One of the first things people saw when arriving on Sanibel Island was the Chamber of Commerce, whose building greeted visitors and locals on the main road for years.
Six months ago, Hurricane Ian brought ferocious winds and storm surge to Florida’s southwest coast and the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce’s building suffered significant damage, with flood waters overtaking the first floor.
During a webinar hosted by Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy February 16, the chair of the chamber board, Calli Johnson, gave a short update on her family business, Bailey’s General Store, and on the chamber.
“Our store had six to eight feet of storm surge, which pushed the hurricane-rated doors in and bent the block,” she says. “The interesting thing was, even though we had significant roof failure, the solar panels survived except for some damage from flying debris.”
Like all of Sanibel and Captiva, Bailey’s General Store was already becoming energy independent and more resilient. About 20 percent of the building’s energy was from rooftop solar and solar shades in the parking lot.
“I want to do the right thing for my kids and their future,” Johnson says. “As we rebuild, we’re building only on the second story, adding new solar and solar shade structures to meet energy demands. We would like to get 100 percent of our needs met.”
Before Ian, the chamber embraced clean energy, holding events on it, supporting the Renewable Energy Working Group, and showcasing how chambers can lead in embracing resilience, sustainability and clean energy.
Currently, the chamber is a central force in uniting the community and a leader on the community’s resilience committee, formed to rebuild to be even more resilient during storms.
The webinar itself focused on two large community developers in Florida, Kitson Partners, which developed Babcock Ranch near Fort Myers, and Avalon Park Group, which owns communities in Orlando, Wesley Chapel and Tavares and is planning Avalon Park Daytona Beach.
During the webinar, co-hosted by Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce and the Charlotte County Chamber of Commerce, key executives from Kitson and Avalon shared how they create more sustainable and resilient communities.
Avalon Park reduces carbon emissions by creating walkable neighborhoods with everything from school to work located close to homes.
Through a partnership with the utility, Babcock has 150MWs of solar capacity, generating more energy than consumed by the community. Hurricane Ian passed over Babcock Ranch as a category 4 storm. The community did not lose power.
Back in Sanibel, the chamber stressed the island is open.
Repairs to the chamber are nearly complete. Captiva didn’t experience as much storm surge, so many businesses are still open just as before the storm. Others throughout the islands are in temporary spaces or utilize second story spaces.
“We’re excited to have a place for businesses to just show up with what they need for the day,” Johnson says about the chamber offices. “I’m amazed at how much recovery has taken place. There are places to come for lunch and places to stay and I’d like to welcome anyone to come visit.
She adds: “Come visit us – it’s the best way to help.”
Watch the full webinar here.
