Gulf Shores Property Owners Association
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The Sanibel ReportFormulation of a Comprehensive Plan Based on Natural Systemsby John ClarkThe Conservation Foundation, Washington, D.C.Editor's Note:Some of the following links are broken and the sources cannot be found This is the original 1976 Sanibel Report, now out of print. This Internet version is published by the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) as written in 1976. It is published by permission of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), into which The Conservation Foundation of Washington, DC. merged. An updated epilogue is expected in early 1997.
This icon The Acknowledgments section, Part 3, and Appendices are omitted from this reproduction of The Sanibel Report. TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Sanibel Report: Part 1The SettingChapter 1: History of the IslandThe City of Sanibel occupies an 11,000-acre barrier island on the gulf coast of Florida, near the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River in Lee County. The island has been shaped and formed by the wind and the sea into a corduroy of sand ridges that provide its structure, elevation, and character. Its geological age is only 5,000 years.Early HistoryIn 1513, Juan Ponce de Leon and his fellow Spanish explorers "discovered" Sanibel Island while searching for the legendary fountain of youth. They found instead an advanced Calusa Indian culture with settlements that extended from Charlotte Harbor on the mainland to points 30 miles south.The Calusas believed themselves to be part of the earth and lived within the supportive capabilities of their natural environment. Their life-style was simple: shells and other natural materials were used for construction purposes and weaponry. In low-lying areas, the Calusas elevated their structures with piles of shells for protection against high storm water as well as from enemies. The shell mounds often extended into the open waterways and were interlaced with elaborate systems of channels and basins. The huts often were perched on pilings along the sides of these channels. When the channels filled with silt they were allowed to become gardens or rainwater basins, and other mounds were built to provide new channels. The maximum population of the island was approximately 200 Calusas living in 35 huts. Calusa warriors waged furious battles against Ponce de Leon, De Soto, Menendez, and other explorers who dropped anchor near Sanibel. In 1521, Ponce de Leon died of wounds inflicted by the Calusas during his return to Florida with colonists to begin settlements. Over the years the Calusa culture slowly disintegrated; following the passage of the Indian Removal Act in 1832, the remaining indians were confined to reservations. After extensive exploration and surveying, Sanibel Island was purchased in 1831 by the Florida Peninsular Land Company (a group of New York investors) as a settlement site because of its good harbor, climate, and general amenities. The first settlers, who arrived in 1833, lived temporarily in palmetto-thatched huts with floors of shell and sand. These early settlers envisioned the island as a paradise for recreation and health recuperation. When the settlers arrived, the shell ridges on the island were six to eight feet above bay level and the beach was narrow. The mangrove forest along the western shore provided the major source of wood. The interior was a grassy plain, dotted with palmettos, so level that one could see for miles. There were ducks, turkeys, spoonbills, curlews, and deer in abundance. The fruits and vegetables harvested by the settlers were of superior quality, and led to expectations that the island would be a profitable agricultural area. But the settlement did not prosper. Most of the settlers deserted; many left because of a final series of Indian raids in 1836. In 1850, Fort Casey was erected on the site of a former settlement. A hurricane destroyed much of the fort on October 6, 1873. In 1883, Sanibel Island became a government lighthouse reservation. On August 20, 1884, the lighthouse was activated and run by various family lighthouse keepers until 1949 when the responsibilities were turned over to the Coast Guard Light Attendant Station. On July 3, 1888, most of Sanibel, except for land around the lighthouse and a small portion of the west end of the island, was released for homesteading. Resettlement began, and with it came Sanibel's first wave of tourists. Sanibel and Captiva attracted such prestigious sightseers as Theodore Roosevelt, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Charles and Anne Lindbergh. Another famous tourist, Thomas Edison, had once been night watchman for the International Ocean Telegraph Company on Sanibel. Seashells, sport fishing, and wildlife became Sanibel's principal attractions. The island quickly developed into a favorite vacation site for wildlife conservationists, naturalists, and birdwatchers. Individuals and organized groups visited Sanibel to study the island's bird life and ecology. Despite a series of severe hurricanes (in 1894, 1910, 1921, and 1926), Sanibel's tourist economy prospered. Recent HistoryAgricultural development on Sanibel started about 1883 and over the next 40 years encompassed most of the island's arable land. The major agricultural products were citrus fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, squash, and eggplants. Severe hurricanes, with accompanying flood tides ranging from 9 to 13 feet, effectively ended farming on Sanibel. The last major storm, in 1926, flooded the entire island with salt water. The 1926 hurricane left financial ruin in its wake, forcing almost half of the island's residents - including most farmers - to leave. The remainder stayed to serve winter visitors and tourists.In 1926, residents organized the Sanibel Community Association. The association began a campaign to protect a "treasured" island. Jay Norwood ("Ding") Darling, an ardent and articulate defender of wildlife and the natural environment, spearheaded the group's activities and acted as spokesman in Washington and Tallahassee. Little growth occurred between 1927 and 1944 (the year-round population was about 100), except for a gradual increase in the number of visitors and development of cottages along the Gulf Coast. In the 1950's, however, Sanibel's reputation for shell collecting and abundant wildlife induced a new surge of tourism and a parallel growth in residences and services. The last and most significant spurt of growth began with completion of the causeway in 1963, and continued until 1974 when the new city government intervened with a general moratorium on new building permits. The J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge (established on October 31, 1945) is closely tied to the history of the conservation movement on Sanibel Island. Darling first came to Captiva Island in 1936 while serving as the head of the U.S. Bureau of Biological Survey (later to become the Fish and Wildlife Service) under Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was taken with the natural values of the islands, and made personal, continued efforts to conserve Sanibel and Captiva for their unique environments and wildlife. Darling became a leader of the Izaak Walton League, was founder of the National Wildlife Federation, and served on the National Audubon Society's board of directors. The refuge boundary encompasses approximately 4,700 acres of waterways, mangrove forests, and upland. The refuge brings a vast number of tourists to Sanibel. In 1975, more than 1,000,000 tourists visited the island, more than 800,000 of whom visited the refuge. The refuge is the home of more than 267 species of birds, including the great white heron, mottled duck, roseate spoonbill, white and wood ibis, the mangrove cuckoo, and the grey kingbird. Alligators and otter are year-round residents. The loggerhead sea turtle visits in late spring and summer to breed. More than 400 varieties of seashells can be found on the Sanibel beaches. And snook, redfish, trout, and tarpon provide excellent sportfishing. Today, the population of Sanibel at mid-winter peak season is about 12,000. It is overwhelmingly white and predominantly wealthy. The 1970 census figures show that 45.9 percent of the island residents had yearly incomes in excess of $15,000. The population increase in recent years is due generally to the influx of retired persons, aged 60 and over. In 1970, approximately 36 percent of the population was in this category. The retired population, whether year-round or part-time, takes an active interest in the island's civic affairs and provides the driving force for a wide array of community organizations and programs. Development ProblemsThere is little question that the completion of the causeway in 1963 exacerbated Sanibel's development problems and led to its incorporation as a city. This highway connection to the mainland provided easy, direct automobile access to the island and precipitated a boom in residential development which ferry service could not have supported. An appeal for contributions to fight the Sanibel bridge and causeway was made, and letters were sent to newspapers and to the State Improvement Fund protesting "the giving of 1,026 acres of Bay bottom fishing grounds to the county commissioners for right-of-way purposes for the Punta Rassa-Sanibel causeway." Other objections cited were adverse changes of water flow and destruction of the scallop bed off Pine Island (both of which actually occurred after construction). Court actions were brought on January 30, 1961, but in July the state's high court upheld the bond issue. Construction began in January 1962.The three mile causeway (built by Lee County with a bond issue of $3.9 million) was officially opened on May 26, 1963. It laid the foundation for increasing concern by islanders for the future of their environment. Within a few months of the opening of the causeway, the right of Sanibel's existing independent zoning authority (created by act of the Florida Legislature in 1959) was successfully challenged in court. Islanders were left with no control over the extensive growth which was to result. In 1967, Sanibel-Captiva islanders began strong efforts to preserve and protect the character of the islands and their surrounding waters. The sequence of significant events from 1967 to enactment of the moratorium on new building permits on December 16, 1974, is given in the following chronology.
The Incorporation CampaignFailing to convince Lee County of the merits of more strictly controlled development, the Sanibel-Captiva Planning Board next considered home rule. The board conducted a study of the pros and cons of incorporation and the cost of city government. The board also conducted a "straw vote" of island residents which showed that incorporation sentiment was favorable.A town meeting called by an ad hoc "Commission of Five" was attended by 300 residents who generally supported initiating a study of the merits of home rule and other alternatives for self-government. It was decided not to include Captiva in home-rule attempts because of the need for county support of beach erosion protection. A new group called the Sanibel Home Rule Study Group (a nonprofit corporation) was created in November 1973. By December, the decision to seriously consider incorporation had been made and funds were raised to hire an expert to explore the island's alternatives. At this point, Lee County hired a new county planner. The framework for the new city was designed, a draft charter prepared, and public meetings held to discuss the implications of this move. In March 1974, residents met at the Sanibel Community Association to vote on placing an incorporation referendum on the ballot. By a vote of 436 to 358 the referendum gained a place on the November ballot. The proposed new charter called for a five-person city council, elected to four-year terms, and for a city manager. The new city would have zoning power and the authority to develop and implement a land-use plan that controlled growth and preserved environmental values. The incorporation proposal included the right to:
The dominant theme of the incorporation campaign was the need to secure stronger local control over decisions concerning land use on the island. The study group disbanded and a new organization, Sanibel Tomorrow, was formed to promote passage of the referendum. In addition, a group called Save Our Sanibel (SOS) was formed to publicize the struggle for incorporation nationally. The principal opposition was led by members of the Chamber of Commerce who formed an Action Committee. The Chamber of Commerce itself was divided over incorporation, the most vehement opposition coming from land developers and builders. Attempts were made to block approval of the new charter in the state legislature and in the courts, and to dissuade citizens from voting for incorporation. A new Florida law, the County Powers Act (which permitted counties to tax unincorporated areas for "municipal purposes"), sidetracked the cost-of-government issue which was expected initially to be a major factor in the campaign. Under the act, Sanibel would have had its taxes increased by the county to pay for municipal services if it had not incorporated. Sanibel Island represented a rich tax base for Lee County and served as a symbol of development prosperity. Through 1974, Sanibel transactions had been accounting for 40 percent of the county's condominium sales. The real estate tax base for Sanibel for 1975 was $104.5 million. During the legislative process for incorporation, the chairman of the Lee County Commission and one commissioner wrote to Sanibel residents to dissuade them from home rule. The county cooperated with the Sanibel-Captiva Chamber of Commerce to work against incorporation. On November 5, 1974, 85 percent of Sanibel voters turned out to register their views on the incorporation proposal. The vote was 689 to 394 in favor of the referendum. A month later, the five-member City Council was elected by the voters, and Porter Goss was elected mayor by the council. The councilmen included two members of the Chamber of Commerce's Action Committee, the chairman of Sanibel Tomorrow, Inc., the former president of the Sanibel-Captiva Planning Board, Inc., and the president of Caretta Research (a nonprofit group established to foster research on loggerhead turtles, genus Caretta). On December 16, 1974, the government of the City of Sanibel officially took office and began the administration of the island as an independent municipality. The new government immediately passed several resolutions which became effective upon passage. No new building permits or zoning changes were to be issued for at least 90 days, or until a comprehensive land-use plan was adopted. Only those builders who had received permits before the incorporation vote and who had actually broken ground within 60 days thereafter were allowed to continue construction. A flood of new building permits issued by Lee County in the interim between the referendum and December 16 (42 in all, totalling $9,618,400 in construction costs) prevented the halting of all new development - but the intensive development problem had been somewhat alleviated. PlanningBecause the Sanibel City Council was elected to control growth on the island through the development of a reasonable land-use plan, replanning became a top priority item for the new government.Early in 1975, the Sanibel Planning Commission developed specifications for a new land-use plan and began the process of selecting a planning consultant In April, the City Council selected as planning consultants the firm of Wallace, McHaig, Roberts and Todd (WMRT). WMRT was asked to design the plan and "recommend zoning code and zoning map, building regulations or codes and subdivisions, and other pertinent landuse regulations." The planning consultant also was responsible for receiving public input through interviews and workshops with "representative groups." In addition, WMRT coordinated and received assistance from the community through 10 task force committees, appointed by the Planning Commission. Concurrently, citizen organizations searched for an organization that could assist the city by providing a detailed description of the natural systems of Sanibel, and by suggesting means for conservation of natural resources and natural systems. The Conservation Foundation was selected, and in March a campaign was initiated by the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation to raise funds from charitable organizations for its work. In May, initial funding became available and work began. The natural systems study was designed both to provide information useful to the city and to test a planning approach that could be instructive to Florida and to the nation regarding local implementation of coastal zone management and, in particular, barrier island resources management. The results of the natural systems study are presented in the chapters that follow.  Continue
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in the text will link to illustrations as they are added.