Sanibel Captiva Trust honors the Islands’ 50th Anniversary at season opening event

The Sanibel Captiva Trust Company team welcomed more than 180 clients and friends to its season opening event on Tuesday, Nov. 20 at The Community House, with a program featuring “The History and Future of The Sanibel Causeway.”

The topic was both historical, tying into to the celebration of the City of Sanibel’s 50th Anniversary, and topical, providing news and information of the improvements to Sanibel’s link to the mainland.

Trust Company Founder and Chairman, Al Hanser, welcomed guests and thanked them for their confidence and enthusiasm for The Trust Company, and followed this message with a thank you to the employees for taking such good care of the clients.

“We make it a point to take very good care of our employees through quality benefits and an overall family culture,” said Hanser. “Happy and appreciated employees translate to exceptional service to the clients who count on us.”

Jeff Muddell, Sanibel President of The Sanibel Captiva Trust Company, followed Hanser welcoming many guests back for the season. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many people in this room at one time,” said Muddell. “We appreciate you and are happy to see such strong support of the islands and our causeway reconstruction that is so vital to the life of our community.”

Featured speaker Pam Miner, executive director of the Sanibel Historical Museum & Village, spoke first on the history of the Sanibel Causeway. She highlighted the many steps that led to making the causeway a reality, including the first structures on the island in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the auto ferry at the Punta Rassa Ferry Terminal established in 1914. Blind Pass bridge came a few years later and tourism boomed in the 1930s with a regular, reliable ferry service and schedule.

Sanibel resident and developer Hugo Lindgren was the driving force behind the causeway, working with local and state government and donating his own land for the island side of the bridge. He also donated the land where the Chamber still stands today.

FDOT, Sanibel Causeway Community Liaison, Jennifer Dorning spoke next on the extraordinary vision and engineering efforts that ensued to repair the causeway following Hurricane Ian. It was repaired to allow essential vehicles and equipment within a matter of days, followed by local resident vehicles the week after. It was an extraordinary feat and some repairs continue, as well as the installation of new, stronger reinforcements even today, such as wave energy absorption and stabilization/anti-erosion techniques that passed with flying colors through Hurricanes Helene and Milton this fall.

Muddell summarized the remaining handful of items underway or to be completed. On the Causeway Islands, the post and ropes are being installed, barrier walls will be removed within the next month or so, as will be the final paving. The Punta Rassa boat ramp will have equipment cleaned out from staging areas, with the redesign underway and dredging starting in January.

The Sanibel Captiva Trust Company is proud to be a community partner and is grateful to all who attended this event to reunite and stay current on the islands’ treasured past and bright future. For more information on the causeway improvements and the 50th Anniversary celebrations, visit sanibel-captiva.org/newsletter-signup.

About The Sanibel Captiva Trust Company

Sanibel Captiva Trust Company is an independent trust company with $4.8 billion in assets under management that provides Family Office and Wealth Management Services, including investment management, trust administration and financial counsel to high-net-worth individuals, families, businesses, foundations and endowments. Founded in 2001 as a state-chartered independent trust company, the firm is focused on wealth management services that are absolute-return oriented and performance driven. The Naples Trust Company and The Tampa Bay Trust Company are divisions of The Sanibel Captiva Trust Company. Offices in Sanibel-Captiva, Fort Myers, Naples, Marco Island, Tampa, Belleair Bluffs and Tarpon Springs. www.sancaptrustco.com.