TAMPA, Fla. — The images of Hurricane Ian’s aftermath show evidence of Florida’s increasingly dense development — flattened beach communities, boats heaved into piles, mobile homes scattered like toys.
But one of the most riveting early signs of the devastation came from a place with deep connections to a movement that has worked to keep bulldozers away from the state’s natural treasures.
Before dawn on Thursday, the Tampa Bay Times reported that Ian had wiped away parts of Sanibel Causeway, the only link between the mainland and Sanibel Island. Later, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that the island itself had suffered “biblical” destruction.
