Sanibel and Captiva Recovery After Hurricanes

8/22/2023

Sanibel Lighthouse

Updated August 22, 2023. According to the Sanibel Captiva Chamber of Commerce, many businesses are open after the 2022 hurricanes. Places to eat, stay and things to do are available. Read below to get a list of Sanibel Island re-openings.

The Sanibel Causeway has been repaired to enable traffic to cross. The toll booth is open and traffic is flowing. In fact, there are NO tolls on Sundays until September 10, 2023. The Island is still recovering from Hurricane Ian but more than 120 businesses are now open.

Picture of construction Sanibel Causeway

Sanibel Causeway construction

The beaches are open so there isn't much to do for those of us who love to go shelling on Sanibel Island. Blind Pass Beach is open. You can see the photo below of Blind Pass Beach when it was being repaired.. The small, but popular beach makes it fun to cross from one side to the other during low tide. Across the bridge, which is still there, you enter Captiva. There are some restaurants, hotels and other businesses are open there too. These hotels may have limited amenities: elevators may not be working and construction may be ongoing.

List of Open Beaches on Sanibel Island

Blind Pass Beach
Bowman's Beach Park
Gulfside City Park (Algiers)
Lighthouse Beach Park
Tarpon Bay Beach

Blind Pass Beach is currently closed

Sanibel & Captiva Island Restaurants Open

Florida tourists can still find a place to eat on Sanibel Island, but they need to be prepared for the limited offerings. For example, The Blue Giraffe restaurant is currently serving from a food truck. But, heck, Florida and food trucks go together! Whitney's Bait and Tackle is also open to the public. Here is a list of more restaurants open:

Bleu Rendezvous French Bistro
Blue Giraffe Food Truck
Boops by the Bubble Room
Cantina Captiva Food Truck
Captiva Island Pizza
Cielo Restaurant
Crow’s Nest at Tween Waters
Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille
Gramma Dots Food Truck
Great White Grill
Huxters Market
Island Pizza & Sweet Melissa’s Cafe
Jerry’s Grocery, Café and Coffee Shop
The Mucky Duck
Mudbugs
Old Captiva House at Tween Waters
RC Otter’s
Rosalita’s Cantina
Sanibel Deli and Coffee
Sanibel Grill
Shell City Burgers
Starbucks
Shipyard at Tween Waters
The Shack
Traders
Tutti Pazzi Italian Kitchen

View from Sanibel Causeway

Staying in Sanibel & Captiva

Royal Shell Vacations is open if you are thinking of booking a stay on the southwest Florida island. The Gulf of Mexico beaches are some of the best and we hope they will be open soon. Captiva Cruises is back in business. Places to eat include Captiva Island Pizza. Please remember to CALL AHEAD before you visit any of these businesses to ensure they are still in operation. Hurricane recovery is filled with ups and downs and business hours can change at any time.

Sanibel Beach Recovery 2023

Although the islands look devastated, a careful observer will see the palms and plants are coming back. Even driving by the beaches you can see many pelicans and seabirds. The sand is coming back to the Sanibel and Captiva beaches as well. It is amazing how fast nature restores and heals itself.

Picture of hurricane damage Sanibel Island

Hurricane Ian Sanibel damage

Other hurricane areas of Florida, such as Daytona Beach Shores, are also experiencing recovery. Sand is slowing coming ashore and driving has been restored on the beaches. Jeep Beach Week is going ahead in April 2023 with their 20th anniversary celebration.

Disclaimer:
Our blog website is for general information only and not to be used for any official information. Reference official news for your travel making decisions. Though we aim to provide you with up-to-date information, we make no representations or warranties of any kind (expressed or implied) about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability of any information, products, services or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Full Disclaimer here.

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Sanibel and Captiva Recovery After Hurricanes

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