North Captiva Island is an
island in
Lee County in
Southwest Florida, located just offshore in the
Gulf of Mexico. It lies just north of
Captiva Island, separated by a channel called
Redfish Pass
Redfish Pass is a strait in Florida that connects Pine Island Sound with the Gulf of Mexico. It also separates Captiva Island on the south from North Captiva Island
North Captiva Island is an island in Lee County in Southwest Florida, located j ...
which was created in
a 1921 hurricane. It lies just south of
Cayo Costa Island
Cayo or cayó may refer to:
* ''Cayo'' (film), a 2005 Puerto Rican film starring Roselyn Sánchez
* Cayo District, a district in the west of the nation of Belize
** San Ignacio, Belize, a town in the Cayo District (originally named "El Cayo")
* C ...
, separated by
Captiva Pass.
Like Captiva and
Sanibel Islands, North Captiva is a
barrier island to
Pine Island (to the east of Captiva and north of Sanibel), and is very narrow. There is no automobile access to the island and
electric golf cart
A golf cart (alternatively known as a golf buggy or golf car) is a small motorized vehicle designed originally to carry two golfers and their golf clubs around a golf course with less effort than walking. Over time, variants were introduced t ...
s are the primary means of transport.
Development
Development of the island began in the 1960s, but was slow due to the absence of electric service and the difficulty on transporting building materials to the island. Commercial electric and phone service was established in the mid 1980s. The island ''Upper Captiva'' community has about 300 homes built and 300 vacant lots. About half of the island is owned by the State of Florida and is part of a state park. All other areas are privately owned including the roads. Since the island can be accessed by boat or small plane only, a regular passenger ferry service runs from Pine Island Marina at two-hour intervals, serving both tourists and locals. There is also a barging service that transports materials to and garbage from the island.
Hurricanes
The island was damaged in August 2004 when the eastern
eyewall of
Hurricane Charley
Hurricane Charley was the first of four separate hurricanes to impact or strike Florida during 2004, along with Hurricane Frances, Frances, Hurricane Ivan, Ivan and Hurricane Jeanne, Jeanne, as well as one of the strongest hurricanes ever to ...
struck North Captiva, immediately before hitting
Charlotte Harbor to the north-northeast. The southern part of the island was divided from the north. Although it took several years, the island has mostly recovered from the hurricane damage and new construction is ongoing.
Hurricane Ian made landfall on North Captiva Island on September 28th, 2022 with wind speeds of 150 mph.
References
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Gulf Coast barrier islands of Florida
Beaches of Lee County, Florida
Beaches of Florida
Islands of Florida
Islands of Lee County, Florida
Captiva Island