Business Notes
FLORIDA TRUST TO OFFER SEMINAR SERIES
Florida Trust Wealth Management will offer Domicile Day — a seminar series on establishing Florida residency, domicile status and estate planning — on April 23 from 1 to 2 p.m. at its Sanibel office.
It will be simulcast at its Bell Tower office in Fort Myers.
The seminar will include a presentation and Q&A led by the company’s team members, along with guest presenter and attorney Craig Hersch. Attendees will also learn about tax considerations, asset protection features and creditor benefits associated with Florida domicile.
Afterward, the presenters will be available answer additional individual questions.
Seating is limited, and reservations are required.
To register, contact Andrea McKiddie at amckiddie@floridatrust.com or 239-472-8300.
Florida Trust Wealth Management is at 2450 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, and at 13525 Bell Tower Drive, Fort Myers.
LEADERSHIP PROGRAM COMING TO CLOSE
The Charitable Foundation of the Islands (CFI) will present the Leadership Sanibel-Captiva Closing Session Celebration on May 6 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Sundial Beach Resort & Spa, at 1451 Middle Gulf Drive, Sanibel.
Community members are invited to reconnect with alumni, welcome the newest graduates and learn about how Leadership Sanibel-Captiva is shaping the next generation of island leadership.
Attendees will hear from the Leadership Sanibel-Captiva Class of 2026 as it reflects on its experiences. Also, alumni will share insights on how the program has influenced their continued involvement and leadership within the community.
Leadership Sanibel-Captiva is designed to connect and inspire current and emerging volunteer leaders across the islands. Through a five-month experience, participants deepen their understanding of critical community issues, build relationships with key local leaders and explore meaningful ways to give back.
The cost is $100 per person.
Advance registration is required by April 28.
To register or for more information, visit https://secure.qgiv.com/for/leadershipsanibel-captivaprogram/event/closingsession/ or contact CFI Director of Community Engagement Savannah Kelly at skelly@sancapcfi.org or 239-322-3818.
FISH EXPANDS NEIGHBOR NETWORK
FISH of Sanibel-Captiva reported that it continues to grow its Neighbor Network.
Rooted in a community-based approach, the business partnership program that supports local employees while strengthening connections between businesses and essential community resources.
Businesses participating in the Neighbor Network include: A Little Adventure, Adventures in Paradise Outfitters, Home by Rachel Pierce, On Island, Pierce’s Paw Paradise, Rachel Pierce Art Gallery, Sanibel Carts, Sanibel Pilates & Spa, Sanibel Sole, Shiny Objects, Synergy, The Magic Bus Ice Cream & Caffeine, The Sanibel Cafe, Wickies Lighthouse Restaurant, and Wilford & Lee Home Accents.
FISH reported that their involvement reflects a shared commitment to supporting the local workforce and strengthening the community.
FISH noted that it is expanding volunteer opportunities connected to the Neighbor Network to increase awareness and encourage more businesses to participate. The efforts will create additional ways for teams to engage and support the community through hands-on involvement.
For more information about the program, contact FISH Community Outreach and Resiliency Director Simon Robson at 239-472-4775 or simon@fishofsancap.org.
MICHAEL SAUNDERS HONORS TOP AGENTS
Michael Saunders and Company held its Annual Awards Luncheon on March 13 at its office on Sanibel.
The event honored its top sales agents for 2025.
SCIAR HOLDS WEST CARAVAN MEETING
The Sanibel & Captiva Islands Association of Realtors (SCIAR) held its West Caravan Meeting on March 26 at its office on Sanibel.
The guest speaker was Wade Abed. Part of SCIAR’s “Broker Tips & Tales” Series, the sessions aim toward actionable insights members can immediately implement to their day-to-day business.
In addition, members were given the opportunity to showcase their properties on tour, provide updates and announce new properties not on tour.
Affiliate business partners were also given the chance to speak.
WOMEN WHO CARE HOLDS LAST MEETING
100+ Women Who Care Sanibel & Captiva Islands hosted its last meeting of the season on April 7 at the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Association of Realtors on Sanibel.
Members heard presentations from representatives from local nonprofits: San Cap Pink Project founder Mary Bondurant, Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) Policy Associate Allie Pecenka, and Angi Semler Welch with The Community House.
Afterward, they voted to select SCCF to receive the primary donation of over $20,000 in support of its Gopher Tortoise Habitat Enhancement Project. Thanks to the generosity of anonymous donors, the other nonprofits will also receive a donation.
Also at the meeting, the Sanibel School Fund President Dorothy Plumb reported on the use of the funds awarded last year. In addition, recipients of the funds from February and March received their checks.
100+ Women Who Care Sanibel & Captiva Islands is powered by the Charitable Foundation of the Islands, and Florida Trust Wealth Management is its season sponsor.
A season-end happy hour will be held on April 28 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Congress Jewelers, at 2075 Periwinkle Way, Suite 35, Sanibel.
For more information, visit SanCap100.org.
MUSIC FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES NEW BOARD
The Sanibel Music Festival announced a new slate of board members for 2026-27.
Board Member Roberta “Bobbi” Conrad will assume the role of president. The rest of the officers and directors include: Nina Orell as vice president, Ed Ciskowski as treasurer, Ellen Harvey as secretary, Shirley Witte as director of development, and Gloria Garrett as director of marketing.
The board members are as follows: David Conrad, Douglas Garde, Paul Harvey, Linda Kramer, Deborah Larson, Walter Lazear, Sheryl Steele and Jana Stone.
Conrad has served on the board since 2013. She has a degree in music education from the University of Michigan, taught vocal music for many years, and plays the flute. Conrad and her husband retired to Sanibel in 2007.
She shared that she is grateful to lead the Sanibel Music Festival to its 40th season.
SHELL MUSEUM CURATOR SET TO RETIRE
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium announced that Science Director and curator Dr. José H. Leal plans to retire at the end of 2026 following a 30-year career.
Joining the museum in 1996 just months after it opened, he led its growth through the early 2000s and the building of its scientific shell and specimen collection to be among the top dozen in the United States, today numbering some 600,000 specimens from throughout the world.
Among his major accomplishments, Leal organized the full cataloging of the scientific collection, guided the museum to its first accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums, broadened educational programs, and published hundreds of articles. Following Hurricane Ian, he curated the new permanent exhibits of The Great Hall of Shells, a massive project and fitting capstone achievement.
Leal holds honorary faculty positions at the University of Miami and Florida Gulf Coast University, where he is an affiliate member of the Coastal Watershed Institute. He is a past president of the American Malacological Society and Conchologists of America, past board member of the Florida Association of Museums, and an accreditation peer reviewer for the American Alliance of Museums.
Leal is also editor of The Nautilus, one of the oldest scholarly journals of malacology in the world.
In 2023, he received the Neptunea Award from Conchologists of America for his service to the global community of shell enthusiasts.
The museum has begun a search for Leal’s successor.
CROW WELCOMES TEAM MEMBERS
The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) recently welcomed Genevieve Arterburn as a wildlife rehabilitator, Meredith Darnell as communications manager and Sunny Whitmore as administrative assistant.
Originally from Utah, Arterburn graduated from the University of Idaho with a Bachelor of Science in wildlife resources and a minor in rangeland ecology and management.
She gained hands-on experience as an intern and keeper at the In-Sync Exotics Wildlife Rescue and Educational Center in Texas, where she worked for eight months caring for big cats and lemurs.
Inspired to broaden her impact, Arterburn transitioned into wildlife rehabilitation, completing two fellowships with WildCare Oklahoma before joining it as a seasonal staff for one summer.
She returned to Idaho to intern at the Snowdon Wildlife Sanctuary, where she advanced into a wildlife rehabilitation manager role, serving in the position for a year and a half.
Arterburn looks forward to expanding her expertise by working with migratory birds and sea turtles.
In her new role, Darnell will shape CROW’s voice and visual identity through integrated public relations, marketing and digital strategy.
An award-winning marketer, journalist and photographer, she brings an authentic, brand-forward approach to storytelling — elevating CROW’s presence and connecting people more deeply to its wildlife rescue and rehabilitation mission.
Darnell graduated from Indiana University and furthered her studies in Colorado and South Australia, experiences that broadened her perspective and deepened her interest in environmental and wildlife storytelling.
She is a former Rotarian and currently volunteers with local homeless outreach initiatives.
KIWANIS CLUB INDUCTS NEW MEMBERS
The Sanibel-Captiva Kiwanis Club welcomed new members.
Gregory Boisseau, Ed Jarmas and David Muench were recently inducted.
The club reported that it is honored to have them join and looks forward to getting to know each of them as they become involved in its mission and community service efforts.
For more information, visit www.sanibelkiwanis.org.