The Lighthouses Don’t Go Dark
By Sue Clark on Jan 12, 2008 in Opinion 
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Misinformation In Sanibel Story
A story appeared in the Fort Meyers Florida Weekly recently, that seems to imply the Sanibel lighthouse beacon is on a fast track to being extinguished. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The story featured an interview with a long-time resident who used to play at the lighthouse, Sam Bailey, who voiced fears that the Coast Guard would let the light be “slowly extinguished.” Not so. According to the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act, the lighthouse might be transferred to a non-profit group or municipality willing to take care of it, but the light itself always remains under the care of the Coast Guard. If the light is decommissioned, that is, made inactive, then the new owners can always apply to maintain the light as a Private Aid to Navigation. So no fears of its going dark anytime soon. And as one member of the Florida Lighthouse Association, author Karen Morris, said in the story, “there’s no shortage of money on Sanibel Island.” She also states, “If the community cares about it enough, they’ll keep it lit. If people don’t support it now, that light is in danger of being put out. We’re going to lose a piece of history if people don’t write in and say we need it, we love it, we want to keep it.”
Coast Guard Doesn’t Know About the Light
One other interesting item in the story was that the local Coast Guard allegedly doesn’t know the Sanibel Lighthouse exists. A quote from the story:
Gates Castle, public works director for the City of Sanibel, said the Coast Guard declared it an “excess property,” which means it is something they no longer need. Although they may no longer need it, they still control it. But members of the Coast Guard in Fort Myers and St. Petersburg contacted last week said they don’t use the lighthouse, and were not aware it existed; others were out of the office or didn’t return calls before press time. Bailey said he’s not sure who there knows about it, that he’s lost touch with them.
“They change command like I change my underwear,” he said.
Well, the Coast Guard certainly knows about it. It’s listed in the Light List for District 7 (PDF file). It’s too bad Mr. Bailey hasn’t contacted the proper people, but not all Coast Guard units are involved with maintaining adis to navigation. Perhaps he spoke with someone just there to answer the telephones.
The Plight of Lighthouses Needs Publicity
While it’s always good to see a story calling attention to our crumbling beacons, it behooves the reporter to get the facts straight. And it doesn’t seem this one did any checking, just took the word of a few people. If Sanibel is indeed going onto the excessed list, I hope the next story about it is more accurate and that the residents of Sanibel Island dig into their pockets to help save it. And not read
Bailey said someone, anyone, needs to step in and make a rock solid plan for the lighthouse’s future. “Someone’s not going to support something if they’re not sure if it’s gonna exist or not,” he said.
Absolutely. However, saying something may not exist in that manner doesn’t help. Let’s hope Sanibellians get their ducks lined up now to make needed repairs to the light. After all, since they’re leasing it from the Coast Guard, they’ll need to show they’re good stewards when the light does transfer.
Photo Credit: Sanibel Lighthouse by Mikenpet on Flickr (Creative Commons)
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