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Why Islanders Chose to Incorporate

November 26, 2024
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To honor the City of Sanibel’s 50th anniversary on Nov. 5, 1974, SCCF is sharing stories throughout the year to celebrate and chronicle our community’s incredible commitment to conservation.

Fifty years ago this month, the residents of Sanibel voted to take control of the island’s destiny and escape the fate of Lee County’s proposed comprehensive land use plan for 30,000 units on the island, with a possible occupancy at 90,000.

“The islanders who voted for home rule made a critical choice that led to the Sanctuary Islands that we know and love today,” said SCCF CEO James Evans.

Completed in 1963, the Sanibel Causeway and drinkable water literally opened Sanibel and Captiva up to become the next Miami Beach — Lee County’s plans included a 4-lane coastal highway that would cut through refuge lands, and dense highrise, urban development.

Illustration by Pete Smith Image use permitted by Sanibel Public Library Digital Archive.

A building boom ensued, soaring nearly out of control, threatening to deplete and disrupt the amazing natural resources and unique freshwater system on the 12-mile-long barrier island.

Islanders Advocate & Organize

In October 1967, the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation officially came into existence to protect the islands’ “rich treasury of wildlife and vegetation through land acquisition, wildlife protection, promotion of orderly development and education.”

SCCF’s initial goals included acquiring and preserving Sanibel’s interior wetlands. Image use permitted by Sanibel Public Library Digital Archive.

In 1968, islanders petitioned the county for the passage of a temporary 35-foot height limitation, which the Sanibel-Captiva Planning & Zoning Board pushed through.

With support from SCCF, the Captiva Civic Association, the Sanibel Community Association, the Sanibel-Captiva Chamber of Commerce, and Audubon Society, the county passed an ordinance establishing the 35-foot height limitation in 1971.

However, the county rejected an accompanying ordinance for low density and a 100-foot beach setback at the same time.

Seeking Home Rule

By fall of 1973, when the first meeting was held to see if the community wanted to pursue and fund a home rule study, more than 56,000 vehicles were crossing the causeway per year.

At that meeting, about 300 islanders voiced support of a study on the pros and cons of incorporating.

The motivation to incorporate was largely based on controlling development and preserving the abundant wildlife, varied ecosystems, and natural beauty that attracted residents and visitors to the islands.

A new law had been passed in Tallahassee that allowed citizens to seek home rule. Sanibel was the second community in the state to take advantage of the option to break away from the county jurisdiction to create its own land use plan.

Blind Pass Bridge circa 1970 Image use permitted by Sanibel Public Library Digital Archive.

Meanwhile, Captivans had deliberated for several years before making the decision not to join in the incorporation movement.

“A lot of people don’t realize how damaged Sanibel already was at that time,” says Evans. “The freshwater system was in jeopardy due to dredging of canals and poor sewage solutions, beach dunes and wetlands were being developed — the county’s plan would have decimated the ecosystem.”

Construction on Sanibel and Captiva was booming — 1,300 dwelling units had been started in less than nine months, a 70-percent increase from the previous year.

Dredge and fill activities were increasingly occurring to build roads, condos, and homesites as canals and artificial lakes were dug and wetlands were filled in.

Prior to incorporation, about 1,200 acres of interior wetlands out of a total of nearly 3,600 acres were destroyed, while nearly 400 acres of mangroves out of a total of 3,200 were lost to development.

Image use permitted by Sanibel Public Library Digital Archive.

Keep Sanibel a Good Place to Live

An ad titled “Vote for Incorporation: Keep Sanibel a Good Place to Live” placed by the Sanibel-Captiva Planning Board the week before the 1974 vote to incorporate, identified “Who Benefits?”:

  • All residents who came to Sanibel because of its unique resources and environment and want these to be preserved.
  • All tourist visitors who are attracted by Sanibel’s unique environment.
  • All businessmen dependent on residents and tourist visitors.

It included a footnote — destroying the island’s unique environment would adversely affect tourism.

Sanibel-Captiva Chamber of Commerce in 1973. Image use permitted by Sanibel Public Library Digital Archive.

The principal opposition to incorporation was led by some members of the Chamber of Commerce, which was overall divided. The most vocal opposition came from land developers and builders.

Self-Determination Wins Out

On Nov. 4, 1974, more than 85% of Sanibel voters showed up at the Community House to cast their ballots. The vote was 689 to 394 in favor of the referendum.

The City Charter stated,

“Whereas, residents of Sanibel Island in Lee County, Florida, desiring to have the rights of self-determination, to the fullest extent allowed by the law, in the planning for the orderly future development of an island community known far and wide for its unique atmosphere and unusual natural environment, and to insure compliance with such planning so that these unique and natural characteristics of the island shall be preserved, do seek the benefits conferred on municipal corporations by the Constitution and Law of the State of Florida.”

A few weeks later, the new Sanibel city government took over — immediately imposing a moratorium on new building permits and initiating a conservation strategy to preserve its precious natural resources.

“Incorporation allowed SCCF to fund and move forward with The Sanibel Report — an in-depth natural systems analysis that laid the scientific groundwork for how the island would be developed,” said Evans. “We are forever grateful to be part of a community that understands and values conservation.”

Next month, we’ll explore The Sanibel Report and how it helped establish the carrying capacity of the island’s ecosystem.

A Community Committed to Preserving Our Sanctuary Islands – Sept. 2024

Need to Preserve Lands Amid Rampant Development Leads to Creation of SCCF – Oct. 2024


SCCF is proud of the partnership role we have played over the last five decades to protect our unique island environment and the wildlife habitat it provides. Please make your most generous donation to support our work now and in the future. For more information, please contact SCCF Development Director Cheryl Giattini at 239-822-6121 or cgiattini@sccf.org.

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This article includes excerpts taken from Story of the Islands, written by former SCCF Education Director Kristie Anders. Currently being updated by SCCF, the printing of the Story of the Islands is generously funded by the Sanibel and Captiva Islands Association of REALTORS. The Association promotes appreciation and understanding of the ecosystems of the islands, requiring new members to participate in training that includes a program at SCCF. New residents, through the relationship with their Realtor, are better informed about the unique environment on and around the islands.

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