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Above: Sanibel Island, looking south from Bowman's Beach |
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Welcome to BeachHunter.net |
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Daily Beach Report |
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Above: Sanibel Island, looking south from Bowman's Beach |
| The fine people of Sanibel take good care of their
precious island haven. They take good care indeed. Fine stewards of the
land they are. After spending all my life hanging out on Anna
Maria, Longboat Key and Siesta Key, and after spending the last two
years exploring the Pinellas County barrier islands and beaches, when I
come to Sanibel I have a hard time believing I'm still in Florida.
Nature rules here. But what price have they paid on Sanibel that could
not have been borne in Sarasota, Manatee, and Pinellas Counties? Why
does Sanibel not need a never-ending string of T-shirt shops, fast food
restaurants, towering monolithic sterile condominiums, sea walls, and
rows of houses built on finger canals carved into the land? What have
they given up to have their cake and eat it too? What Sanibel has
cultivated is a model for others to observe, and to emulate.
How does an island community strike a balance between the highest and best use of the land and still preserve the attributes that brought people to it in the first place? Stewardship is what land owners are charged with. But what exactly is stewardship? Is it maximizing cash flow and non-cash tax write-offs? Or does it require consideration of things that aren't immediately measurable in the bank account, like water quality, healthy and abundant fish and sea turtles, manatees and dolphins? What is the value of green spreading trees and lush greenery surrounding homes and businesses? What is the value in seeing rabbits, raccoons, birds, tortoises and lizards as friends to be encouraged, instead of as pests to be eradicated? Ask anyone you meet on Sanibel and they'll tell you. Priceless. The entire Gulf shore of Sanibel is continuous beach. There are no sea walls. Stand on any beach on Sanibel and look down the beach in either direction and mostly all you will see is trees and vegetation. Sure there are a few low-rise condominiums, but they are surrounded by so much lush vegetation that their presence is minimized. Drive around on the island and you will not find businesses built right up to the edge of the road. There is plenty of green space. There is plenty of space everywhere. On much of the island houses are hidden behind thick walls of greenery. On the bay side of the island, instead of carving finger canals so everyone could have "waterfront" property, the mangroves were left intact creating a vast preserve that represents one-third of the island. This is a powerful statement and has far-reaching benefits that have already earned Sanibel international fame. Such forward thinking ensures that Sanibel's beauty will continue to increase in value as the overdeveloped islands become just one more undifferentiated outdoor mall. As Florida becomes more and more built out and commercialized, places like Sanibel will attract an increasing share of the tourist market's affluent visitors seeking natural beauty. These visitors can and already are paying a premium for enjoying Sanibel. But don't think that Sanibel is a nearly deserted island. Quite the opposite, it is a busy island with plenty of visitors (many from overseas) and permanent residents. There are fine restaurants and shops, art galleries, craft shops, antiques, book stores, and the usual businesses that support a growing population. Sanibel works constantly toward achieving a balance between economic activity and maintaining an aesthetically pleasing island that lives harmoniously with the trees and animals. The residents and visitors feel lucky to be there. This attitude of stewardship creates such a rewarding environment that it is contagious to all who come here. Sanibel isn't perfect. To keep the island from being literally overrun with visitors, prices are high. The very limited beach parking is $2.00 per hour. If you venture north to Captiva there really is no public parking other than for patrons of the restaurants and art galleries and a few metered spaces on the beach. So people on a tight budget are excluded. This is unfortunate. It is difficult to find a happy balance between use and abuse. Someone has to pay. Every alternative has its own costs. Take a good look at the beaches from St. Pete Beach to Clearwater Beach; nearly 30 miles of beaches and nary a tree in sight. What do they have that Orlando does not have? Some white sand and (often murky) salt water. Little nature to exhort, little greenery to promote tranquility and peace, few reserves to shelter new fish and baby birds and sea animals. No intact ecosystem to cleanse the water and the air. I've had to teach myself to find the beauty that is left on the overdeveloped islands and beaches. Given the choice, I will always opt for a trip to islands where the impact of roads, businesses and condominiums is least intrusive on nature. It is the difference between in-your-face manufactured junk food, and fine dining. We all need to behold natural beauty. It is cleansing, peaceful, inspiring, and is of lasting value. Too bad it isn't more accessible to us all on a daily basis. Take a trip to Sanibel and see for yourself how beautiful life in Florida can be. -----Beachhunter
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Above: Madeira Beach in Pinellas County. Compare with the Sanibel photo at the top of the page. Enough said. |
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Above: Welcome to Sand Key, Pinellas County beach! Whose bright idea was this? |