It’s another sunny Friday on Sanibel, following another week of fantastic weather until the first summer shower gave us a quick dousing this morning. Maybe the rainy season has begun. We don’t like using the “h” word, but that season has begun too (Jun 1 to Nov 30).

Meanwhile, the gulf and bay waters surrounding the islands are a brilliant blue and sparkling green. The color and clarity changes each summer when the rains stir up the sand and vegetation along the waterways, so it always pays to enjoy this view when you can.

With swimming pools already needing extra water and some grassy buffers along the bike paths looking like straw, rain is needed. The typical pattern for this time of the year is a quick daily shower or two. As the saying goes in Florida in the summer, “wait a minute and the weather will change.” Summer sunsets following a shower are the best.

SanibelSusan Realty Associates

Here at SanibelSusan Realty, we appreciated a nice closing on Monday and several of our listings continue to get good interest and showing activity. The action posted this week in the Sanibel & Captiva Multiple Listing Service follow some news below.

There was no Association of Realtors® Caravan Meeting yesterday, but I had 15 Realtors® there attending my “Resort & 2^nd Home Market” class on Monday. It always is fun to share with colleagues. If we all do a better job, it helps everyone.

Summer Projects & Other Scoop

Il Cielo at 1244 Periwinkle Way –A sign says “closed for renovations, reopening in the fall”.

Malia Island Fusion Cuisine at 1100 Par View Drive in Beachview Estates, next to Sanibel Golf Club – Tried to celebrate our Monday closing there for lunch but found out that they have new summer hours. Open Mon-Thu from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m. Open Fri & Sat from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. Closed Sunday.

Pointe Santo at 2445 West Gulf Dr – Will finish up their concrete-restoration building-exterior project late summer/early fall. Buildings A, B, D, and E are done with the work accomplished during the “off season” to least affect vacations and rentals. The spalling work in Building C is scheduled this year between Aug 11 and Oct 19.

Sanibel Delivery opened yesterday according to a recent article in the “Islander”. It’s an interesting concept. Sanibel Delivery will pick up and drop off take-out orders from restaurants, grocery and convenience store items, pet food and supplies, legal documents and run bank errands, pick up flowers, take packages to and from the post office or shipping stores, get ice, drinks, prescriptions. It also will stock a residence before an arrival or pick up items for donations. Sanibel Delivery services just Sanibel, not Captiva or west of Clam Bayou Ln/Pine Tree Dr. Operating Tues through Sun from 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. To schedule a delivery, call or text 239-308-5353 or email david@sanibeldelivery.com.

Condo Q&A: Who’s Responsible for Water Damage?

Since a condo owner recently asked me this same question, it was timely to read the below article posted this week on-line at FloridaRealtors®. Maybe this is of interest to you too:

“By Steven J. Adamczyk

“June 3, 2019 – Question: A unit owner in our building suffered water damage in his unit due to a clog in his drain pipes. He is claiming that the association should pay for all of the repairs inside the unit. Coincidentally, this owner does not have insurance and the drains have otherwise been working fine. Is there any merit to the owner’s claim? – T.R, Deerfield Beach

“Answer: Any time there is water damage, the first question is whether the damage is the result of an insurable event. When there is an insurable event, the statute will dictate who is responsible for what damage. Likewise, if there is no insurable event, the declaration of condominium will dictate who is responsible for what damage.

Here, we will assume it was an insurable event. If so, the statute provides that the condominium association is responsible to repair and replace property insured by the condominium association. With this type of damage, it means the association will likely repair and replace drywall, but the statute then provides that the owner is responsible to repair and replace interior portions of the unit such as kitchen cabinets, floor coverings, paints, and personal property such as furniture within the unit.

“It is possible that the above delegation of responsibility can be shifted so that one party is responsible for everything. Under the statute, this can happen if one party is negligent or if they fail to follow a rule.

For example, if the association had been notified that the common element pipes had been malfunctioning for a long time and the association ignored the problem, it is possible the association would be responsible for everything, assuming the damage here was the result of that ignored common element problem. Likewise, if the rules prohibit shoving paper towels down a drain and the clog was due to these paper towels, the owner could be responsible for all damage.

“We often see these aggressive accusations when there is no insurance for the obvious reason that the owner knows the association has insurance. That being said, it is highly unlikely that you are responsible for all of the damage, and you should consult with your attorney and insurance carrier to determine the extent of your responsibilities.

“Editor’s note: Attorneys at Goede, Adamczyk, DeBoest & Cross, PLLC, respond to questions about Florida community association law. The firm represents community associations throughout Florida and focuses on condominium and homeowner association law, real estate law, litigation, estate planning and business law.”

Captiva Testing Iguana Removal Program

This article came from today’s “Island Sun”: “A pilot program funded by the Captiva Community Panel (CCP) is addressing the iguana problem currently plaguing the island. “The (iguana) issue came up at one of our panel meetings, and it’s been a topic of conversation for a while,” said Dave Jensen, CCP board member. “People have been seeing iguanas on their properties, and they can do some damage.”

“According to Jensen, he called the City of Sanibel to investigate how the neighboring community addresses their invasive species issue. They city’s department of natural resources put him in touch with Alfredo Fermin of AAA Wildlife Trapping & Removal Services, a professional trapper based in Cape Coral.

“Iguanas are very aggressive… they have a nasty bite and their tails can hurt you, too,” said Fermin, who has more than 10 years of experience trapping wildlife. “They can tear up your garden, they burrow near seawalls which causes a lot of damage, and their poop is dangerous because they carry diseases….”

“Iguanas can grow up to six feet long, have no natural predators. One female may lay between 40 and 70 eggs at a time, and the species is a direct threat to burrowing owls.”

“One month ago, the CCP agreed to hire AAA Wildlife Trapping & Removal Services to come to Captiva, trap and remove nuisance iguanas. The pilot program requests that island residents give permission to Fermin to access their property and remove the iguanas.

“On his first visit to Captiva on May 7, Fermin visited 20 properties and removed 21 iguanas. Since then, he has returned to more than 50 properties and eliminated 56 iguanas.

“If you don’t know what you are doing, it can be nearly impossible to catch them,” said Fermin, who uses a noose bar to snare the iguanas. “It’s still too early to give an estimate on the number of iguanas there are on Captiva, but I’ll be out there every Tuesday until the funds run out.”

“Jensen added that if AAA Wildlife Trapping & Removal Services determines that there is an overpopulation of iguanas on Captiva, the CCP will request that Lee County assist with the funding of the removal program.

“To give permission for AAA Wildlife Trapping & Removal Service to access your island property, call Dave Jensen at 470-5389. For iguana-specific questions, contact Alfredo Fermin via email at AAAWildlife1@yahoo.com or by calling 440-7783.”

Families & Friends of The Sanibel School

The Sanibel School (Elementary & Middle) (A Florida School of Excellence & nationally rated Blue Ribbon school) currently is accepting students and approving off-island attendance waivers.

Sanibel & Captiva Islands Multiple Listing Service Activity May 31 – June 7, 2019

Sanibel

CONDOS

2 new listings: Tarpon Beach #305 2/2 $1.1M, Kings Crown #302 2/2 $1.6M.

9 price changes: Sundial #H210 1/1 now $379K; Blind Pass #E202 2/2 now $450K; Mariner Pointe #642 2/2 now $597K; Sandalfoot #3C1 2/2 now $674K; Surfside 12 #A3 3/2 now $749,999; Sandpiper Beach #303 2/2 now $759.9K; Shell Island Beach Club #7C 2/2 now $799K; Oceans Reach #3A1 2/2 now $899.5K, Island Beach Club #340E 2/2 now $1.231M.

4 new sales: Spanish Cay #B4 2/2 listed at $399K, Sundial #G405 1/1 listed at $419,555; Sundial #C310 1/1 listed at $459,750; Sundial #J204 2/2 listed at $793K.

5 closed sales: Sanibel Siesta #109 2/2 $510K, Cottage Colony West #112 1/1 $585K, Lighthouse Point #229 3/2 $650K, Loggerhead Cay #582 2/2 $680K, White Sands #25 2/2 $957K.

HOMES

2 new listings: 5307 Ladyfinger Lake Rd 3/2.5 $685K, 2739 Wulfert Rd 4/5.5 $1.375M.

6 price changes: 430 Old Trail Rd 3/2.5 now $639K, 1550 Centre St 3/2 now $645K, 1244 Par View Dr 4/3 now $949K, 1743 Venus Dr 4/3.5 now $1.6399M, 1133 Golden Olive Ct 3/3.5 now $2.299M, 4709 Rue belle Mer 3/2 now $3.125M.

5 new sales: 9052 Mockingbird Ln 3/2 listed at $650K, 3050 West Gulf Dr 3/2.5 listed at $799.9K, 845 Birdie View Pt 3/3 listed at $1.169M, 2303 Troon Ct 3/3.5 listed at $1.189M, 2689 Wulfert Rd 4/5.5 listed at $1.747M.

2 closed sales: 5869 Pine Tree Dr 3/2 $589K (our buyer), 3941 Coquina Dr 3/2 $800K.

LOTS

Nothing to report.

Captiva

CONDOS

No new listings, price changes or new sales.

1 closed sale: Captiva Cove #C 5/4 $3.475M.

HOMES

1 new listing: 956 South Seas Plantation Rd 6/6 $5.5M.

1 price change: 41 Oster Ct 2/2.5 now $998,899.

2 new sales: 31 Urchin Ct 3/3 listed at $995K, 16825 Captiva Dr 3/2.5 listed at $2.695M.

No closed sales.

LOTS

Nothing to report.

This representation is based in part on data supplied by the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Association of Realtors® Multiple Listing Service. Neither the association nor its MLS guarantees or is in any way responsible for its accuracy.  Data maintained by the association or its MLS may not reflect all real estate activity in the market.  The information provided represents the general real estate activity in the community and does not imply that SanibelSusan Realty Associates is participating or participated in these transactions.

Until next Friday, make it a great one! Susan Andrews, aka SanibelSusan