Sanibel Island was a perfect escape for many people from South Florida. A place to pick shells, see nature, have a good meal, kick back in the sand.

As Sanibel Island residents access their properties, the area is still "extremely unsafe," Mayor Holly Smith said. And houses that look fine from the outside may prove to be too damaged to live in.

Residents of Florida’s Sanibel Island – which remains cutoff from the mainland – were allowed back for the first time Wednesday, with a warning that they could be shocked when they returned ...

About 40 people were rescued off the island Thursday, 12 of whom had sustained injuries. Sanibel City Manager Dana Souza reported the two fatalities.

"It will be much easier to restore power once we can gain access to the island," she said. An estimated 6,400 people lived in the City of Sanibel as of April 2021, according to the US Census Bureau.

SANIBEL ISLAND, Florida - I am not a collector, except on Sanibel. I have plastic bins in my basement and garage, filled with shells collected over the years on the beaches of this barrier island ...

Once you set foot on Sanibel Island, you had to change, as the island would not change for you. You knew you couldn’t bring the mainland with you on the hunt for the elusive Junonia seashell.

Residents of Florida's Sanibel Island are warned they could be shocked when they return by boat Wednesday to their hard-hit community to set eyes for the first time on the devastation wrought a week ...

Residents of Florida's Sanibel Island are warned they could be shocked when they return by boat Wednesday to their hard-hit community to set eyes for the first time on the devastation wrought a ...