Honestly, Sanibel is a nice place to visit, but I don't think I would want to live there. We were actually looking over real estate guides while we were there, and I get the impression that the deed restrictions would really get on my nerves. I read an article about someone wanting to make a minor change to their dock, and the number of hoops they were required to jump through was ridiculous.
We did pick up some books on the history of the island, and that is all pretty interesting. At one time land was just given away there, with the requirement that the new owners had to live and work the land for at least 5 years to be able to retain ownership. Life was pretty harsh, so many people could not fulfill that obligation. Mosquitoes used to be so thick that they would actually block all airflow through the screened windows and doors. Sanibel used to be mostly farm land until a couple of hurricanes inundated the island and the salt water ruined the soil for farming.
One thing you can't help but think of driving around and looking at the island now, is that sooner or later some hurricane is surely going to destroy a lot of very expensive homes.
__________________
|