LEE COUNTY, Fla. — Lee County Commissioners voted 4-1 today in favor of amending their land development code. This came after South Seas requested an amendment regarding how high they could rebuild after Hurricane Ian.
South Seas found out FEMA had changed the base flood elevation while it was applying for building permits two months after Ian hit. The company has to build higher to comply with the Flood Insurance Rate Maps.
South Seas is requesting the LDC be changed so they can ask permission to build three floors of living space above a garage or parking space.
An overwhelming number of people showed up to the commission workshop in opposition to the idea.
“Sanibel, Captiva, and other barrier islands are fragile ecosystems. They need to be protected. We’ve just seen from Ian how fragile these ecosystems are. The proposed changes to LDC would allow changes that are not in line with resiliency. Instead, it would particularly benefit South Seas in adding density on Captiva that would be damaging for the local environment as well as Sanibel with the people and traffic coming through there,” one man said from the podium.
“I am standing in opposition. I do not believe it is right…. that it is specifically giving an exception to one developer. That does not bode well for Captiva or other areas when an extraordinary exception is given. When I built my properties, we followed the rules. I stand in strong opposition as to how this is written today,” Sanibel councilwoman Holly Smith stated.
While many spoke their mind against the change, a few did show favor.
“Nobody, nobody likes change. It’s uncomfortable, but this storm changed all of our lives, period. With that, adjustments have to be made,” one man said.
“Our efforts to rebuild our hotel, to rebuild any product or any new amenities are totally stalled at this point without this decision,” South Seas President Greg Spencer said.
Spencer told ABC7 in a one-on-one conversation this afternoon that today’s decision isn’t anywhere close to a final decision. In fact, there’s another meeting tomorrow. He said the earliest a decision could be made regarding building height is this time next year. It could be 2026 before the hotel reopens to full capacity.