Causeway Island Makeover Update

Provided to The SantivaChronicle.com.
Photos/Video by Chuck Larsen, Associate Publisher

Summer traffic and violations at the Sanibel Causeway Islands Park escalated this year, Jesse Lavender, director of Lee County Parks & Recreation, told members of the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce’s during an Aug. 10 business luncheon. The issue encouraged Lee County to step up its safety measures in Phase 2 of the park’s three-and-a-half-year, $8.5-million improvement project.

“There were more and more instances, and the pandemic didn’t help,” Lavender said. “People coming from the East Coast were maybe thinking our laws were more lax, and they could come here to have a vacation and party it up.”

The filled-to-capacity chamber monthly meeting took place at the newly renovated Captiva Island Yacht Club, sponsored by Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation.

Lavender explained how the county responded with added support from the Lee County Sheriff’s Department on weekends, especially holidays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m, An off-hours surveillance tower, or “cop in a box,” as he called it, works similarly to a motion sensor with a spotlight and automatic messaging to let people know when the park is closed and they should leave. The heightened law enforcement details will continue year-round as needed.

Furthermore, the county and city of Sanibel monitored social media channels for news of large gatherings, such as a monster-truck group that had planned to meet there – a potential detriment not only the quiet of the setting, but also to the water and the islands themselves.

The county is currently erecting up to 4,000 posts to control parking patterns, plus “no parking,” “one-way,” and other signage. The posts will be part of a final strategy of posts and ropes to delineate parking. No paving, parking bumpers, or fee system will be part of the parking plan.

It’s estimated that there will be parking for roughly 520 vehicles when completed.

The northern side of Causeway A will have 50 to 60 feet between the posts and the waterline so that wind surfing and kite boarding activites won’t be disrupted.

“The general consensus is what we’re doing out there is working,” said Lavender.

Now close to 60 percent designed, the causeway project has completed Phase 1, which concentrated on T-groins and renourishment to protect the islands’ beaches against erosion. Phase 3 will target amenities on Island A, closest to Sanibel, including restrooms, which may or may not be permanent structures.

After 13 years of public input, the county is still accepting comments and suggestions at the Lee County Parks causeway web site, where anyone interested can also view project plans. Originally slated for completion June 20, 2024, that date has been changed to December 31, 2024.