During the July 30, 2024 meeting, the Sanibel City Council passed a new legislation allowing select Sanibel resort properties to issue temporary beach club day passes. This decision comes as part of an effort to aid the recovery of the resort housing district, still grappling with the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, which significantly reduced beach access. The initiative permits day memberships or daily beach use fees for a limited period, under the issuance of a Temporary Use Permit (TUP).
Vice Mayor Mike Miller voiced his support for the measure, emphasizing its potential to boost the local economy. “This will provide much-needed support to qualifying island businesses and could have positive spillover effects on other local businesses,” Miller stated.
Miller also acknowledged some residents’ concerns about the potential impact on the beaches but assured that the resolution’s built-in conditions are designed to address those worries effectively.
The Committee of the Islands (COTI) proposed evaluating the program after six months, a suggestion that Miller included in his motion to approve the temporary initiative.
The City Council approved the measure with a 4-0 vote, with Council member John Henshaw absent. The TUP for the day membership program is subject to 15 specific conditions, including:
- Eligibility for the TUP is limited to legally operating businesses within the resort housing district, licensed as a hotel or motel by the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation (FDBPR).
- Each day pass may only be sold to one individual.
- The day passes are designed to compensate for resort housing units that are unavailable for rent due to ongoing repairs or reconstruction following the storm.
- The TUP must be obtained through the Planning Department, with no fee required for this permit.
- The resort must provide a site plan and narrative explanation demonstrating sufficient permanent staffing, parking, and restroom facilities, as well as the expectation that resort housing units will be available for rent within six months.
- The number of day passes sold per resort is limited to either (a) two passes per available on-site parking space or (b) two-and-a-half times the number of resort housing units currently unavailable for rent, whichever is lesser.
- Permit holders must report the number of day passes sold to the Planning Department on a monthly basis.
- The TUP does not authorize any new uses of the property.
- The construction of new permanent structures is not permitted under the TUP.
- The city manager may impose additional conditions on the TUP to protect the beach’s carrying capacity.
- TUPs will expire six months after issuance, with the possibility of a three-month extension upon request and for good cause.
Eligible Sanibel hotels and motels, registered with DBPR as of July 24, include Seaside Inn, Song of the Sea Motel, Sanibel Inn, Holiday Inn, Sundial, Shalimar, Island Inn, Sanibel Sunset Beach Resort, Beachview Cottages, and West Wind Inn.
