Sanibel Journal

Sunset at Sunset Bay, Sanibel Sanibel voters will be electing three new city council members in March.  Since there are only five members of council, this will be the majority of members – newly elected.  That is a rare occurrence, and it is a great opportunity for residents to ensure that their interests will be represented on council.  Rumors abound about who may be running for election to these positions.  At least it seems that this time candidates will probably not be running unopposed, as has happened at times in the past. The Sanibel Plan , the document that has guided us in ensuring that Sanibel remains special, states clearly by way of background for the Sanibel Vision Statement that we have a challenge before us: “The specter of rampant development has diminished as the community has matured. Nevertheless, unwanted changes are occurring; visitation increases as new ‘attractions’ are developed; beaches and refuge areas are becoming stressed by overuse; tra...

By and large, what fuels our local government, the City of Sanibel, is income from property tax.  Where does most of this revenue come from?  Residential or commercial property? According to the Lee County Property Appraiser’s 2020 Preliminary Tax Roll Totals for Sanibel , the island has about $4.87 billion in taxable residential property out of a total of $5.36 billion in taxable real estate.   By and large, it is the residential property owners, not commercial property owners, who fund the City. In addition to property tax income, the City of Sanibel has some other revenue streams, such as charges for services like planning department permits and solid waste tipping fees.   Much of these are services for residential property dwellers. By definition, those who vote in Sanibel elections are Sanibel residents. Sanibel residents should rule when it comes to making decisions about how this island is governed and developed.   Do they?   Do e...