by Miriam Pepper
Just before Hurricane Ian struck, Florida engineer Kati Sherrard made sure evacuation routes were clear, opening highway shoulders to heavy traffic. At that point, she worried about fleeing families’ car breakdowns that might clog the escape routes on I-4 and I-75. Immediately she joined others in rescue vans to assist stranded motorists.
But her job quickly grew post-storm, when she became the lead engineer on the temporary causeway reconstruction. That assignment led to weeks of living out of an RV, little sleep, and complex contractor contracts to keep repair crews on the job 24/7.
Her task initially looked overwhelming: five of six Sanibel causeway approaches had complete failures, and two island washouts cracked the essential connection to Sanibel. “I was the chaos coordinator,” she told Committee of the Islands annual meeting attendees on March 15 at the Captiva Civic Center.
Within just a few days, she had two contractors on the job, one with paving expertise and the second with water roadway expertise. Among the myriad challenges were lack of power, lights, communications, lodging shortages, traffic control, curfews, and running two shifts a day of workers.
The first priority was reconstruction of McGregor Boulevard which suffered from seawall and pipe failure beneath the roadway. The worst damage was attributed to the pullback of water after the surge, tearing out land under the roadway.
Engineering decisions that normally take six to eight months were made in one hour, Sherrard said. The damage to Island A on the causeway was 800 feet wide and 8 feet deep. Tide changes were an immediate challenge to repairs, resulting in the construction of rock jetties to hold back the water from instantly washing out new repairs. On the B causeway island, the washout was 400 feet wide and 4.5 feet deep. More steel sheets and rock jetty work had to be in place to protect from tides. On the C island bridge approach, material eroded under the bridge abutments. Dredging immediately began.
And yet, by day seven, the first utility truck convoy made its way safely over the bridge, with Sherrard in the lead vehicle. And by day 15, the temporary repair job allowed the opening of the causeway. The work permitted up to 1,000 trucks a day to enter Sanibel. By its opening, 8,200 loads of fill had arrived, and 2,400 loads of rock and 4,000 tons of asphalt were laid.
Sherrard affectionately became known as “boss lady.” While she is not on site now for the permanent repairs, she explained that the “marine mattresses” seen by travelers are filled with rocks and attached to the roadway to act as flaps that will drop down in the event of future storms to protect the roadway as pressure mounts, preventing land erosion below. By the end, work is expected to cost $300 million.
In honor of their extraordinary accomplishments, COTI Vice President Barbara Joy Cooley presented a certificate of appreciation from COTI to Sherrard and her team. Sanibel Mayor Richard Johnson also gave her an award from the City of Sanibel.
Citizens of the Year tell of struggle to limit South Seas development
As part of the COTI annual meeting, President Larry Schopp presented awards to two Citizens of the Year: David Mintz, Vice President and Chair of the Government Affairs Committee of the Captiva Community Panel, and Lisa Riordan, Treasurer and Land Use Committee Chair of the Captiva Civic Association. They are key leaders in the effort to block over-development of the South Seas Resort. The ProtectCaptiva.org effort has raised $425,000 for legal challenges and hopes to reach $750,000.
The opposition has knitted Sanibel and Captiva neighbors together against the Lee County Commission’s decision to exempt South Seas from current Captiva density and height limits. For decades, the resort operated as a 107-room hotel with 140 units for worker housing. But the current resort owners have proposed eliminating worker housing and creating 770 units, claiming the changes fall under resiliency efforts. So far, the Florida Department of Commerce labeled that description a false-flag pretense. The two honorees noted the proposed expansion is not good for nature, air quality, traffic, or evacuation safety.
The annual meeting ended with the election of new board members. Elected for two-year terms are Emily Ankerson, Jeff Blackman, Miriam Pepper, Carl (Bud) Reinhold, and Ellen Smiley. Returning for a one-year term is outgoing president Larry Schopp. Current continuing board members are Allan Antley, Barbara Joy Cooley, Ed Holden, and William Millar. Leaving the board because of term limits is Treasurer Chet Sadler.
“As the only locally focused watchdog organization on Sanibel, COTI plays an important role in protecting the values that motivated the City’s founders 50 years ago,” said Schopp. “That’s an ongoing process, so we hope people will continue to support our work well into the future.”
Mayor Richard Johnson praised COTI’s role over decades, and thanked members for their feedback to city officials.
For almost 50 years, COTI has worked to ensure the continuity of good local government, to protect the environment, and to preserve the sanctuary character of the barrier island communities.
For more information, visit coti.org. Memberships start at $35 annually.