Madisyn Blanton From Lemon Bay High School in Englewood Scored A Two Year College Scholarship

Tonight, Farah & Farah, one of the leading law firms in Florida, will present their third annual Empowering Greatness Scholarship to Madisyn Blanton. Madisyn goes to Lemon Bay High School in Englewood.

Madisyn Blanton is one of the five winners of the program that will receive a scholarship covering two full years worth of tuition. The five winner's scholarships totaling $50,000. Scholarship recipients were selected based on financial considerations, academic performance, dedicated community engagement, and an essay or video submission about how they overcame the obstacles caused by the pandemic. The scholarship money can be used to pay for tuition, registration fees, and local fees for 60 lower-division credit hours at any of Florida’s public colleges or universities.

Madisyn is a member of the National Honors Society and the National Society of High School Scholars. Additionally, she plans to major in psychology before attending law school and pursuing her dream of becoming a criminal prosecutor.

Farah & Farah will present the scholarship on Monday, May 8, at 7:00 pm at Lemon Bay High School’s auditorium in Englewood, Florida.

Congratulations Madisyn!

Businesses That Have Reopened On Sanibel And Captiva Since Hurricane Ian

When Hurricane Ian hit SWFL Florida in September, Sanibel and Captiva were devastated, but businesses are starting to reopen on the islands.

I love supporting local businesses and I think now more than ever they need our help. It's so sad to see what the storm did to our islands. While it'll take a long time for things to look like they did pre-Ian, I love to see businesses starting to get back on their feet. We live in paradise, so whatever we can do to support our local economy is important.

I've been spending my weekends either at Fort Myers Beach or Sanibel and it makes me so happy to see so many people out enjoying the beach. Almost like nothing ever happened. Also great to see some new things have opened or relocated and even some make-shift bars and ice cream stands (on Fort Myers Beach) set up.

If you want to go out to the islands, whether it's for a staycation, a beach day, or to grab a bite to eat, you have options! SanCap Chamber put together a list of the businesses that have reopened on Sanibel and Captiva. You can check out the full list here, but below we'll have restaurants, lodging, shopping and fun things to do.

Businesses that have reopened on Sanibel & Captiva:

Island Inn

3111 W Gulf Dr

Tween Waters Island Resort and Spa

15951 Captiva Dr

Jensen’s “On the Gulf"

15300 Captiva Dr

Rachel Pierce Art Gallery and Market

1500 Periwinkle Way

Nannys of Sanibel

1700 Periwinkle Way

The Island Store

11500 Andy Rosse Lane

Whitney’s Bait and Tackle

1554 Periwinkle Way

Jungle Drums

11532 Andy Rosse Lane

Traders

1551 Periwinkle Dr

Cielo Restaurant

1244 Periwinkle Way

Jerry's Food

1700 Periwinkle Way

Sanibel Deli and Coffee

2330 Palm Ridge Road

The Shack

1219 Periwinkle Way

Sanibel Grill

703 Tarpon Bay Road

https://thesanibelgrill.com/

Mudbugs

1473 Periwinkle Way

Blue Giraffe Food Truck

2075 Periwinkle Way

Captiva Island Pizza

11513 Andy Rosse Lane

Tutti Pazzi

1200 Periwinkle Way

Timbers

703 Tarpon Bay Road

New Wave Eco Charters