Sanibel Sea School‘s Kennedy Building sustained significant flood damage last fall from Hurricane Ian, but renovations are quickly progressing!

Although this year’s summer camp attendees didn’t get the joy of staying in the building like normal, they did get the opportunity to sign the subfloors with a message to the ocean or their favorite memory from Sanibel Sea School.

Before the hurricane, the Kennedy Building served as a home, playground, and classroom. It was Sanibel Sea School’s original flagship campus building when the organization was founded in 2005.

In 2016, it was named after the late Richard C. Kennedy, a Sanibel resident who for years provided significant operational, financial, and emotional support to Sanibel Sea School employees and counselors.

On Sept. 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian submerged the building in 3 feet of flooding, which ruined the electrical panel and caused the wood floors to buckle.

Some of the original wood is being creatively repurposed in renovations, and the building is expected to re-open this fall.