{"id":285054,"date":"2026-05-26T18:58:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T18:58:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/285054\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T18:58:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T18:58:14","slug":"citys-annual-storm-seminar-to-feature-panel-of-local-experts-sanibel-captiva","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/285054\/","title":{"rendered":"City\u2019s annual storm seminar to feature panel of local experts – SANIBEL-CAPTIVA"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n
\n
\n \/News
\n
\n <\/a>
\n
\n
\n <\/p>\n

1 \/ 2<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

2 \/ 2<\/p>\n


\n <\/a>
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

[expand]<\/p>\n

close
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n <\/p>\n

The community encouraged to attend an island event in preparation for this year\u2019s storm season.<\/p>\n

The city of Sanibel will host its 2026 Hurricane Seminar on May 29 from 1 to 3 p.m. at BIG ARTS on Sanibel. Free and open to the public, it will be an informative event featuring a panel of speakers.<\/p>\n

Storm season is recognized as June 1 through Nov. 30.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea behind it is for new folks who haven\u2019t experienced a hurricane, so we can at least get them thinking about their own family emergency plan,\u201d Sanibel Police Department Police Chief William \u201cBill\u201d Dalton said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s always worth it for folks who are experienced as well because any single tip might be helpful to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The panel will share with residents, business owners and island workers the city\u2019s plan for the storm season, hurricane preparedness and family emergency planning, special needs issues, post-storm recovery plans, and more.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s kind of the local area, not just island officials,\u201d he said of the speakers.<\/p>\n

City departments, the Sanibel Fire and Rescue District and FISH of Sanibel-Captiva will be joined by a regional news meteorologist, Lee County Emergency Management official and LCEC representative.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s panel will include:<\/p>\n

\u2013 Sanibel Fire Chief Kevin Barbot, who will discuss the district\u2019s roles and responsibilities during a hurricane, including first responders\u2019 search-and-rescue efforts<\/p>\n

\u2013 Dalton, who will talk about the city\u2019s hurricane reentry pass program for Sanibel and Captiva, how evacuation and reentry works, and what the agency does at the start of the recovery process<\/p>\n

\u2013 LCEC Key Account Executive Tricia Dorn, who will speak about the LCEC hurricane restoration efforts and ways that members can prepare for and stay safe before a storm<\/p>\n

\u2013 FISH Executive Director Maria Espinosa, who will talk about the services and assistance that it provides, like helping people with special needs register with the county as special needs<\/p>\n

\u2013 Sanibel Public Works Department Director Fred Mittl, who will speak on what staff does before a storm and any post-storm efforts that may be needed, such as clearing roads and debris clean up<\/p>\n

\u2013 Sanibel Building Department Director and Building Official Craig Mol\u00e9, who will discuss the building Codes and provide related flood information, to include the specific flood zones<\/p>\n

\u2013 Lee County Emergency Management Public Safety Chief John Schultz, who will speak on the county\u2019s role in the broader sense \u2014 as the islands are also part of Lee County \u2014 what the county does, and the assistance and services that it provides, such as storm shelters<\/p>\n

\u2013 WINK News meteorologist Andrew Shipotofsky, who will discuss how hurricanes form, past storms that have hit the area, how weather experts track hurricanes, and how storms are predicted<\/p>\n

The islands are invited to come out.<\/p>\n

\u201cPreparation is important when it comes to hurricanes,\u201d Dalton said. \u201cPrepare for the worst and hope for the best \u2014 and prepare early.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those unable to attend can watch the livestream on the city\u2019s Facebook page.<\/p>\n

For more information or questions, call 239-472-4135.<\/p>\n

BIG ARTS is at 900 Dunlop Road, Sanibel.<\/p>\n

\u2026..<\/p>\n

IF YOU GO<\/p>\n

What<\/p>\n

Annual Hurricane Seminar<\/p>\n

Who<\/p>\n

City of Sanibel<\/p>\n

When<\/p>\n

May 29 from 1 to 3 p.m.<\/p>\n

Where<\/p>\n

BIG ARTS, 900 Dunlop Road, Sanibel<\/p>\n

Details<\/p>\n

Free and open to public<\/p>\n


\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \/News 1 \/ 2 2 \/ 2 [expand] close…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":285055,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":["post-285054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285054","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=285054"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285054\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/285055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=285054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=285054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=285054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}