Sanibel Residents Return to Island and Put Up ‘Ron DeSantis for Governor’ Signs as Bridge Opens Ahead of Schedule
SANIBEL ISLAND (FLV) – As Floridians clean up and recover from Hurricane Ian, some are showing gratitude for Gov. Ron DeSantis’ response to the storm even as their own property remains destroyed.
Florida’s Voice obtained images from the newly resident-accessible Sanibel Island depicting DeSantis campaign signs. One was stuck in rocks in front of heartbreaking wreckage, and another was pinned outside a resident’s home.
The Sunshine State governor pushed for several bridges, like the Pine Island bridge, to be reopened swiftly after being destroyed by Ian. The Sanibel Causeway – the only way on and off the Southwest Florida island – was among them.
“I drove over the new temporary bridge for the first time, my fourth trip over to Sanibel since the storm,” someone on the island told Florida’s Voice. “The unity and grit that Sanibel has mustered up is incredible.”
They said that many residents are “incredibly grateful” for DeSantis expediting the recovery process.
On Oct. 11, DeSantis held a press conference to celebrate a massive convoy of supplies, vehicles, power restoration equipment, and machinery to slowly cross onto Sanibel for recovery efforts. That was almost two weeks after Ian cut the bridge into three parts.
“If we didn’t do the causeway or if we had left the causeway to linger and didn’t send anyone on the island, then nothing would have happened up to this point,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said.
Not long after, DeSantis announced the bridge would be reopening to residents ahead of schedule, which was originally the end of October.
The bridge opened Wednesday, Oct. 19, at 11 a.m.
“This is huge for them to be able to bounce back,” he said. “Starting at 11 a.m., the Causeway will be reopened for the citizens of Lee County.” The construction took just 15 days.
“You have to do analysis to make sure that the bridge is stable,” he explained. “They used 8,200 loads of dirt […] These repairs, while temporary, are really gonna help get the residents of this island back on track.”
This week, DeSantis awarded some Sanibel first responders bonus checks for their service. He delivered checks to first responders employed by the Sanibel Fire & Rescue District, the Captiva Island Fire Control District, and the Upper Captiva Fire Protection & Rescue Service District.
In addition, nearly 400 checks that were not able to be delivered through mail will be delivered to departments across Southwest Florida.
DeSantis also praised the quick attention of first responders, saying, “the effort has been fantastic.”
“You will definitely take home $1,000, and maybe even more, depending on your tax bracket […] Your community counts on you, but you’ve stepped up,” said DeSantis.
Captiva Island Fire Control District Chief Jeff Pawul expressed gratitude for Ron DeSantis’ support for first responders during Hurricane Ian.
“These thousand dollar bonuses could not have come at a better time […] We sincerely want to say thank you to Governor DeSantis,” Pawul said.
On the campaign trail, DeSantis continues to juggle efforts to lock in re-election while helping Florida recover from Ian. He attended a campaign event Friday to receive the endorsement of several job creation organizations.
