Guest commentary: City, council continue to address post-storm issues

Dear Sanibelians,
Many of us moved to Sanibel to appreciate the island’s natural beauty. Following Hurricanes Ian, Helene and Milton, our precious flora is recovering, slower than we’d like, but it is happening.
A lot of Sanibelians are rightfully concerned about the presence of dilapidated buildings and properties with dead or unkept vegetation. Although the city was initially patient, given the difficulty of insurance recovery and other problems, staff has recently accelerated efforts to force the abatement of such eyesores.
Sanibel respects individual property ownership rights, so dealing with unkept properties becomes a balancing act between those property rights and the right of the residents to not be subjected to ugly, unkept or potentially dangerous properties.
Once such a notice is issued, the property owner has a limited period of time to fix the problem or challenge the notice. If the owner doesn’t respond or remedy the problem, a legal process begins which could result in fines up to $500 a day. The fines become a lien against the property and subject the owner to potential foreclosure by the city to collect the money.
This procedure is making a difference. Of the 100 properties now or once identified as either “distressed” or “dangerous”:
– 15 have been demolished or in that process
– 20 or so have been cleaned up
– 33 have entered into abatement agreements with the city
– Approximately 35 remaining properties are in the penalty notice phase
And if the hefty penalties fail to motivate remediation, the city has some limited power to abate the problem without owner consent and charge the costs incurred as a lien against the property, subject to foreclosure.
If you have concerns about properties in your neighborhood where nothing in the way of remediation appears to be happening, please report the property to Code Enforcement at 239-472-4555.
In terms of water, rainfall and storm surges, 2024 was a difficult year. Our annual rainfall exceeded 77 inches compared to an average annual rainfall of less than 50 inches.
But help is on the way. Staff have already remedied all known blockages in the distribution system and is now working on a project to repair and restore over 500 culverts, catch basins and swales all over the island, with the work expected to be completed by mid-August. The system is operational now and will be even better by mid-summer.
We are also working on a revision to the surface water management plan that may address changes to water levels in the Sanibel Slough and the release of water from the slough into the Gulf in advance of and following storms. That new plan will be presented to city council in July.
The next council meeting is June 3 and will include consideration of these topics:
– Presentation of the 2025 Judith Ann Zimomra scholarships.
– Establishing an assessment district for funding of the Wulfert Channel and Dinkins Bayou dredging.
– Supporting the Sanibel Community Church’s request for the Lee County Conservation 20/20 purchase of a church-owned lot.
– Approving a proposal for a consultant feasibility study of an additional outbound lane on the causeway.
– Approving a state grant for the replacement of the East Periwinkle bridge.
– Discussing land use regulation changes involving electric vehicle (EV) charging, solar cells and setbacks in the Town Center area and leaf blower use.
If any of these topics are of interest to you, consider attending to share your views. We want your input!
Let’s stay unified and work together for the benefit of the community we cherish.
Mike Miller is mayor of the city of Sanibel. For more information, visit https://www.mysanibel.com/.