by SC Reporter Emilie Alfino
Sanibel Planning Commissioners on Nov. 28 approved three resolutions granting one-year extensions to ordinances from Dec. 31, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2026. They must still go before the City Council.
The first is a resolution to support the community’s rebuilding efforts by expediting the review of specific waiver applications. Commissioner Kate Sergeant said she didn’t see the need for this, citing that Hurricanes Helene and Milton were not as serious as Hurricane Ian.
“I just feel like, when is enough, enough? When is it going to stop,” she asked.
Planning Director Paula McMichael emphasized that damage has occurred from Helene and Milton. Commissioner Jennifer Burns said applications take time.
“We continue to get pressure from the public, and we want to be very supportive of our island reopening,” said Burns. “One more year is a critical time when there’s so much left to do.”
Deputy Planning Director Craig Chandler said, “This has been helpful to applicants. The applicant always has the option to appeal to the Planning Commission.”
McMichael said it makes sense to make this change permanent, but hesitated to say so because it is not her decision. This resolution passed unanimously and now goes to the City Council.
The second resolution would recommend that the City Council adopt an ordinance extending the temporary allowance for administrative approval of four types of conditional use permits.
The conditional uses that fall in this category are (a) eating places, restaurants, grocery stores, etc.; (b) dock, boat davits, boat lifts, and mooring pilings; (c) alternative shoreline stabilization projects; and (d) seawall accessory structures waterward of the existing seawall.
Several commissioners were in favor of this, except (a) eating places, restaurants, grocery stores, etc.
Commissioner Kate Sergeant said, “There’s a reason in the code that things should come before us.”
Commissioner Lyman Welch agreed. “It’s been long enough. We [the Planning Commission] have plenty of time to handle the restaurants and grocery stores that could come before us,” Welch said.
A motion was made to approve the resolution, but strike (a). The motion was approved 4-3, with commissioners Ken Colton, Larry Shopp, and Jennifer Burns voting “no.”
The third resolution is to support the community’s rebuilding efforts by not requiring a long-form development permit for the applications listed above. There was little discussion on this item, and it passed unanimously.