea School campers make mark on new building
The Sanibel Sea School reported that its Kennedy Building on Sanibel sustained significant flood damage last fall from Hurricane Ian, but renovations are quickly progressing.
Although this year’s summer campers did not get the joy of staying in the building like normal, they did get the opportunity to sign the subfloors with a message to the ocean or their favorite Sanibel Sea School memory.
Before the storm, the building served as a home, playground and classroom. It was the Sanibel Sea School’s original flagship campus building when the organization was founded in 2005.
The hurricane submerged the building in 3 feet of flooding, which ruined the electrical panel and caused the wood floors to buckle. Some of the original wood is being creatively repurposed in renovations, and the building is expected to reopen in the fall.
In 2016, it was named after the late Richard C. Kennedy, a Sanibel resident who for years provided operational, financial and emotional support to Sanibel Sea School employees and counselors.
The Sanibel Sea School is part of the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation family.