Sanibel’s New Year’s wish: The return of the Sanibel Lighthouse

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Sanibel lighthouse
Sanibel Lighthouse undergoing repairs (CREDIT: WINK News)

Many locals and visitors of Sanibel Island have the same New Year’s wish: repairing the lighthouse.

After taking a beating from Hurricane Ian, the Sanibel Lighthouse is no easy fix. Many factors come into play when restoring the iconic lighthouse, including cost.

Structural repairs for the Sanibel Lighthouse are expected to be complete by the end of 2023.

Residents and visitors hope to see the iconic lighthouse, which stood tall since the mid-1800s, comes back to life.

“The devastation that they suffered, I’m amazed at how the rebuilding in the community helped to repair everything, especially at historic sites like this,” said Renee Cannon, a visitor.

According to Eric Jackson, Sanibel’s communication director, the lighthouse repairs include:

  • Replacing the wooden temporary support column with a cast iron replica of the original
  • A strut
  • Five tie rods
  • Fixing the broken cast iron ladder
  • Two window stops.

The budget for these repairs comes out to over $200,000. It’s an investment the city says is worth it, as the lighthouse became a symbol of hope and strength for the island after withstanding Hurricane Ian.

Jackson said the contractor is expected to begin the permanent column repair in less than two weeks.

Following these structural repairs, a second contractor will take over and begin the corrosion remediation and coating application of all interior and exterior painted surfaces. The cost for that project comes out to an additional $600,000.

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