Andy Rosse Lane Came Back Two Different Ways This Year

"It looks the same, the feel is the same," Andreas Bieri told the Island Reporter in March. "We have not changed."

He was talking about The Mucky Duck, which reopened on March 14 after Hurricane Milton pushed in the front of the building. A few doors west, at 11508 Andy Rosse Lane, the rebuilt Captiva Island Inn opened its first five units for reservations on Sept. 18. Its builder describes it as the first newly constructed lodging to open on Captiva since Hurricane Ian. One building was put back as it stood. The other was torn down and rebuilt on concrete pilings. Both were brought back by owners who have been on the lane for years, on the same lots, and that is why the village going into the 2026–27 season feels like the Captiva people remember.

Two Ways Back on the Same Short Street

According to the Island Reporter's account, the Bieris got through Ian with about four months of cleanup and no structural damage. Helene brought another round of sand removal, and Milton arrived just as they were about to reopen. Milton took out the front windows and wall and left the roof sagging, and Sandy Bieri wrote that "we truly thought it was over."

They rebuilt in place, from the roof down through the plumbing and electrical, and added a reconfigured kitchen and new computer systems. Some of the dining room's old pieces turned up down the street after the storm, and the family saved what it could. Sandy Bieri explained why they did not raise it. The building has a historical designation, and raising it would also have meant relocating it under government rules or tearing it down for a new build. "We wanted to restore the Duck the way it was, and that was our choice," she wrote.

Captiva Island Inn went the other way on paper and ended up in a similar place. Stevens Construction demolished the storm-damaged inn and put up two elevated buildings at 11508 and 11509 Andy Rosse Lane. Together they total 8,454 square feet and stand on 208 concrete pilings. Each building has five units, and each unit has a private entrance, great room, primary bedroom, kitchenette, bathroom and front porch. The five units at 11509 are scheduled to be finished by the end of 2026. The project ran with owner Sandy Stilwell Youngquist of Stilwell Enterprises & Restaurant Group. The builder says 21 months of preconstruction identified more than $2 million in cost-saving opportunities during design "while preserving the original Captiva Island Inn charm."

So one owner kept a historic building unchanged, and the other rebuilt to new standards while keeping the old character as a design goal. Walking down Andy Rosse Lane this fall, you see the same street either way.

The Lane, Address by Address

The village core is short enough that addresses work like landmarks. Here is what each business currently lists:

Sunshine Seafood's site currently shows Friday through Monday, 5 to 9 p.m., alongside its Thursday-to-Monday schedule for October and November, so call (239) 472-6200 before planning a Thursday dinner around it. The Mucky Duck does not take reservations. Its number is 239-472-3434.

Up Captiva Drive, the other long-standing names are open too. The Bubble Room at 15001 Captiva Drive reopened in July 2025, with WINK reporting July 14 as the date, and now serves lunch and dinner daily. The Green Flash at 15183 Captiva Drive is open and taking online orders, and its site carries a 2026 Taste of the Islands award notice. Jensen's Twin Palm Marina and Cottages at 15107 Captiva Drive advertises fuel, boat rentals and cottages.

Fifty Years of One Name at 'Tween Waters

The best example of the same hands staying put is a little north of the village. In 1976, Tony Lapi arrived from Rochester, New York, and took over 'Tween Waters with a small group of partners. At the time it was a handful of cottages on a strip narrow enough to fish the Gulf and the bay on the same afternoon. The company behind it is now Sanibel Captiva Beach Resorts, formerly Rochester Resorts, and it is spending all of October marking those fifty years.

Most of the anniversary perks are for overnight guests. One is easy for a neighbor to use: buy the "Cheers to 50 Years" drinkware this month and you get a voucher for a free drink at Happy Hour at the Shipyard, with restrictions. The celebration culminates Oct. 20 with a buffet dinner for guests. The resort's dining page lists Old Captiva House, Shipyard Restaurant, Crow's Nest Steakhouse, Captiva Crust, Oasis Pool Bar, Hideaway and Captiva Coffee House, with Shipyard and Crow's Nest marked "Now Open."

The Island Calendar Runs Through the Same Addresses

Much of the fall calendar starts within a few blocks of the lane, on Andy Rosse Lane itself or on Chapin Lane, the next street over. Here are the dates set so far for October through December:

1. All of October. The 'Tween Waters fiftieth anniversary, culminating in the guest buffet on Oct. 20.
2. Sunday, Nov. 8, 11 a.m. A Sunday service listed by Captiva Chapel by the Sea, 11580 Chapin Lane.
3. Tuesdays from November. The Captiva Farmers Market opens its season at The Shops at South Seas, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and runs through May.
4. Tuesday, Nov. 17, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Captiva Island Historical Society's "Destination Boca Grande: Stories of Its Past" day trip leaves from McCarthy's Marina, 11401 Andy Rosse Lane. Reservations are required, and Nov. 18 is the rain date.
5. Nov. 19 to Dec. 16. "Depth of Field" at the Captiva Civic Association, 11550 Chapin Lane. It is an invitation-only show of award-winning artists from the CCA's "Reflections" exhibit, and the public opening reception is Thursday, Nov. 19, 5 to 7 p.m.
6. Dec. 1. Captiva Memorial Library, 11560 Chapin Lane, switches from Monday, Wednesday and Friday hours to Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., through April 30.
7. Saturday, Dec. 5. The Chamber's 40th annual Luminary Holiday Stroll comes to Captiva the night after Sanibel's, with Santa visits, a live nativity and music. It is free.

South Seas has a full holiday schedule of its own. That includes Thanksgiving service on Nov. 26 at Harborside and Beach House and a Festive program running Dec. 19 to 30, with the Resort Cart Parade, tree lighting and Holiday Marina Stroll all on Dec. 20. Its Halloween crafts on Oct. 30 and trick-or-treating on Oct. 31 are listed for registered guests and Club Captiva members, so check access on each event page before going. South Seas also notes that parts of the resort are still under construction.

Where the Gaps Still Are

Some of the island is not finished yet. The second Captiva Island Inn building at 11509 is still listed for completion by year-end, so the inn is running at half its rebuilt size through most of the fall. Captiva Cruises lists its wildlife, sunset and island-destination trips but had not posted dated departures for the season, so the dock office at 11401 is the place to ask. South Seas has its Captiva Luminary stroll at The Shops on its event page, but no date yet.

Even so, the parts of the lane that matter most are back. The Mucky Duck is open in the building it has always used, the Inn's new porches face the same street, and the dock at 11401 is where the Historical Society's Boca Grande trip leaves on Nov. 17.

Captiva's recovery happened lot by lot, so the value of a property here depends on what happened to its own building. One was restored as it stood and the next was rebuilt on pilings. Jodi Hanson follows those differences closely, and through Premier Sotheby's International Realty she presents island properties privately to buyers who already know which kind they want. If you are weighing a move on Captiva this season, start with a quiet conversation. Get Access to Our Private Listings.