Sanibel steering committee sets virtual workshop for July 23, delays substantive plan steps until data are synthesized

The Sustainable Plan Update Steering Committee on July 15 confirmed a virtual public workshop for July 23 and asked staff to prioritize outreach to raise RSVPs and public participation.

Paula McMichael, the city’s planning director, told the committee the July 23 session will use Zoom and mirror the format of a prior in-person workshop. "You should have seen the invite that went out via the Constant Contact. So people need to RSVP via that link," McMichael said, adding the workshop will include separate breakout discussions on resiliency, land use and transportation.

Consultant Jim Hickey of Calvin Duetown Associates said the virtual session is meant to capture seasonal residents who were not at the June 3 meeting and that staff can repeat sessions if signups exceed moderator capacity. "We're just gonna use the Zoom format... we'll go by resiliency, land use, and transportation," Hickey said.

Why it matters: Committee members said low RSVP counts could mean the city is reaching those who want to be heard but also urged more proactive publicity. Members recommended including links to the prior meeting’s summary and PowerPoint on flyers and the RSVP page and suggested local newspapers and neighborhood associations help promote the event.

What the committee decided: Members agreed to hold the July 23 virtual workshop with an RSVP requirement to receive the link. They discussed using a token-based public exercise during later workshops—a simulated budget where participants allocate tokens to priorities—and asked staff to synthesize the current data and return with recommended engagement adjustments. The committee also signaled a preference to present the updated plan to the planning commission in January and city council in February to maximize resident availability.

Next steps: Staff will continue compiling and analyzing public feedback and the consultant said the team may delay the next full committee meeting from August to September to ensure results are ready for review. A committee member volunteered to review outreach materials before distribution.