Captiva’s South Seas Resort wants land development code changes after Hurricane Ian

Reporter: Gail Levy Writer: Paul Dolan
Published: Updated:

South Seas on Captiva is asking the Lee County Commissioners to amend the current land development code. Although, those living on Captiva are not having it.

South Seas Resort is trying to calmly sail through Hurricane Ian’s destruction to a smooth recovery. However, the only thing smooth sailing at South Seas is Starbucks.

On Tuesday, the Lee County Commissioners began to consider amendments to make the infrastructure on Captiva more resilient. For starters, they want to allow South Seas to build higher.

“The height restrictions that are found throughout the land development code, we are providing for a new definition of height, building height, and a new way to measure building height,” Michael Jacob, the Deputy County Attorney, said.

Jacob said the height requirements for each future land use category won’t change and neither will the density for Captiva.

“There are some concerns,” Commissioner Kevin Ruane said.

Those concerns stem from not knowing exactly how the new definition of “height” will be read. Jacob said the county will put together an exhibit of what it would look like and is providing some minor relief to people who would have to live under those circumstances.

“What’s happening here seriously undermines the county’s credibility with the Captiva community,” Captiva resident Marilyn Fredrick said.

“We’re very concerned about those height restrictions, or lack of restrictions,” the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation CEO, James Evans, said.

A representative of South Seas had the last word during the Commissioners’ meeting.

“The starting place for height are dynamic. They change, they change. When survey data was changed, they changed when FEMA maps changed, they change when the building code change changes, so it’s continually changing,” the representative said.

The amendments aren’t for the whole island of Captiva. Rather, they’re just for the South Seas Resort. The commissioners did not come to a decision, and they announced there would be a public hearing on June 20, where neighbors can see the exhibits on the measurements for height.

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