During the weekends, the Tiki Hut at the American Legion Post 123 on Sanibel-Captiva Road takes on its complete form as a welcoming meeting ground for old friends and new faces, with live music and the best cheeseburgers in town.

“People are coming out and enjoying themselves,” said Legion Post 123 Commander Randy Carson. “We got one of the best cheeseburgers around, seriously, so that brings a lot of people…”

“It’s a community place, and people say they love it once they do find it. It’s just a good ole place,” he said.

Six feet of floodwater filled Post 123 during Hurricane Ian in September 2022 and two feet during Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024. But it continued supporting the community through those storms by putting bathrooms and laundromats on the Legion grounds for people with nowhere else to go.

The BIG ARTS Dunham Family Gallery is set to house a magical exhibit of mixed mediums, designed to immerse the viewer in artwork that invites the freedom to explore and release senseless fears that hold individuals back from their full potential, later this month.

“The idea of nature sort of being reconstructed in a fantastical way, in an unlikely way, jars our preconceived notions of what the world is supposed to be like,” said Wilson McCray, BIG ARTS Gallery Director. “I think that, if you can open yourself, as the viewer, to new worlds and then you experience these new worlds in the gallery – you can leave lighter and freer and with a feeling of [being] liberated from your own fears and limitations.”

Swedish artists Monika Larsen Dennis and Frida Oliv are bringing their specialties of sculpture and painting together to showcase the Impediments and Byways to Love on the Road to Eternity exhibit to Sanibel from March 14 to April 27, with BIG ARTS.

Since Hurricane Ian swept away the Causeway Islands, taking the roadway with them, the Florida Department of Transportation has been racing to restore this vital link to Sanibel Island as a better version. FDOT aims to fortify the Sanibel Causeway against future Ian-like storms.

“The bridge now stands as a fortress against nature’s fury,” said Janella Newsome, FDOT District One Director of Public Information. “This engineering marvel not only safeguards the island’s connection to the mainland but also brings a new life into the local economy. Ensuring that tourism and beachside beauty will continue to thrive for generations to come.”

Newsome said the changes to the structure are a part of the original plan for permanent repairs. The project was initially estimated to take five years, but now FDOT expects it to be completed in nearly half that time. The west side of the toll plaza is expected to be completed in late spring, followed by the east side, which is estimated to be completed in summer.

Although the Sunshine State’s warm weather and coastal destinations are major draws, Jeff Muddell, Sanibel President of the Sanibel-Captiva Trust Company, said there are significant financial benefits to consider when moving to Florida.

“The key benefits of residing in Florida, is there’s no income tax, there’s no intangible tax [and] there’s no state estate tax,” Muddell said. “There are also Florida homestead benefits and protections that are beneficial if you claim Florida as your residence, your homestead.”

Claiming a Florida home as your domicile tells the state of Florida that you are seeking the safeguards and advantages of homesteading in Florida. Even if you live part of the year in another state, you can claim the benefits by proving your Florida home is your primary residence.

“The first factor that any state or any entity is going to look at is how many days you live in the state,” Muddell said. “You have to live in the state of Florida for six months and a day, and you have to be able to prove that. In some cases, your previous state will try to say ‘Hey, you owe us taxes. You owe us income taxes…’ So, we have individuals that keep track of their dates on calendars and apps, just in case, anybody from their previous state asks.”

After Hurricane Ian coursed its rampant path through Sanibel in September 2022, Fire Chief Kevin Barbot said Station 172, which had stood since the early ‘80s, had been claimed by 6 feet of floodwater.

“Everything was flung around. We found the washing machine and fridges in separate rooms. So, everything was destroyed, everything was damaged,” Barbot said. “So, we didn’t have a choice [but] to start over.”

The severity of the damage left the emergency response hub ineligible for repair, laying the groundwork for the Sanibel Fire and Rescue District’s next project– to rebuild a bigger and better version of the Bowman Beach station.

“The station was built in the 1980s; it did not have a lot of features that we needed in a public facility, especially since we were kind of the key point after Ian, where everybody grouped, over there from that side of the island before being evacuated,” Barbot said. “So we want to make sure that we have a good, strong facility that’s going to stay running.”

Towering Medjool palms, heavily manicured hedges adorned with blooms, groundcover Asian jasmine and shaped trees centered around a symmetrical grass-lined driveway are all part of the curb appeal of one of the Signature Landscape Contractors’ full-service outdoor makeovers that stands proudly in Winter Park.

“[That’s a] sophisticated, well-designed, large, complete outdoor space that Signature designed and installed,” says Andy Swanson with the landscaping company.

The grand, columned residence is complemented by an overlay of greenery on all sides—Oakleaf hollies, magnolia trees and junipers frame the home, accompanied by the standout azaleas and Knock Out roses at the estate.

Whether you are seeking a professional, full-scale outdoor transformation or creating a D.I.Y. lush butterfly garden at home, industry professionals agree that attention to detail, proper planning and the selection of the right plants are key to cultivating your perfect garden space.

Sanibel continues to recover from Hurricane Ian two years ago and weathered a tough 2024 hurricane season with impacts from two back-to-back storms. As residents work to rebuild, businesses reopen, and the community redefines normal, the Santiva Chronicle’s most viewed story collections from 2024 reflect the determination of our community.

For its 22nd year, the BIG ARTS FORUM Lecture Series is making education on our dynamic geopolitical world accessible to all, beginning shortly after the first of the year. Possibly the series’ most noteworthy characteristic, which keeps people coming back, is its approachable nature, according to the BIG ARTS Executive Director.

“The speakers love to come because it’s such an intimate setting. It’s a small hall, 400 seats, and we have a very engaged audience and through the years, it has been a wonderful program that was started by volunteers,” BIG ARTS Executive Director Lee Ellen Harder said.

Sanibel’s newest addition to its police department leadership, Captain Patrick Harris, has a long-held special connection to the island, as it is one of his mother’s favorite vacation destinations. He was drawn back when touring the community with Chief William Dalton while beginning the endeavor of securing his new role.

“Everywhere we went, someone knew him,” Captain Harris said. “It was ‘Hi Chief,’ whether it was in a restaurant or the rec center or anywhere within the city, and that feeling of family, not just within the police department, but in the city and the island – it was just such an environment that I felt was inviting and welcoming and something that I wanted to be a part of.”

Captain Harris’ extensive law enforcement background brought him to this career transition. He served 30 years as a police officer in Virginia Beach, another coastal resort community.

Although Donna Hylkema, 78, lives alone in rural Central Florida, she begins each day knowing she will always be in good company. Every morning, she is greeted by a friendly tabletop robot, who calls her “Peanut,” before she listens to her morning summary and asks the companion for her daily horoscope.

“ElliQ gives me a little briefing in the morning, when I say, ‘Good morning’,” Hylkema says, detailing some of the personal assistant’s witty responses. “She tells me what the weather is and if it’s going to be really hot, like to fry an egg on the sidewalk.”

Hylkema is among 192 seniors across Central Florida who have welcomed the AI accompaniment, ElliQ, into their homes. Intuition Robotics, creators of the AI companion, partnered with Central Florida’s Senior Resource Alliance (SRA) to launch this program for the region’s seniors on May 13.

Forever changed by the effects of recent natural disasters, Sanibel’s 50-year-old copper time capsule stood before City Hall, its weathered state and patina serving as a testament to the community’s resilience and perseverance as the city kicked off its 13-month-long 50th-anniversary event series.

“Everybody took the time out of their day to see what was in the time capsule. To see what people were thinking about in 1983,” Mayor Richard Johnson said. “It really showed just how strong and how resilient our community is.”

After searching high and low for a way to clear her mind, Gail Bachman saw a ‘calling all clarinet players’ ad posted by the BIG ARTS Concert Band, over two decades ago, and she knew the answer had been right in front of her all along.

“I’d gone for classes on clearing your mind, focusing, and promoting relaxation. And then I realized, I don’t need exercises to do that, because playing music with other people does that for me,” said Bachman, the longest-standing member of the BIG ARTS Concert Band. “I feel serene when I play. I am very lucky that it found me.”

After not playing clarinet for about 40 years, Bachman said joining this community band was life-changing for her and she felt there was a hole in her life when the band was forced into a year-long hiatus, last year. Due to the impact of Hurricane Ian, then shortly following, the sudden and tragic passing of the band’s beloved director, August ‘Augie’ Thoma, along with many other factors, the group decided to take a break, said Maureen Thoma, August’s widow.

Fresh off a record-breaking campaign season, United Way and its partners on Sanibel and Captiva Islands are gearing up for another unparalleled chapter of philanthropic outreach, set to begin in November.

After a three-year streak of raising over $600,000, the most recent Sanibel-Captiva campaign earned the most it ever has – just over $705,000 was donated to United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades counties in April 2024.

“I have never seen a group of people go through so much, but yet still want to serve the whole community and still be generous and help while they were all recovering,” said Jeannine Joy, President and CEO of United Way of Lee, Hendry and Glades counties.”

“It’s just because they saw the need and they knew it was beyond just ‘let’s look at me,’ it was ‘let’s look at all of us’,” she said.

Sanibel residents have been seen proudly sporting Love Sanibel Back buttons since early June, symbolizing how far the community has come since the devastating impact of Hurricane Ian almost two years ago.

Led by St. Michael’s Episcopal Church Love Sanibel Back is a series of community gatherings to foster community solidarity and drive business to locally owned establishments. Starting on June 3, community members have gathered weekly to show love to the businesses that remain standing despite all odds.

“It has fulfilled its goal and went beyond what we ever imagined,” said Sue Van Oss, director of digital communications and Christian formation at St. Michael’s Church.