It’s another sunny Friday on Sanibel, with island merchants, restaurants, and Realtors® all hoping for a boost in business from soon-arriving holiday vacationers and visitors. With very little rain this week until a couple of late day thunderstorms yesterday, bay and gulf waters remain clear and bright.

The weather continues to be warmer than usual for this early in the summer, with near-record temperatures almost every day. Those temperatures dropped a little after the showers last night, with more typical high-80’s expected for the next few days with occasional scattered thunderstorms. Betcha we have another one tonight.

First another royal poinciana tree photo – a great vision of red against a blue sky. They are about gone by now, but will be back in bloom next May/June.

Sanibel & Captiva Islands Association or Realtors® June Membership Meeting

Yesterday was the June Monthly Membership Meeting of the local Association of Realtors®. Attendance was light.

Speaker was Ashley Gibbons, Member Services Manager at the Sanibel-Captiva Chamber of Commerce. She explained how visitor traffic to both islands, their facility, and their website continue to increase following a tough period after last summer’s red tide. The Chamber’s renovation is complete, several staff members are new, and their social media, including Instagram, also continue to get more followers.

The real estate announcements that followed were few, with just a handful of sales and price reductions. Caravan included six new listings open for viewing.

SanibelSusan Realty Associates

It was a busy week for the team, with a closing, a new sale, and action items accomplished with both active listings and upcoming closings. Our detailed report of the activity in the Sanibel and Captiva Multiple Listing Service follows a few news items below, including the local island July 4^th events.

Island Holiday Happenings

Pancake Breakfast from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Sanibel Community Church, complimentary all-you-can-eat pancakes, sausage, juice, & coffee, with donations to benefit Boy Scout Troop 1740. 

29^th Annual Independence Day Parade begins at 9:30 a.m. at the intersection of Periwinkle Way and Tarpon Bay Road. The theme this year is “Seas the Day” with Captains for Clean Water serving as grand marshal. The parade runs east on Periwinkle and ends at Casa Ybel Road. Parade judges will be stationed in front of Winds. Parade watchers are reminded to arrive early, Periwinkle Way from Donax Street to Tarpon Bay Road will be closed beginning at 9 a.m. (and reopen about noon).

July 4^th Celebration at Jerry’s Shopping Center begins after the parade, until 2:30 p.m. with complimentary hot dogs & snow cones, plus water slide, bounce house, face painting & other patriotic fun for kiddos.

40^th Sanibel-Captiva Optimist Club Road Rally which is an automobile scavenger hunt, begins at noon at The Timbers parking lot. Proceeds fund local youth benefits and scholarships. Entry forms are available at Bailey’s, Sanibel Café, Sanibel-Captiva Community Bank, or online at www.sancapoptimist.org. Rally is limited to 50 vehicles. Prizes are awarded for correct time and mileage, most correct answers to the quiz, best decorated vehicle, team coming from the farthest location, and team finishing last. I’ve done this several times and it ain’t easy, but it’s fun!

An Awesome 4^th of July as advertised by The Dunes Golf & Tennis Club from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., includes a backyard BBQ dinner, DG, swimming, putting course, and fireworks. Reservations required 239-472-3355.

Fireworks at dusk from the end of Bailey Road out over the bay. Best viewing on the causeway and bay side of the island.

The Future of Southwest Florida International Airport

Southwest Florida International Airport, aka RSW, is one of the newest airports in the nation, with a terminal less than 15 years old. Even so, with 9 to 10 million travelers a year passing through the airport, lines often are backed up “in season”. With more and more people moving to SW Florida, plans are in the works to stay ahead of the growth with a $200M renovation in the works.

In the local news this week, it was reported that getting through TSA (Transportation Security Administration) will be faster as part of this airport expansion with a new plan to make checkpoints more efficient. Even with RSW’s unique design of three separate security checkpoints determined by airline, there are reports of it taking more than an hour to get through security in the throes of season. Lee County Port Authority already had announced a $1.7 million plan to cut back on these wait times.  The plan creates up to two additional security lines per concourse. These changes are expected to be completed by October/November and will allow passengers to board faster.

Plans to expand RSW are more than halfway complete, with renderings including a new gate, amenities, and consolidating concourses. The most significant change planned is an 18-line centralized security checkpoint, which will be usable by 2023. According to a Wink News article published Tuesday, airport leaders are looking even farther ahead of this project with their long-range plan including space for a second runway.

Florida Gov. DeSantis Signs Budget With Real Estate Priorities

On Tuesday, posted by FloridaRealtors® on-line:

“TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the 2019 state budget late last week, and while he used his line-item veto power to remove some budget items, a number of items that impact real estate made it through the process.

“$682 million for environmental projects – A massive bill to help the environment includes $400 million for Everglades restoration, $100 million for springs restoration, $50 million for beach restoration projects, $25 million to combat blue-green algae and red tide, and $25 million for a septic-to-sewer cost-share program.

“$200 million-plus for affordable housing projects – Lawmakers allocated money from the state and local government housing trust funds for affordable housing programs, with more than half the money ($115 million) destined to assist Panhandle residents whose properties were devastated by Hurricane Michael.

“$15 million to continue LIDAR mapping – The Division of Emergency Management may continue spending the

$15 million currently being used for LIDAR (light detection and ranging) mapping. LIDAR is a next-generation mapping technique and has the potential to lower flood insurance rates throughout Florida.

“$500,000 to prevent unlicensed real estate activity – The Legislature allocated money from the Professional Regulation Trust Fund to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) for its ongoing effort to combat unlicensed real estate activity.”

Gov. DeSantis Announces Plan to Crack Down on Environmental Crimes

There was more good “water” news on Tuesday when, during a visit to Stuart, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a new plan to crack down on Florida’s environmental crimes. During a news conference at the Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center, he signed a bill that creates a Division of Law Enforcement within Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) which allows the DEP to conduct criminal investigations into environmental crimes. Officials said the DEP’s Division of Law Enforcement will be made up of sworn officers. Since taking office in January, Gov. DeSantis has made Florida’s environment a top priority.

Construction Progress at BIG ARTS

If you have attended an event or taken a class at BIG ARTS, you will appreciate how quickly their new building is progressing. The former buildings were demolished in early April, right after their annual Spring Concerts. Click on the blue link below for a 4-minute walk through the construction site with Architect Amy Nowacki.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SrTXWQXSyA

(Amy is a busy multi-talented gal, also singing for many years in the BIG ARTS Community Chorus. She also is the architect for the renovations underway at the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum, scheduled to reopen mid-July.)

Sanibel & Captiva Islands Multiple Listing Service Activity June 21-28, 2019

Sanibel

CONDOS

No new listings

4 price changes: Seashells #36 2/2 now $375K, Mariner Pointe #642 2/2 now $593K, Sanctuary Golf Villages I #5-1 2/2.5 now $773.9K, White Pelican #114 2/2 now $895K.

4 new sales: Tennisplace #D31 1/1 listed at $235K; Sanibel Moorings #1622 2/2 listed at $499K; Surfside12 #A3 3/2 listed at $749,999; White Pelican #133 3/3 listed at $1.595M.

3 closed sales: Mariner Pointe #122 1/1 $347.5K (our buyer), Tarpon Beach #304 2/2 $987.5K, Compass Point #183 2/2 $1.15M.

HOMES

2 new listings: 6496 Sanibel-Captiva Rd 3/3.5 $899K, 1285 Par View Dr 4/2.5 $919K.

11 price changes: 785 Rabbit Rd 3/2 half-duplex now $379K, 1550 Centre Ct 3/2 now $599K, 1418 Sanderling Cir 3/3 now $649.9K, 9446 Beverly Ln 3/3.5 now $674K, 9401 Beverly Ln 3/3 now $719K, 1559 Sand Castle Rd 3/2 now $754K, 1350 Middle Gulf Dr, #1F 3/3 half-duplex now $779K, 731 Durion Ct 3/2 now $785K, 335 Cowry Ct 4/3.5 now $799.9K, 0 Dinkins Lake Rd 3/3.5 now $969.5K, 4080 West Gulf Dr 3/2 now $995K.

5 new sales: 993 Fish Crow Rd 3/3 listed at $684.9K, 3284 Twin Lakes Ln 4/4 listed at $785K, 947 Cabbage Palm Ct 3/3.5 listed at $995K, 1349 Eagle Run Dr 3/2.5 listed at $999K, 1351 Middle Gulf Dr, #2C 3/3 listed at $1.495M (our listing).

6 closed sales: 745 Martha’s Ln 3/2 $462.5K, 1427 Sandpiper Cir 2/2 half-duplex $460K, 458 Cas Ybel Rd 3/2.5 $655K, 702 Durion Ct 3/2 $754K, 2984 Wulfert Rd 3/4 $1.09M, 1561 San Carlos Bay Dr 3/4 $1.8822M.

LOTS

Nothing to report.

Captiva

CONDOS

No new listings.

1 price change: Sunset Beach Villas #2216 1/1 now $519.9K.

1 new sale: with contingencies: Tennis Villas #3230 2/2 listed at $469K.

1 closed sale: Bayside Villas #4124 1/2 $387.5K.

HOMES

1 new listing: 16525 Captiva Dr 3/4 $1.65M.

No price changes.

2 new sales: 16801 Captiva Dr 3/3.5 listed at $2.095M, 17030 Captiva Dr 6/7.5 listed at $6,999,990.

1 closed sale: 16798/802 Captiva Dr 4/4 $5.65M.

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.

Best wishes for a fun safe 4^th of July holiday,

Susan Andrews, aka SanibelSusan