Sanibel Council Appoints Two New Planning Commissioners

by SC Reporter Emilie Alfino

As Sanibel Planning Commissioners Eric Pfeifer and Roger Grogman come to the end of their terms on the Planning Commission on January 13, 2025, Sanibel City Council elected two people to replace them from among eight applicants. Newly appointed to terms beginning January 27, 2025, through January 17, 2028 are Tiffany Burns and Larry Schopp.

“I am absolutely blown away by the qualities, talent, and public service of all the applicants. That’s a great problem to have,” said Mayor Richard Johnson. “My message to others not selected: Please don’t stop looking for opportunities to serve our community. Keep going and please stay with us.”

Councilmember Holly Smith said sometimes it’s harder to get on the Planning Commission than it is to get on City Council.

Here are your incoming Planning Commissioners:

Tiffany Burns is employed by The Burns Family Team/Premier Sotheby’s International Realty in real estate sales, has a bachelor’s in business information and information sciences, and a master’s in information systems and operations management. She was involved directly or indirectly with the construction or remodeling of approximately 20 island properties. She has volunteered with the Sanibel School and at Heights Elementary School; she delivered meals and senior visits for FISH and packed backpacks for Blessings in a Backpack, which was coordinated through FISH. She has also worked on the construction of homes in Harlem Heights through Habitat for Humanity.

As for why Burns was interested in this appointment, she said, “As a Sanibel resident for the last two decades, I have come to know and love the uniqueness of our islands and the codes that have preserved and protected it for future generations. After Hurricane Ian, I realized the need for people to build back their properties and businesses in a sustainable, more resilient way; having built both a business and a home on the island, I want to assist my neighbors in doing the same while preserving the Sanibel vision. I feel I can offer a unique perspective to the council because of the large number of islanders I interact with on a regular basis due to the public nature of my career. I believe my experiences as a resident raising a family and operating a business on the island and also my experiences permitting, building, and remodeling on the island give me the opportunity to represent a different point of view and knowledge base.”

Larry Schopp is a retired attorney who attended Hunger College and New York University School of Law. He had a 30-year career in corporate law and retired as Vice President-Counsel from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Medical Products Group. He served on the Committee on Medicine and Law of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and the boards of the Riverside Park Fund and Friends of Riverside Park in New York. A resident of Sanibel since 1998, Schopp served on the City of Sanibel Wildlife Committee (since dissolved) and the City of Sanibel Charter review Committee. He is a current board member and past president of Committee of the Islands (COTI), an SCCF volunteer docent on Captiva

cruises for 10 years, and the principal author of several amendments to the Sanibel City Charter that deal with land-use issues. He is a regular attendee and contributor at Sanibel Planning Commission and City Council meetings for the past 10 years.

Schopp said he is interested in this appointment to the Planning Commission because, “These are challenging times for Sanibel. The City must adapt to a changing environment if it is to remain a viable barrier island community while remaining true to the values that have made it such a unique place to visit and call home. I would like to make a ‘hands on’ contribution to help the City meet those challenges and believe I could best do that as a member of the Planning Commission.”