All is takes is one trip down to Sanibel and Captiva Islands, or Fort Myers Beach to know this. None months after a double hit by Ian and Nicole, there is still a great deal of work to do. But they have come a long way, and taking a trip down there this past weekend was part gut-punch, half glad to see you’re coming back. A word of warning for anyone that may think it’s an opportunity for a scam, they’re on you.

Let’s start with the approach to the Sanibel Island Causeway. There’s one way on and off the island and when a portion of that was washed away, it took only an unbelievable three days to get a temporary fix in place. Now, it’s well on the way to completion, but there is still plenty to do. Once on the island, it was still a work in progress, but so much has been accomplished. The West Gulf Drive too a tremendous hit, and I saw at least one family living in an RV on site. These are beautiful homes, but we all know that storms don’t discriminate no matter how much money you may or may not have. But as you can see on the attached gallery, so many companies have come over to help and get those blue tarps out of there for good. I also saw a lot of debris that gets hauled away on a daily basis, and quite a few landscaping trucks around replacing everything from mature palms to plants bringing a little color to the island.

Captiva Island took a hard hit as well, and when I stopped at the Bubble Room to see how it fared, I was glad to see it was still standing, but still not open. Next door at The Boop which was open with very good breakfast, lunch and coffee, it was Kyle who told me he was worried his “hurricane coupons” were expiring. He’s been through multiple evacuations, and was off the island to the mainland for last season. But considering how may businesses are still on the comeback trail, it was so good to see they were up and running, despite 28 inches of water in the store when they returned. They also have been veery generous with the community, which you can tell from their posts. I’m looking forward to being there when reopen.

There are some beaches open, but a word of warning. There are limited parking spaces, and they take ParkMobile and only allowed me the choice of 2 hours, or 11. The total for 2 hours was $25.00. Consider it a donation.

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Sanibel Island Causeway Work continues on the damaged Causeway leading to Sanibel Island (Ashley Greco)

I couldn’t leave the islands without a stop at Ding Darling National Reserve. This was one of the first places I visited when I moved to Florida. The positive thing is that it has reopened, but I didn’t notice the usual presence of wildlife. I saw just one osprey nest, and it was a joy to see manatees, but it was so quiet. If you do go down, make as generous a contribution as you can to help the cleanup continue. Thanks to Rangers Jess and Yvette for taking the time to talk about the Preserve.

The final stop was to Fort Myers Beach, and you may have noticed an article in the St Pete Times over the weekend on their struggle to come back. But I will say the beach was extremely busy, but none of the traffic lights were working yet. Their was a little hotel called The Shipwreck I stayed at for a little vacation that’s no longer standing, and other piles of concrete from other businesses still remain, awaiting clean up.

I follow a number of sites online to keep up with the rebuilding, and the Sanibel/Capitiva Chamber of Commerce is a good one to save. Let’s hope for a season that leaves them alone, and to everyone who has reached out to tell me how much they love the area and are thrilled to see things coming back, thank you. Living in paradise can come at a price, and the Dove Hurricane Guide is the place to find the latest info, live Facebooks and tweets from 10 Tampa Bay Weather, as well as a some very handy tips for hurricane season 2023. Stay safe, my friends.

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