provided to The Santiva Chronicle
Rotarian Richard Birney shared information with our club about the Sanibel Pier Project, a public-private partnership among the City of Sanibel, the Community Foundation of the Islands, and the Citizen Committee.
The Sanibel Pier is a part of the Island’s history, proudly serving our residents and tourists alike. Before Hurricane Ian, in historical and not-so-historical photographs, the pier was a gathering point for parents and grandparents teaching children how to fish, for walkers, bikers, birders, and tourists to photograph and learn about our waters. The pier was wheelchair accessible, the only easy access to fishing for individuals with limited mobility.
Since Hurricane Ian, it has been an eyesore in the midst of our most visited tourist area and can be seen from the entryway to Sanibel, the Causeway. The destroyed pier creates negative perceptions among tourists of the Island’s recovery since Ian, not to mention the tragic loss of pier services for residents and visitors, revenue losses to our small bait-and-tackle businesses, and secondary revenue impacts on other island services, like parking, restaurants, and lodging.
There is no insurance or concrete funding from F.E.M.A. for the pier. The City of Sanibel approved private fundraising efforts for pier repairs. Therefore, Sanibel residents are stepping up to raise over $400,000 for pier repairs.
The plan is to get fishermen back on the pier as soon as possible, return the structure to long-term strength, improve the resilience of the pier structure, and, most importantly, to do this as a partnership to avoid further delays until the City of Sanibel can work this “non-critical entertainment” infrastructure into its budget.
Together, with hard work and dedication, the partnership between the City of Sanibel, Community Foundation of the Islands, and the Citizen Committee will rebuild this important legacy of Sanibel’s history.
To learn more about the Sanibel Captiva Rotary Club, join us for breakfast every Friday morning at 7:30 AM at the Sanibel Community House, or visit our website, www.sanibelrotary.org.
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