(WSVN) - There’s been steady traffic entering and exiting Sanibel Island, as the community continues to rebuild since Hurricane Ian.
Now, officials are opening the island to the public, but some locals are on edge.
“[The city] is not ready, in my opinion,” said one resident of the island.
After months of re-entry passes and checkpoints, Sanibel Island is open, but not necessarily for business.
“Earlier there was, I noticed, it has picked up a little bit too, so there’s a lot of people coming down and checking it out,” said Harold Mullin, one of the visitors to the island.
Despite visitors leaving and entering the island, city leaders are still encouraging travelers to give islanders space and allow people the time to rebuild.
Mullin set up his beach chair off the island.
“We didn’t want to cram anything up because I know people have gone through a lot down here, and we just don’t want to be in the way of anything,” he said.
A curfew is still in place for Sanibel Island, and between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., passes will be required to cross the bridge.
The toll on the bridge has also been reinstated.
Copyright 2023 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.