| Captiva
Island is an island in Lee County in southwest Florida, located just
offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. Originally part of neighboring Sanibel
Island to the southeast, it was likely severed when a hurricane's storm
surge washed away a new channel, called Blind Pass. Like Sanibel, Captiva
is a barrier island to Pine Island (to the east of Captiva and north of
Sanibel), however it is much narrower. The only automobile access to
Captiva is via the Sanibel Causeway and the Sanibel-Captiva Road. North Captiva Island or Upper Captiva as it is called, is another island, in turn severed from Captiva in a 1921 hurricane, creating Redfish Pass. North Captiva has suprisingly hs no power lines, and is privately owned. All of the residents have their own generators. Captiva was seriously damaged in August 2004 when the eastern eyewall of Hurricane Charley struck North Captiva, immediately before hitting Charlotte Harbor to the north-northeast. The initial reports of the storm indicated that 160 buildings were destroyed and another 160 seriously damaged. The storm surge cut a path 400 yards or 365 meters wide across the narrowest part of North Captiva, making it two separate islands. The new pass has not been named. South Seas Plantation Resort and Yacht Harbor, a 330 acre resort, resides on the northern two miles of Captiva Island. According to local folklore, Captiva got its name because the pirate captain José Gaspar (Gasparilla) held his female prisoners on the island for ransom or, a far worse fate! |
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