provided to The Santiva Chronicle
Benchmark General Contractors marked a major construction milestone on Wednesday, Oct. 21, with a topping-out ceremony at By the Sea Condominiums, celebrating the placement of the final structural element on the $22 million, 18-unit coastal-resilient redevelopment at 2611 W. Gulf Drive on Sanibel Island.
The project is tracking approximately four months ahead of its original schedule, a notable outcome on a barrier island where permitting, material deliveries and labor availability have shaped the pace of rebuilding since Hurricane Ian.
“What’s really special about this project is the amount of self-perform work Benchmark took on,” said Brad Nickel, president of Benchmark General Contractors. “When you’re a self-performing general contractor, it allows you to control a lot more. We control the critical path of the structure. We control the quality of everything that’s being put in place. And when you control all that, the outcome is being three to four months ahead of schedule and under budget.”
The redevelopment replaces three condominium buildings that had stood on the property since 1983. When Hurricane Ian made landfall in September 2022, hurricane-force winds battered the site for roughly eight hours and tore the roofs from two of the three original structures. A previous contractor later removed the remaining roofing, windows and interior spaces. Because the original buildings sat below the floodplain, they fell under FEMA’s 50% rule, which requires non-compliant structures to be brought up to current floodplain standards once repair costs exceed half the building’s value. The extent of that demolition left no financially viable path to renovation, and the three buildings had to come down and be rebuilt from the ground up. All 18 residences in the new development are owned.
By the Sea comprises three identical buildings of 19,477 square feet each, rising 45 feet with six residences per building. Living space is elevated approximately 14 feet above grade over a ground-level parking and storage area, a design intended to meet current coastal building standards and reduce exposure to future storm surge. Amenities include covered resident parking, exterior visitor parking, a centrally located pool and a walkover providing direct pool-to-beach access.
The topping-out ceremony drew city officials, business leaders and members of the By the Sea Condominium Association.
“A couple of weeks ago, we quietly noted the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Ian,” said Sanibel Mayor Mike Miller. “On Sanibel, about 45% of our 4,900 structures received major damage, and almost every building had some damage. We’ve made great progress since then. We estimate about 75% of our accommodations available for short-term occupancy are back online, and we’re making progress every day. I want to thank Benchmark for everything they’ve done to help restore our island since the storm.”
Benchmark is serving as general contractor on the project. Double C is serving as architect and engineer, and J.R. Evans Engineering, P.A. is serving as civil engineer. Additional trade partners include Mottled Services, Lee Drywall, Inc. (stucco), Messery Painting, Inc. (painting), Titan Electrical Services of SWFL (electrical), United Plumbing (plumbing), PGR Mechanical Contractors, Inc. (HVAC), Advanced Roofing & Sheet Metal (roofing), Pitchford Excavating (sitework and grading), BC Underground, LLC (underground utilities), Triserve Fire Protection (fire protection systems), KONE Elevators & Escalators (elevator systems) and UES (testing and inspections).
By the Sea joins a growing list of multifamily and hospitality projects Benchmark has undertaken along the coast since Hurricane Ian, including Gulf Beach Condominium, Captiva Shores Condominium, Riverview Apartments, Kimble Lodge Condominium and Island Inn Resort.
Construction on By the Sea Condominiums is expected to be complete by March 2027.
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