The Sanibel Lighthouse was finally re-lit on February 28 — five months after the damage and devastation from Hurricane Ian! The lighthouse lost a leg during the storm, but it was found later in 3 pieces. However, the two adjacent houses and the oil house were swept out to sea. Those structures had withstood every storm for 138 years until September 28, 2022. The City of Sanibel owns the lighthouse, but the Coast Guard still operates the light. MORE HISTORY: The Sanibel Island Light or Point Ybel Light was one of the first lighthouses on Florida's Gulf coast north of Key West and the Dry Tortugas. The light, 98-foot above sea level, on an iron skeleton tower was first lit on August 20, 1884 and has a central spiral staircase beginning about 10 feet above the ground. It is located on the eastern tip of Sanibel Island, and was built to mark the entrance to San Carlos Bay for ships calling at the port of Punta Rassa, across San Carlos Bay from Sanibel Island. The grounds are open to the ...