Sanibel, FL

Sanibel is an island and city in Lee County, Florida, United States. The population was 6,382 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The island, also known as Sanibel Island, constitutes the entire city. It is a barrier island—a collection of sand on the leeward side of the more solid coral-rock of Pine Island. Most of the city proper is at the island's eastern end. After the Sanibel causeway was built to replace the ferry in 1963, the city was incorporated in 1974, and the residents asserted control over development by establishing the Sanibel Comprehensive Land Use Plan, helping maintain a balance between development and preservation of the island's ecology. In September 2022, the causeway was heavily damaged by Hurricane Ian. Due to easy causeway access, Sanibel is a popular tourist destination known for its shell beaches and wildlife refuges. More than half the island is made up of wildlife refuges, the largest being J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge. The Island hosts the Sanibel Historical Village and a variety of other museums, including the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum.