Lee County vote increases Captiva building height in the name of ‘resilience’

Last week, the Lee County Board of County Commissioners voted 4 to 1 to overturn longstanding height restrictions due to a storm “resilience” initiative and a need for the rebuilding of the South Seas Resort on Captiva. “We were very, very disappointed with the 4-1 vote to move that forward,” said James Evans, CEO of the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation, which advocates for the islands and manages 2,100 acres of coastal lands. They presented over 13,000 signatures against the changes, 6,000 of which where from across Lee County. Evans said that it was incredible that density and building heights were increased in what is defined as a Coastal High Hazard area in the “guise of resiliency.”