Sanibel Dairy Queen–The first fast food chain eatery allowed on Sanibel Island, Fla. Paul Goldfinger photos © 2016.

Sanibel Lighthouse 2016 © The Calusa Indians were the first inhabitants of Sanibel Island about 2,500 years ago. You can still visit a shell mound there.

In 1832, Europeans arrived, and we are left with stories of pirates and Spaniards. More people came in 1862 after passage of the Homestead Act, but it was a small group , and they could reach the island only by ferry.

In 1883 the lighthouse was built, but the community remained small.

Everything changed when a causeway was built in 1963, linking the island to the mainland. After that there was “an explosion” of growth on this island paradise with amazing history, wildlife, beaches, shelling, and fishing.

The City of Sanibel was incorporated at that time, and the officials there immediately passed restrictions on development; developers…