Businesses on Sanibel Island have faced a long and challenging journey to recovery, and there's still a considerable way to go.
On Thursday, Sundial Resort welcomed its first guests since Hurricane Ian devastated the beachfront hotel nearly two years ago. However, guests can only enjoy the resort on a day pass, as overnight stays are not yet available.
Construction crews and staff at Sundial Resort worked diligently on Wednesday to prepare for the first visitors in nearly two years. General manager Becky Miller expressed the team's excitement and determination to bring the resort back to life.
"We are excited just to get our staff back working, our resort get some business back to it, while we are working on getting our rooms ready for overnight guests again," Miller said. "It is a short-term business plan to bring people to the island, to generate some business for our resort and others as they get close to opening."
The lower levels of the resort, including the restaurants, tiki bar, fitness rooms, and swimming pools, were completely destroyed. Now, visitors can enjoy a freshly renovated pool, tiki bar, sushi restaurant, and other beach amenities with the purchase of a $75 day pass.
Sanibel has historically banned day passes for resorts to prevent beach overcrowding and protect the island's ecosystem. Mayor Richard Johnson explained the rationale behind this long-standing regulation.
"It's in our code, the Sanibel Plan. We do not allow daytime beach activity, beach passes, because it's not consistent with who we are," Johnson said.
However, in the interest of recovery and bringing business back to the island, the city has made an exception. Since overnight accommodations are still months away from being ready, Sanibel has allowed permits for Gulf-front resorts like Sundial to offer day passes temporarily.
"So we wanted to make sure we had rules and regulations in place to protect our environment because if you look at our hierarchy of values, our environment is right at the top," the mayor added.
The city recognizes the need for flexibility during the recovery period and has allowed day passes under specific conditions. Resorts must be actively working on renovating their hotel rooms to return to normal operations.
"But we also recognize, when you are talking about recovery, there are times we need to make adjustments, even if they are temporary so we can get everybody back to living on Sanibel and operating a business on Sanibel," Johnson said.
This program will run for one year, with permits granted for six months, provided resorts are actively working on getting accommodations back online.
As for Sundial, the hope is that guests enjoying the day pass will be encouraged to return for a longer stay once the rooms are ready.
"Hopefully, a guest that comes out here for a day pass, maybe it will make them want to come back and stay in one of our rooms, and be a long-term guest with us," Johnson said.