The Shalimar Beach Resort on Sanibel Island has reopened after being rebuilt following its destruction by Hurricane Ian.
A Sanibel golf club, known for rare crocodile sightings, was sold for $5.6 million to a South Florida-based management group.
Nordstrom Rack is hosting pre-opening shopping parties this week ahead of its official debut at Coconut Point in Estero.
With the third anniversary of Hurricane Ian this past weekend, another reopening as Southwest Florida reconstruction keeps rocking on in a big way.
And while soft openings have become common place for new stores, a major chain is trying something different this week as it marks its newest arrival to the region.
Here’s what to know about those, the sale of a golf club and a monster Collier government land purchase.
Another Southwest Florida rebirth after Hurricane Ian demolition
When work began last year on the 52,207-square-foot Shalimar Beach complex, it was the first ground-up resort to begin construction on Sanibel after 2022’s Ian, according to builders, Stevens Construction.
Now 18 months later, the Stevens effort is complete, allowing for the rebirth as guests began staying over the weekend, the third anniversary of Ian striking the island on Sept. 28, 2022.
When did Shalimar Beach Resort open on SWFL’s Sanibel Island?
Established in 1959, the 33-unit Shalimar Beach Resort includes a 27,334-square-foot, two-story building with 21, one-bedroom units situated over parking. The resort includes a 6,032-square-foot, two-story fourplex building with two, one-bedroom units and two, two-bedroom units over covered parking. In addition, Stevens constructed four duplex buildings with one-bedroom cottages plus there’s an office manager’s suite. All above parking.
The West Gulf Drive amenities include a saltwater beachfront pool, rooftop terrace, laundry facilities and a boardwalk to the gulf.
What was the Shalimar Beach Resort like 66 years ago in Florida?
When it first emerged 66 years ago, the small family-run business began as a modest collection of flat-roofed cottages arranged around a central pool, according to state tourism records and hotel documents.
The layout and architecture reflected the “old Florida” style that was emerging across Sanibel at the time — simple, low-slung buildings designed to embrace the coastal breeze and casual lifestyle.
How did Shalimar Beach Resort evolve in 1970s in SW Florida?
In the early 1970s, the property was acquired by the Dodrill family, who expanded the resort with the addition of a two-story, 20-room motel. Positioned closer to the shoreline than any other building on the island, the motel became a defining feature of the property and remained in place for more than two generations.
In 1986, the original cottages were updated with sloped roofs and new siding, and eight years later, the resort was passed down to David Dodrill, the eldest son of Rufus and Violet Dodrill, continuing the family’s stewardship of the property.
What did Hurricane Charley do to Sanibel Island resort in SWFL?
Shalimar weathered many storms over the decades, but Hurricane Charley in August 2004 proved especially destructive. With sustained winds near 150 mph and a storm surge reaching 7 feet, the resort suffered significant damage.
The motel building lost most of its roof and was gutted to its skeletal frame before being rebuilt while the resort’s popular Gulf Front Cottage 7 was knocked off its foundation and had to be carefully repositioned with the help of a crane.
What Illinois couple purchased Shalimar Beach Resort in Florida?
Familiar with the property for nearly three decades, Chester and Nancy Niesel of Illinois purchased Shalimar in 2005. Under their ownership, the resort saw a new wave of improvements, including island-themed interiors as they continued greeting the generations of families who returned year after year to make new memories — something they experienced firsthand with their own grandchildren.
That legacy was tested again in 2022, when Shalimar was swept up in a 17-foot storm surge. Every building was washed away, and cottage roofs could be seen scattered down the length of West Gulf Drive in the following days. With a goal to withstand future storms, the goal for the new elevated structures designed by Joyce Owen Architects is to withstand future storms.
What percent of Sanibel-Captiva hotel rooms are back after Ian?
“By the end of the year we will have over 76% of our hotel rooms returned to inventory, and just over 70% of our restaurant seats back in business,” said John Lai, Sanibel and Captiva Chamber of Commerce CEO, who spoke at a Friday event marking the occasion. “These numbers work for the volume of visitors and residents that have returned, and the beauty of this is that we expect supply to increase with demand each year.
“There are several retail stores and restaurants that have yet to be rebuilt or reopened across the islands but will, and several that likely won’t due for a variety of reasons. (We) have come a very long way in our physical recovery but it’s the way that our flora and fauna have returned that reminds us that as hard as it is to rebuild this piece of paradise the right way, it’s worth it.”
What Sanibel club where crocodiles were spotted was purchased?
That return occurred as another previously Ian-bashed Sanibel compound was part of a $5.6 million purchase this past week by an LLC tied to XUDE Hospitality, a South Florida-based golf course management group.
The Sanibel Island Golf Club, 1100 Par View Drive, joins a portfolio of dozens of national and international operations across the country that XUDE has owned or managed including Riviera Golf Club in Naples, Paradise Golf Club in Arcadia and The Preserve Golf Club in Bradenton. Dating to 1975, the club was previously known as the Beachview, and it’s where my colleagues Andrew West and Chad Gillis reported earlier this year there have been rare crocodile sightings.
When does Nordstrom Rack open in Coconut Point in Estero?
As In the Know previously revealed, Nordstrom Rack has scheduled to make its official debut at Coconut Point in Estero on Oct. 2. It opens at 9 a.m. but the pomp and circumstance pops up an hour earlier.
And we’re always reminding you that businesses will quietly attempt soft openings to give their crews some real-life work experiences before the masses swarm.
What national chain holds ‘pre-opening shopping parties?’
But the chain has been doing a different take on the concept with its many openings recently as the chain continues in expansion mode for this particular brand that promotes lower pricing for its products.
It’s been holding pre-opening shopping parties, and Estero isn’t the exception.
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When is a pre-opening shopping party planned in Estero, Florida?
Two such gatherings are planned this week, but with space limited ― according to the honchos ― you have to RSVP for you and up to two of your guests at nordstromrsvp.com/Estero or you can also get there through its Facebook site.
The times: Tuesday, 4 to 6 p.m. or 6 to 8 p.m. at 8020 Mediterranean Drive.
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How many acres & how much did Collier spend on big purchase?
It’s a deal that’s been in the making for awhile now that we first told you about a few years ago.
Now, it just became official: LSI Companies brokered a 2,250-acre agricultural property in Immokalee for $20.8 million purchase by Collier County government.
How much of Lake Trafford Road property slated for conservation?
The Lake Trafford Road property had been managed by Diane R. Williams, Carrie E. Williams and a non-exempt estate tax sheltered trust named after James E. Williams Jr. Preserve, the founder in the 1950s of Williams Farms, which has been passed through the generations.
Plans are still being shaped but goals for the property include conservation, affordable housing, parks and recreation, stormwater management and economic development. Besides soccer enthusiasts having an eye on it, it’s also been talked about for the use of a fire station, Collier officials said. Trying to acquire the land for about a decade, the county’s aim would be to conserve about half of it.
What did it take for Collier County to make monster purchase?
The County Commission approved making a deal in 2024, and my colleague Laura Layden says it came close to falling apart several times since then.
Over time, pricing has been among the concerns, and also the potential level of contamination related to farming and other issues. Recently revised terms allowed the sale as a top Collier government land purchase to go through when the county received a clean bill of health for the site, verified by lab results and a report by the sellers’ environmental consultants.