First off, I hope everyone who was impacted by Milton is doing well and starting to rebuild. I know the damage in much of this area was devastating, and my thoughts are with all of you as you work to recover.

I visited North Captiva over 20 years ago as a child, and it was an unforgettable experience. Now, I’m thinking about returning to the island as an adult this winter with my fiancé. However, as we plan our trip, I want to make sure we’re making the right decision in light of everything the island has gone through.

While I’ve seen a lot of news and photos of Sanibel and Captiva, there hasn’t been much coverage of North Captiva, other than reports about a pass being opened up through the middle of the island after the storm. I’m reaching out to see if anyone has more up-to-date information on how the island has fared since the hurricane.

Specifically, I’m curious about how badly the island was hit, especially in the areas close to the beach. I’ve been looking at some rentals and am concerned about the potential for flood damage, mold, or air quality issues. My partner has a serious lung condition, and any information about those kinds of risks would be really helpful.

I’ve also heard reports about trash and debris on some of the nearby beaches, and I’m wondering if North Captiva is in the process of being cleaned up or if there are still significant messes that might impact the experience. I’m hoping the island is starting to look more like its usual self, but I’d love to hear how things are really shaping up.

Lastly, I’m hoping to get a sense of what the general atmosphere is like on the island right now. I understand recovery is ongoing, but I’m trying to gauge whether it’s a pleasant place to visit this winter or if there are still a lot of challenges that might make for a less-than-ideal experience.

We’re really hoping to return to North Captiva, but we also want to make sure it’s safe and enjoyable for us. Any insight or updates you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance, and my thoughts continue to be with everyone affected by the storm.

Will be staying at Sunset Captiva the week after next. Wondering how things are going; I sent a scout last week and she said the beach by the post office is closed.

A friend has a house on north captiva. Looking for anybody with any info to help soothe him. Any or all input would be appreciated

it seems Walmart and amazon don't recognize addresses on Captiva to deliver to. Is there some other point I should put in?

Here for a few weeks. Any recommendations within driving distance of the island to find some good liquor stores? Baileys seemed to have the most reasonable prices here, but wondering if there are some better places over in ft Myers.

And it’s really really interesting.

https://www.gulfshorebusiness.com/emails-show-beginnings-contradictions-of-south-seas-resort-amendment/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2yshEA98-_FL9ka98P4ujXU6-4yI0CkxK7lVeJ8eiXOlwmeYpzFnkYpYc_aem_ARAMcUEQaGWMIEEgBlXfgoZItrmVIyh2MABXrFvW2WvNYNWPiGl2WJCgSsz2wS3GSNQAPG40HHegarwYxSdsn_4V

Kevin Ruane is not the innocent bystander he’s painted as so often.

As reported earlier, the Captiva Civic Association (CCA) for the Protect Captiva Coalition filed a petition under State statutes challenging the Land Development Code amendments as inconsistent with the governing Lee Plan. The State’s Department of Commerce has scheduled an informal hearing on the Petition for April 4 and will issue a written decision sometime in May. Depending upon that decision, either party can request a hearing from the Division of Administrative Hearings and an administrative law judge. The parties to the administrative hearing would be the CCA (Protect Captiva Coalition), the County, any intervenor, and the Department of Commerce. Eventually, the matter could reach the Governor and members of his Cabinet for enforcement.

In conjunction with the hearing before the Department of Commerce, the attorney for the CCA (Protect Captiva Coalition) filed a written presentation with reports from planning and evacuation experts. The presentation explains the following:

· That the Lee Plan addresses specific conditions unique to Captiva; that enforce development standards that maintain the historic low-density residential development pattern of Captiva, that continue existing land use patterns; that limit development to that which is in keeping with the historic development pattern on Captiva, that maintain building heights that account for barrier island conditions; that prohibit the reduction of minimum lot sizes; and that prohibit any further exceedance of hurricane evacuation timeframes.

· That the historic development pattern and existing land use patterns on Captiva cannot be disputed, and have been in effect for 20 to 50 years: 3 units per acre for hotels and dwelling units on Captiva including South Seas; building heights on Sea Seas -- the lesser of 35 feet above grade or 42 feet above sea level; building heights on Captiva -- the lesser of 35 feet above grade or 42 feet above sea level or 28 feet above base flood elevation (whichever is least restrictive).

· That the language of the Land Development Code amendments are inconsistent with Lee Plan on their face: they expressly exempt South Seas from current building heights and would permit buildings as high as 45 feet to 75 feet above base flood elevation; they expressly exempt South Seas from the limitation of 3 hotel units per acre and would allow an unlimited number of hotel rooms; and they increase building heights on the rest of Captiva from 2 to 3 stories above base flood elevation.

· That the potential development and the increase of evacuation times that could result from the Land Development Code amendments are unconscionable on a barrier island.

Also this week, attorneys for the CCA (Protect Captiva Coalition) have filed a Complaint in Circuit Court seeking to enforce the 2003 Mediation Settlement Agreement that prohibits Lee County from issuing building permits for units within South Seas Island Resort that would exceed 912 units at any time. Currently, there are 640 units on South Seas that are part of other Associations; and Timbers was allocated only 247 units of the 912 (with 25 unbuilt units). Timbers is now applying to the County for 707 hotel and condominium units which would take the total number of units on South Seas to 1347 units B well over the 912 unit cap.

Finally, the Plan Application from South Seas Island Resort (Timbers) requesting the 707 units was deemed insufficient by the County. Timbers has now responded to the County and its response is under review. The CCA (Protect Captiva Coalition) will also review the Timbers response and will provide comments to the County. We will update everyone with a copy of our comments when completed.

The Legal Fund:

To date, contributions to the Protect Captiva Legal Fund have reached $450,000 with more than 600 separate contributors. The immediate goal is $750,000 and we thank everyone who has donated and who can donate in the future. All donations are tax deductible.

Does anyone know if the LF food truck will cook your catch like the restaurant did? Will be there in a couple of weeks and was hoping to have our fish from a guided trip cooked for us. If not, do any other restaurants do this?