Now that summer weather has settled in, locals and visitors stay tuned to weather forecasts. At my East End home, power was out for several hours during a heavy storm Saturday. While another on Wednesday night caused a stop in parade float decorating, but the parade went off without a hitch the next morning when it was a sunny 89 degrees F at 9:30 a.m.

With the theme this year, “Stronger Together” many island-lovers, businesses, and non-profits came out both to participate in and view the parade. The sunshine continued right through the day, so it also was perfect for later additional events and celebrations.

It sure is hard to believe that this was the 31^st year of the Sanibel July 4^th parade. I remember when island Realtor® Don Bissell suggested the event and many Realtor® volunteers helped in that first planning and after parade picnic at City Hall. We had organizational meetings at The Quarterdeck. (You’ve gotta be old to remember that place.)

The City took over the parade many years ago and today Don’s daughter Trish Phillips, City of Sanibel Recreation Director, spearheads this annual tradition. It was a great idea then and successful again this year — always full of patriotic spirit and a wonderful display of community camaraderie.

Friday Drive-Around

Today, began again with bright blue sky and sunshine, so after teammate Dave stopped in with his Friday listing reports, I took a quick drive out to Captiva to see if it looked any busier than my earlier trips this week. I led a string of six vehicles down Periwinkle to San-Cap Rd but saw just a handful of bikers and other vehicles along the way. On Periwinkle, where I also saw painting activity yesterday at Treetops Shopping Center, painters continue today. The new neutral color scheme already looks great.

On San-Cap Rd, there were young men fishing on the bridge to Clam Bayou, while on the Blind Pass Bridge to Captiva, there were many more fishing and the public beach parking lots were full.

On Captiva Dr, just past the Yacht Club, I stopped for some crossing beachgoers, but didn’t see much activity anywhere other than construction workers and landscapers. Noticed just a couple of umbrellas on the beach.

By the time I reached South Seas, all the cars and trucks behind me had turned off and distant inland clouds looked to be darkening and heading to the islands.

Along the way, on both islands, I also noticed lush greenery and vegetation growth. The largest group of people were at Boops next to The Bubble Room. It also was a surprise to see that the first home I sold (30 years ago) on Captiva is now gone. The pool remains, but the home demolished/removed. It reminded me to drive past By-the-Sea on Sanibel to see how that demo was going.

Coming back to Sanibel, I took Rabbit to West Gulf, seeing a few cars at Rosalita’s. Also noticed good construction progress at the new Shalimar. At By-the-Sea, only part of the last west-most building remains.

As I continued to Middle and East Gulf, I didn’t see more vehicles or people, until a couple of contractor vehicles at the some of the condos. Sanibel Surfside also still is covered in blue tarps.

The dark clouds reached the island as I got home, first with lightning and then it poured for about 30 minutes. I bet that means the full parking lot at the Lighthouse thinned out. My trusty weather app says Sanibel rain should end completely by 6 p.m. Could be the worst of it is already over.

Visitors also should like that the weekend says only 20% chance of showers. It’s summer here now, that’s for sure!

More Island Events & Openings

American Legion Auxiliary Friday Night Dinner – Today, July 5 from 4-7 p.m. at American Legion Post #123 on San-Cap Rd with pulled pork sandwiches, potato salad, cole slaw, and brownies.

Arts & Crafts Fair – Saturday, July 6 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Community House, 2173 Periwinkle Way.

Sanibel Lighthouse – The scaffolding came down July 3 with refurbishment complete. Check it out with its new leg, LED light, and exterior paint.

Island Wellness Pharmacy – Sign on a door at Jerry Center (1700 Periwinkle Way, #7) says this business is coming soon and is a sister pharmacy of Cypress Pharmacy on Cypress Lake Dr in Fort Myers.

The Wealth Effect: Money Moves

By economist Jennifer Warner, Florida Realtors Director of Economic Development, this article was posted on-line July 3:

“Florida is enjoying a positive net inflow of new residents, especially those who are wealthy and high earners, from across the country and world.

“ORLANDO – Florida’s reputation as an affordable place to retire has long attracted people of all classes to the Sunshine State when their working days are done. Florida was also an acceptable place to earn a modest living while enjoying the incredible amenities and weather. The perception has long been that working in coastal employment hubs offered the best shot for those looking to climb the corporate and thus financial ladder.

“Florida has worked hard to change the economy first, and its perception of it second. Investing in a variety of industries, supporting the advancement of quality education and overall raising the standard of what businesses could do here has transformed the state’s economy. It only took years of marketing and a pandemic to really rise to the top of the list of places to go for high-income earners.

“Florida was certainly a net recipient of in-migration of all kinds during the pandemic. The latest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show Florida’s population grew by 1.6% between 2022-2023, the second highest rate among all 50 states. That equates to about 1,000 net new Florida residents each day or 365,205 total, according to U.S. Census Bureau vintage 2023 national and state population estimates.

“While that trend has slowed somewhat as the drivers of migration associated specifically with the pandemic (open versus closed economy and schools, for example) have waned, Florida is still enjoying a trend of positive net inflow of people from throughout the country and the world.

“In-migration cuts across all types of people, but we’re starting to see not just an influx of all people, but specifically, wealthy people and high-wage earners. To get a better sense of this trend, we took a deep dive into the data collected by the Internal Revenue Service comparing 2021 to 2022 returns. If someone moved between those years and between states, where they moved from and to were captured, along with their reported income. This allowed us to get a sense of where working age people are moving, and how much they are earning.

“For this analysis of high-wage earners, we wanted to look at two subgroups of working age people, specifically those starting out in their careers, or young professionals, ages 26–34, and those in their prime working years, ages 35–54. We identified high-wage earners as those who earned over $200,000.

“Between 2021 and 2022, Florida had a net in-flow of over 1,700 young professionals who earned over $200,000—the highest in the nation. Texas and Colorado took the second and third spots, respectively. For those in their prime working years, Florida had a net in-flow of over 10,600 high-wage earner, according to Census data.

“California and New York were the top two states to lose high wage earners in their prime working years. This tracks with migration patterns of all people in those states, with these states reporting the highest gross out-flow between 2021 and 2022—at nearly 396,000 and 284,000 respectively. For young professionals, California and Illinois saw the highest losses, with Illinois experiencing a gross out-flow of almost 155,000 people across all age and income groups from 2021 to 2022.

“Wealth migration typically was the story for retirees who cash out of expensive coastal areas elsewhere and live large in Florida’s sunshine during their golden years. Hot locations for these people included the Naples and Palm Beach area, as well as parts of the Panhandle and northeast Florida. These areas catered to this demographic who required healthcare and wealth management services as top priorities.

“With wealth also coming in at younger ages, that demographic has different priorities. They need schools and offices, daycares and business centers. This younger age group has the potential to change the economies around them for a long time. Understanding this potential shift in clientele is key to focusing messaging and services to this younger and wealthier demographic.’

Sanibel & Captiva Association of Realtors®

The islands Association of Realtors® parade entry was led by our CEO Bill Robinson and included Prez Brendan Albright, Prez-Elect Becky Mulka, and others in the leadership team, plus members, affiliates, and family members. Thanks to all participants.

There was no Caravan Meeting this week, but there will be one next Thursday at 11 a.m.

Below, with data from the islands Multiple Listing Service (MLS) are summary tables of the residential sales statistics, followed by the Sanibel/Captiva MLS action reported this week.

SANIBEL RESIDENTIAL	CONDOS			HOMES			LOTS
	#	Avg Price	DOM	#	Avg Price	DOM	#	Avg Price	DOM
For sale:	92	1,022,539	155	114	2,631,910	140	27	682,144	244
Under contract	4	1,509,575	154	15	1,302,906	136	3	3,556,000	185
Sold 2024 to 7/5	47	819,883	119	113	1,431,904	100	11	1,497,818	155
Sold 2023	98	955,261	65	263	1,267,390	73	24	920,645	76
Sold 2022	123	1,136,199	44	185	1,602,745	52	26	779,528	223
Sold 2021	287	875,127	113	355	1,341,881	89	69	698,862	442

CAPTIVA RESIDENTIAL	CONDOS			HOMES			LOTS
	#	Avg Price	DOM	#	Avg Price	DOM	#	Avg Price	DOM
For sale	30	1,586,350	182	19	7,161,894	243	2	13,750,000	239
Under contract	2	2,097,500	123	1	2,850,000	57	0	N/A	N/A
Sold 2024 to 7/5	10	1,650,000	146	5	4,944,500	146	0	N/A	N/A
Sold 2023	17	834,176	98	17	2,716,647	70	0	N/A	N/A
Sold 2022	28	1,458,983	52	22	5,636,386	133	0	N/A	N/A
Sold 2021	64	1,150,373	145	44	2,988,520	261	2	2,950,000	731

Sanibel & Captiva Islands Multiple Listing Service Activity Jun 28‑Jul 5:

Sanibel

CONDOS

5 new listings: Donax Village #19 2/2 $627K; Sandalfoot #4D3 2/2 $865K; Sandalfoot #5C2 2/2 $875K; Sayana #203 2/2 $949,999; White Pelican #111 3/2 $1.575M.

2 price changes: Donax Village #10 2/2 now $575K, Kings Crown #215 2/2 now $1.275M.

1 new sale: Sandpiper Beach #504 2/2 listed at $995K.

3 closed sales: Donax Village #2 2/2 $599K, Sandalfoot #5A3 2/2 $900K, Sundial #E110 2/2 $1M.

HOMES

3 new listings: 1073 Sand Castle Rd 3/2 $1, 247,007; 592 Sea Oats Dr 3/2 $1.75M, 539 N Yachtsman Dr 4/3.5 $1.795M.

5 price changes: 3898 West Gulf Dr 3/2 now $775K, 1426 Sanderling Cir 3/2 now $949K, 1379 Albatross Rd 3/2.5 now $1.349M, 517 Lake Murex Cir 4/3 now $1.599M, 2255 Troon Ct 4/5.5.5 now $2.599M.

2 new sales: 5305 Ladyfinger Lake Rd 3/2 listed at $995K, 1690 Sabal Palm Dr 5/2 listed at $2.477M.

4 closed sales: 315 Periwinkle Way 3/2 $825K, 3990 Coquina Dr 3/2 $925K, 3708 Agate Ct 3/3.5 $1.3M, 5048 Joewood Dr 4/3.5 $2.35M.

LOTS

Nothing to report.

Captiva

CONDOS,

1 new sale: Beach Villas #2521 2/2 listed at $945K.

No price changes, new, or closed sales.

HOMES

No new listings.

1 price change: 14865 Mango Ct 2/2 now $1.595M.

No new or closed sales.

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.

 Enjoy your weekend! Susan Andrews, aka SanibelSusan