President’s Report: May 2025
Dear Members,
Our busy season is coming to a close, and I hope that all of you enjoyed your time at the club this year. There is still plenty of good boating left for members and lessees who spend their summer in Fort Myers, and we will do our best to help you enjoy our club to the fullest. Our hot dog giveaways are scheduled for selected days during Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day weekends. After your boating day, we invite you to enjoy drinks and food in our restaurant and owners’ lounge. You can always pre-order food and beverages before your arrival, and you will have your order ready when you arrive.
As always, there is plenty to do in the summer to maintain our club for your enjoyment and safety. Here is a partial list of what will be done.
Summer Projects:
The Clubhouse and Marina summer task list is now over seven pages long. Key projects include:
- Concrete patching inside the boat barns
- Repairing and repainting wood railings
- Repairing damaged wheel stops
- Drywall ceiling repair and painting in the deli
We have a full schedule of maintenance and beautification projects to keep the team engaged through the season.
Forklift Operations:
The transmission for the old forklift has been fully rebuilt and is currently in transit. We expect it to be reinstalled and operational this week. Once it’s back in service, we’ll begin addressing the backlog of maintenance needs on the other two lifts.
Dredging Project:
As you know, both of the October Hurricanes, Helene and Milton, caused considerable damage to our club, including sand blockage just outside the entrance to our marina basin. This has caused issues with ingress and egress to the club at low tide. We have tried to get government funds to dredge the entrance, but have not yet succeeded. One significant issue with dredging is the staggering number of permits that are needed to dredge. We are approximately 1–2 weeks away from receiving the bathymetric survey on water depths. Once that is complete, we will begin the formal permitting process. We also had a productive meeting with the General Manager of the Sanibel Harbor Resort. They are moving forward with a full rebuild of their dock, and the Princess is being refurbished and will return once the dock is complete. We encouraged them to join our dredging permit, especially given the shallow depths behind the Princess area, which affects both facilities. We think that there is little chance that Marriott will contribute financially to the dredge, but we will see what happens.
Water Leak Repair:
We have had a severe water leak, and finding the source was quite a project. We’ve located the source beneath the pavers near the fuel dock. This area sees limited use, mainly for rinsing hoses. For now, we’ve turned off the water to that section. Later this summer, we will reroute the supply from another line to restore water access to the area.
Hurricane Preparedness:
We have taken every precaution to protect our property and its contents from Hurricanes. We’ve nearly completed our hurricane readiness upgrades. Attached is a photo showing the newly designed and powder-coated platforms for the gate control boxes. These platforms elevate the units and will help them withstand Hurricane Milton-level events. The only remaining hurricane prep item involves raising the water booster pumps, similar to what we did for the gate controls. Once completed, all vital systems will be elevated 24”.
Special Assessment Update:
As of today, we have collected 50% of the special assessment. To date, $530,000 has been paid toward our outstanding loan with SanCap Bank. Once we receive an additional $350,000 in assessment funds, we will proceed with the next scheduled wire transfer.
Employees of the month for April and May:
April Employee of the Month- Fidel Prado Nunez Fidel is a key employee who has been with us for 9 years. He has received the Employee of the Year Award twice. He is a multi-talented individual who performs many essential duties at the club and assists in training new employees.
May Employee of the Month- Ariel Prado Perez Ariel joined our boat washing team in September 2023 and has consistently excelled in his role. His work is always thorough and dependable, and he has proven to be a valuable addition to our team. We’re grateful for his continued dedication and contributions as he approaches his twoyear anniversary with us.
It is hard to believe, but we are less than a year away from our 20th anniversary of operations at SHYC. As an original slip owner, I have seen many good and some bad times over the years. With the horror of the last 3 years behind us, we will do our best to see the good times continue.
We have excellent management under GM Chad Edmonds and his talented staff. Three management team members have been with us for over 18 years, and collectively, our management team has over 80 years of experience at the club. In addition, we have hard-working employees and a dedicated Board of Directors, whose only agenda is to maintain our club as a prosperous 5-Star Yacht Club with a member-first agenda for all. Please feel free to contact me at any time with questions or concerns.
Peter Mazzagatti, President
Sanibel Harbour Yacht Club
pmazzagatti@comcast.net
239-470-9577
