by SC Features Writer Reanna Haase
Forever changed by the effects of recent natural disasters, Sanibel’s 50-year-old copper time capsule stood before City Hall, its weathered state and patina serving as a testament to the community’s resilience and perseverance as the city kicked off its 13-month-long 50th-anniversary event series.
“Everybody took the time out of their day to see what was in the time capsule. To see what people were thinking about in 1983,” Mayor Richard Johnson said. “It really showed just how strong and how resilient our community is.”
Despite the people who said it couldn’t be done, according to Sanibel’s first mayor, Porter Goss, the City of Sanibel incorporated on Nov. 5, 1974 – exactly 50 years before the time capsule’s opening, earlier this month.
“[They said] we are too small to be a city,” said Former Mayor Goss at the time capsule event. “As it turned out, the joke was on the people who were saying that because when we got through counting the population, it turned out that the city of Sanibel – the newest city in Florida – was the 202nd largest city in the State of Florida where there were 404 other cities.”
In celebration, the city and the chamber of commerce have come together to spread the word of the 13-month-long celebration to the people of Sanibel. The calendar, starting with the time capsule event, will showcase events held by the city and island organizations celebrating the anniversary.
Andrea Miller, city director of recreation and lead of the city’s 50th-anniversary work group, said that a lot of people have asked why the celebration is starting now and why not at the beginning of the year. She shared that the city and chamber decided the island was not a place to celebrate yet while still recovering from the impact of Hurricane Ian.
“It speaks to the character of the island and the community,” said Miller when asked about what it means to be celebrating 50 years of Sanibel. “Reflecting back on our founders of the island and what our vision was in 1974 and how we’ve been able to keep that vision consistent for the past 50 years, but still, you know, grow and progress… I think that’s something in itself to celebrate.”
During the time capsule event, preserved documents were shared, which noted one of the main pillars in which the city of Sanibel was formed – the preservation of the plants and wildlife on the island.
“I think the reason we have what we have today [is because] 70% of our island is under permanent conservation and preservation, right? It will never be developed – 70%. Who else can say that,” Mayor Johnson said. “It’s in large part due to the people then and the people now that recognize how important that is, and it is the absolute granite rock, solid base on which we were formed.”
John Lai, president and CEO of the Sanibel-Captiva Chamber of Commerce and lead of the chamber’s 50th-anniversary work group, said people visit the islands because they can experience the beautiful beaches and wildlife due to conservation being a top priority among officials.
“When you talk about sea level rise and storminess, and things like that, without the natural mangroves and the natural ecosystem that we’ve protected and worked so hard to protect, as an island, our rebuild story would be a lot more in-depth, and it would be a lot further behind where we are today if we did not uphold that first pillar,” Lai said.
He shared that they couldn’t have asked for a better year to celebrate this milestone because it is estimated that approximately 68% of Sanibel and Captiva’s hotel rooms will be back by December 2025.
“We look forward to that because they’ll all be brand new. All of our attractions and all of our restaurants will have been rebuilt brand new,” Lai said. “Our island will shine brighter than it ever has.”
Mayor Johnson shared the same sentiment as Lai, saying that the island is on the edge of serious progress.
“We’ve just got to continue to band together and hang tight a little bit longer,” Mayor Johnson said. “We are so close.”
Miller attributes a lot of the continued momentum of the islands to the organizations that have been present on the island for decades, as made apparent by the items pulled out of the time capsule earlier this month.
“I think a lot of that is attributed to how tightly knit the island is,” Miller said. “Island organizations and the common vision and that story is continually told to future generations, so then that continues to be carried on. I think that’s part of the success of the island and maintaining our character.”
The items preserved in the time capsule will be showcased in a central location on the island to continue spreading the stories from decades past. According to the city, the Historical Preservation Committee will decide on the location at its meeting on Dec. 5 in City Hall.
Shortly before this will be Sanibel’s first-ever tree lighting ceremony on Nov. 30 at 5 p.m. in Community Park, 2231 Periwinkle Way. A full list of the 50th-anniversary events can be found on the Sanibel-Captiva Chamber of Commerce website here.
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