🛠️ Infrastructure & Resilience
- Periwinkle Way milling + resurfacing underway (started Sept 15) — Crews are repaving the stretch from Casa Ybel Rd. to ⅓ mi. east of Donax St.; project includes new drainage pipes on side streets and is slated to run ~120 days.
- Dunes subdivision detour (Sept 15–17) — Sandcastle Rd. between #958–962 closed for emergency utility repairs; motorists asked to follow on-site detours and slow near workers.
🌿 City Services & Environment
- Rec Center fall lineup posted (Sept 16) — Upcoming programs include a free Fight the Fall balance clinic (Sept 17), One Community-One Book kickoff (Sept 18), Lee Health Bloodmobile (Sept 19), and Kids' Fun Day camp (Sept 23).
- Weekly Water Conditions Tracker (Sept 19) — SCCF reports Lake Okeechobee at 13.05 ft (+0.25 ft wk/wk); Caloosahatchee flow remains in the "damaging" envelope (>2,600 cfs) for 15 days, yet no red-tide cells detected in SW Florida this week.
- Vegetation trimming wrapped up along Periwinkle Way (Sept 17) — Crews cleared roadside and Shared-Use Path vegetation between Casa Ybel Rd. and Donax St., improving sight-lines for drivers and cyclists.
🚨 Community & Safety
- Police blotter snapshot (Sept 12 – 18) — 39 traffic stops → 12 citations; 850 area checks (394 residential, 228 business); 0 burglaries / 0 thefts; 24 nine-one-one calls. Reminder: Sanibel Bound app offers live traffic cams; school-zone speed enforcement remains active.
🗳️ Governance & Policy
- "Sanibel at 50" feature (Sept 16) — Reflects on the 50-year-old Sanibel Plan that caps building heights and prioritizes nature, while city leaders weigh climate-resilience upgrades without losing the island's character.
🌎 Wildlife & Conservation
- Marine Lab + Shell Museum team up on oyster-reef survey (highlighted Sept 19) — Scientists discovered several unidentified mollusk species while cataloging biodiversity on natural oyster reefs in San Carlos Bay and Matlacha Pass.
📚 Events & Community
- Doc Ford's wins "Best Seafood" & "Best Family Dining" in the 2025 Best of the Islands reader poll (results announced Sept 16).
- Community programs continue at BIG ARTS & libraries — Author talks, youth crafts, and fall art workshops remain on the calendar through late September.
Compiled Sept 20 2025 — covers developments from Sept 13 to Sept 20 2025