Beachview Villas signals Sanibel’s resort recovery

In Sanibel Island’s Resort Housing District along West Gulf Drive, Beachview Villas’ canary-yellow facade faces the gulf waters that destroyed its predecessor almost four years ago. 

The Villas replaced the quirky, one-story collection of cottages that had occupied the site since 1959. It represents the rebuilds sprouting up along the road — taller, more modern, more resilient and more expensive than what came before. 

“I have a Realtor friend who talks about West Gulf Drive being the new Gold Coast of Sanibel, and this project is an illustration of that,” Sanibel Mayor Mike Miller said during an official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Villas on Aug. 5. The resort has been booking guests since Memorial Day. 

Miller praised the project for honoring the legacy of the original Beachview Cottages. Hurricane Ian in 2022 damaged most of the island’s beachfront properties, many of which are still being repaired or rebuilt. 

Stevens Construction built the $16 million project, developed by Sanibel Captiva Beach Resorts. Its chairman, longtime Sanibel hotelier and resident Tony Lapi, points to the Villas and other resorts under construction on West Gulf Drive as part of “the new wave that’s coming.” 

The resorts have taken longer to recover from Ian than the island’s residential properties because of larger financial commitments and more complex permitting processes, Lapi said. His own island home took about two years to fully repair. 

“That dark cloud hung over Sanibel two, three years easily,” Lapi said. “You can see from here there are a lot of new properties that are still coming out that might take another year or two.” 

Lapi is known for buying and developing ’Tween Waters Inn with his partners in 1976. While it rebounded from Ian, his company also lost Castaways Cottages and West Wind Island Resort. Beachview Villas was the first of the three to be rebuilt. 

The new Villas, which wrap around an outdoor pool, includes 10, 350-square-foot junior suites and 11, 600-square-foot one-bedroom suites. Its crown jewel is the Junonia Grand Suite, named for the prized seashell: a two-story, 2,100-square-foot, four-bedroom, four-bathroom suite with a full kitchen. 

“That is really a calling card for us because on Sanibel, if you want to rent a gulf-front home, you’re looking at a month rental,” Lapi said. “Here, because we’re in the Resort Housing District, we can rent that four-bedroom for three nights, one week, two weeks. It gives us a lot of flexibility, which nobody else has.” 

Like other Sanibel rebuilds, the Villas is more resilient to storms but is also changing the island’s skyline. 

Developments in the resort district are allowed to stand up to three stories or 37 feet above base flood elevation. Because minimum elevations along the beach vary, that allows heights of up to about 64 feet with a pitched roof, city staff said. 

The rule is designed to keep developments in line with current flood and safety regulations while maintaining the island’s small-town charm. Not everyone agrees it does that. 

“Some people see it as a negative,” said Mark Stevens of Stevens Construction. “These new properties are going to somewhat change part of the character, the visual character, of the island. But nothing is going to change the beauty of the island.” 

The Villas’ 56-foot-tall structure comes with greater resiliency. Standing well above flood-height requirements, it is secured with 275 underground pilings, Stevens said. 

“When we have another hurricane, and it’s just a matter of time, the rebuilding of these islands is really going to change the recovery time,” Stevens said. “We’re just building a lot safer, a lot smarter, a lot more energy efficient.” 

The property also uses a geothermal heating and air conditioning system that is more efficient and streamlined. It is designed to comply with code requirements that protect nesting sea turtles, with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission-approved exterior lighting. 

With its new amenities, the Villas will likely cost guests more than the former cottages. 

“That’s kind of the new wave that’s coming,” Lapi said. “But you can’t build something like this and expect to have the low rate that used to be for cottages that were depreciated out.” 

Lapi believes it will take the Villas about a year to start producing income, but the company’s ’Tween Waters property will help carry the debt service until then. 

Miller estimates about 80% of Sanibel’s resort properties are back in service since Ian. 

“This will help,” he said of the Villas. “But we still have a way to go.” 

Lapi and his wife, Angie, believe it may take another year to see the full results of Sanibel and Captiva islands’ ongoing recovery. 

“After the storm, my wife says, ‘It’ll take five years,’” Lapi recalled. “And you know what? I think she’s right.”