Circa 1950 aerial photo of Sanibel Island from The Florida State Archives Photographic Collection for Historical Photos
Did you know ….
… that Sanibel could look very different from the tranquil island sanctuary it is today?
Fifty years or so ago, Lee County planned to build high-rise buildings along Tarpon Bay to house 93,000 people, as well as a Super Causeway connecting Sanibel Island to Charlotte Harbor.
It was in defiance of this aggressive plan that the residents of Sanibel incorporated as a city in 1974 and implemented the “Sanibel Plan” — a restrictive land use policy limiting development density and building height.
To put this into perspective, the 2017 population of Miami Beach was 92,000 people. Can you imagine the same for Sanibel?
Many thanks to McCallion & McCallion Realty and realtor/Sanibel Historical Villlage docent Kate Helmon for this information!
