by SC Reporter Emilie Alfino
“Not Perfect But Still Paradise.” That was the message on the opening slide of a presentation on Tuesday, Nov. 4, by SanCap Chamber of Commerce President John Lai to the Sanibel City Council.
Lai presented statistics that show how far Sanibel and Captiva have come in the three years since Hurricane Ian hit their shores.
In February of 2024, some five months after the storm, the rate of available accommodations on Sanibel was 25.64 percent; on Captiva, it was 47.25 percent.
As of October 30, 2025, the picture looks like this:
Pre-Ian rooms on Sanibel: 1,857
Available rooms on Sanibel: 1,344
That’s 72.37 percent
Pre-Ian rooms on Captiva: 601
Available rooms on Captiva: 427
That’s 71.05 percent
There is a combined accommodation availability on both islands totaling 72.05 percent.
Before Ian, there were 1,366 vacation rentals. Currently, 1,086 are available, or 79.5 percent.
Restaurants on Sanibel and Captiva combined are 73 percent open, with 48 open pre-Ian and 35 open after.
Finally, retail space occupancy is 77 percent.
Vice-Mayor Holly Smith said, “We need to work with Lee County to make sure they understand that tourism and resiliency are priorities in this county. We have to make sure we do the work together to get those heads in beds.”
Council member Richard Johnson told Lai, “You see the connection between the business community and the residential community. I’m so glad that you’re still here with us.”
Not perfect, but still paradise.
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