Sanibel Island condo reconstruction project set to start

A new construction project is about to begin on Sanibel Island.

Benchmark General Contractors has announced that it will break ground next month on a 14-unit condominium building at 527 E. Gulf Drive. The building, Gulf Beach Condominium, is a reconstruction of the previous community, which suffered catastrophic damage during Hurricane Ian in 2022.

The new 28,5842-square-foot building will be three floors, with two stories above a first-floor parking garage. It will include a pool and a dune crossover ramp, providing direct beach access for residents.

Benchmark says the new building will be in compliance with current flood regulations and new resilient building codes.

The groundbreaking is set for Aug. 31, and construction is expected to be complete by October 2027.

According to Benchmark, the Gulf Beach Condominium Association awarded it the contract for the rebuild in April. The project is expected to cost $6.5 million.

“This project is a reflection of how far Sanibel has come since Hurricane Ian, and how much further this community is determined to go,” Benchmark’s President Brad Nickel says in a statement.

Sanibel, along with neighbors Captiva and Fort Myers Beach, suffered extensive damage when Ian made landfall on the Southwest Florida localities Sept. 28, 2022.

As the four-year anniversary approaches, there is a significant amount of work underway as the area continues to rebuild. While the progress is slower than some may like, it is a vast improvement from the months after the storm, when entire blocks were flattened, and people were struggling just to make sense of what happened.

Fort Myers-based Benchmark, in the statement, says it has worked on several multifamily residential projects in the years since.

Among the developments it has worked on are By the Sea Condominium, Captiva Shores Condominiums, Riverview Apartments, Kimble Lodge Condominiums, Island Inn Resort and Sunset Beach Resort.