Theft, burglary crimes skyrocket in Sanibel since Hurricane Ian, data shows

A surge in burglary and theft incidents on Sanibel since Hurricane Ian has led city officials to report more than a 600% increase in these types of crimes.

"Well, it was a very unique time," Sanibel Police Chief William Dalton told The News-Press. "And for the first I'd say maybe two months after the storm, we had literally thousands of laborers come out each day and they were remediating some houses."

Dalton said they caught workers who burglarized the houses next door or "even the same house that they were working on." He added that houses were compromised, including blown out walls.

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The report, released by City Manager Dana Souza and dated April 20, shows an increase of 91% in the overall number of federally reportable crimes in 2022 compared to 2021. The majority of those happened since Hurricane Ian's devastation on the island.

Sanibel Island was one of Southwest Florida's worst-hit areas during the storm, which damaged every home on the island, officials said.

The Sanibel Causeway, which connects Sanibel with the rest of Lee County, remained closed between Sept. 28 and Oct. 11, 2022.

The 3-mile causeway, which includes islands and over-water spans, was battered and broken by Hurricane Ian in three places. The city then imposed a curfew between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., which they removed Jan. 2.

When Ian hit, and through late January, Sanibel received help from law enforcement agencies statewide.

The city released the numbers to the public in a citywide email May 17.

City officials say the increase is linked to reported crimes following Hurricane Ian, adding that 64% of crimes occurred between Sept. 28, when the storm made landfall on Southwest Florida, and the end of the year.

The report further shows a 610% increase in reported burglaries to 64 in 2022 from nine in 2021. Fifty-six, or 88% of burglaries happened between Sept. 28 and the end of 2022, the city says, as well as a 64% increase in thefts from 44 in 2021. 

Of those, 35 reported thefts, or 49%, happened between Sept. 28 and the end of the year.

"A person could just walk right in," Dalton said. "It looks like everybody was a laborer, but we feel that a good number of them were laborers at one location and probably burglars at an adjacent location."

Other data shows Sanibel experienced a significant reduction in assaults to three in 2022 from 20 in 2021, representing an 85% decrease, and vehicle thefts went from two in 2021 to three in 2022.

The total non-federally reportable crimes, which include trespassing, drug violations, drunken or impaired driving, criminal traffic violations, criminal mischief and harassment decreased to 898 in 2022 from 910 in 2021, a 1% decrease.

Dalton said the numbers improved as the island returned to a level of normalcy.

The city recorded 103 arrests in 2022, a 5% increase compared to the 98 arrests reported the year prior.

Dalton said they have a hurricane reentry program where they vet everyone coming in, residents or contractors. He added they're going to survey residents and find out whether they want to make that more secure.

"We certainly have more experience," Dalton said. "Living through this storm was different than any one that we've had in the last 29 years that I've been here."

Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Twitter @TomasFRoBeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews.