From South Seas Ownership Group
Following Hurricane Ian’s devastation of the beautiful coastal communities along Southwest Florida’s Gulf Coast, the South Seas Ownership Group has adhered to FEMA requirements and is diligently working through the permitting processes to rebuild our beautiful resort community.
Since the hurricane, we have strongly advised our neighbors and surrounding communities to do so as well. However, rather than join us in advocating to ensure future structures are built above FEMA flood requirements, many community groups and various HOAs within South Seas have focused their efforts on challenging South Seas for following the rules. That is why it’s especially upsetting to learn that Captiva is at risk of losing their FEMA insurance discounts. South Seas repeatedly raised this specific concern last year and was accused of “flying the false flag of resiliency” when, in fact, we had been raising the actual flag of resiliency. It’s important to note that South Seas funded the Resiliency Plan for the entire island of Captiva, a plan that was completed just days before Hurricane Ian made landfall. We did this because we were surprised that community groups with a purported mission to “protect Captiva” had never pursued a resiliency plan to better understand what’s needed – and needs – to be done to fully protect the island.
While FEMA works through this challenge, we would encourage local community and conservation groups to leverage their donor funding and support of the community to fully adopt the plans outlined in the Resiliency Plan, which South Seas donated to them prior to Hurricane Ian. The time to act is now. We encourage these groups to leverage their resources to restore the FEMA Flood Insurance discount for Captiva.
As South Seas has previously stated, we must build back in a manner that avoids a repeat of the devastation we experienced if another major hurricane comes our way. We all have a shared goal of protecting and preserving the paradise that is the islands of Sanibel and Captiva while positioning both communities for future generations to enjoy. We encourage you to visit our website for updates at southseas.com/community-information.
South Seas, you simply do not understand the problem. I personally do not care how tall your new buildings are but, living on Sanibel, I am deeply concerned. You have one road with which to bring in your construction trucks, your food supplies, your employees, your renters, your owners and your water park revelers. Unfortunately that one road and one causeway runs through your larger neighbor who has their own tourists and construction trucks and food supplies, owners and renters. And that one road and causeway is the only exit in case of an emergency. The carrying capacity of these two islands and the quality of life on both islands will be negatively affected by your proposed construction.