Sanibel Captiva Trust honors the Islands' 50th Anniversary at season opening event
The Floridant/10289223

SANIBEL ISLAND, Fla. - Floridant -- The Sanibel Captiva Trust Company team welcomed more than 180 clients and friends to its season opening event on Tuesday, Nov. 20 at The Community House.

The topic was both historical, tying into to the celebration of  the City of Sanibel's 50^th Anniversary, and topical, providing news and information of the improvements to Sanibel's link to the mainland.

Trust Company Founder and Chairman, Al Hanser, welcomed guests and thanked them for their confidence and enthusiasm for The Trust Company, and followed this message with a thank you to the employees for taking such good care of the clients.

Jeff Muddell, Sanibel President of The Sanibel Captiva Trust Company, followed Hanser welcoming many guests back for the season. "I don't think I've ever seen so many people in this room at one time," said Muddell. "We appreciate you and are happy to see such strong support of the islands and our causeway reconstruction that is so vital to the life of our community."

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Featured speaker Pam Miner, executive director of the Sanibel Historical Museum & Village, spoke first on the history of the Sanibel Causeway. She highlighted the many steps that led to making the causeway a reality, including the first structures on the island in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Sanibel resident and developer Hugo Lindgren was the driving force behind the causeway, working with local and state government and donating his own land for the island side of the bridge. He also donated the land where the Chamber still stands today.

FDOT, Sanibel Causeway Community Liaison, Jennifer Dorning spoke next on the extraordinary vision and engineering efforts that ensued to repair the causeway following Hurricane Ian. It was repaired to allow essential vehicles and equipment within a matter of days, followed by local resident vehicles the week after. It was an extraordinary feat and some repairs continue, as well as the installation of new, stronger reinforcements even today, such as wave energy absorption and stabilization/anti-erosion techniques that passed with flying colors through Hurricanes Helene and Milton this fall.

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Muddell summarized the remaining handful of items underway or to be completed. On the Causeway Islands, the post and ropes are being installed, barrier walls will be removed within the next month or so, as will be the final paving. The Punta Rassa boat ramp will have equipment cleaned out from staging areas, with the redesign underway and dredging starting in January.

The Sanibel Captiva Trust Company is proud to be a community partner and is grateful to all who attended this event to reunite and stay current on the islands' treasured past and bright future. For more information on the causeway improvements and the 50^th Anniversary celebrations, visit sanibel-captiva.org/newsletter-signup.