How to Beat the Heat and Enjoy a Florida Summer

It’s no secret; Florida is hot.

Seasonal Florida lovers and diehard and lifelong locals are certain to agree that the sunshine state lives up to its nickname.

This could be a real solids reason to avoid the dead center of Florida during the first week of July if you can manage to wrangle the kids’ enthusiasm away from Frozen and Magic Kingdom.

While Florida is definitely hot, the same claim to fame doesn’t quite hold up when you hit Florida’s fringes. If you want to escape the Florida summer and beat the heat, you might find some solace (and relief) when you head to the Sanibel beaches. Our Sanibel properties for sale offer some much-needed summer respite. So whether you are thinking full-time or seasonal, Sanibel Island is a breezy blast of a place to settle.

Sanibel Island is surrounded by water making it cooler

What makes Sanibel a Little Cooler?

Sanibel Island may be in Florida, and it may get hot, but it has something many other locations simply don’t, it has the water at its back step.

The Gulf of Mexico lines up along the western side of Sanibel and Captiva Islands. Now many other Florida towns and cities rest up against large bodies of water, including the Atlantic Ocean. What makes Sanibel different?

Sanibel is an island, of course, and it is surrounded on all sides by glorious open water. The breeze carries over the whole island from both sides, cooling the entire area down tremendously. Captiva sits just north of Sanibel, and it benefits immensely from being such a thin strip of land between two massive bodies of water. If you stand on a rock anywhere on the island, you can likely see the water from all sides.

Sanibel and Captiva are twins. Almost all our Captiva Island homes for sales sit right on the water, and they get the same endearing and calming gulf breeze.

Now all this is not to say that Sanibel Island is exactly cool during the summer. It definitely can get hot, especially if you settle directly under the sun for an extended period of time. But it is not necessarily hotter than anywhere else in the summer. It is certainly much better than the flat areas of Florida’s interior, where gulf breezes are nowhere to be found and urban sprawls and concrete jungles make up the majority of the streets. The Sanibel and Captiva Island cottages are designed to accommodate the heat.

Sunset over Bowman's beach in Sanibel Island

Traffic and a Little Quiet

Speaking or urban sprawls and big Florida cities, there is another reason why Sanibel is a bit cooler. It lacks the big buildings and traffic congestion of many larger places in Florida. Thick traffic and tall buildings are a breeding ground for heat. You can wiz around the island at a comfy and breezy 35 miles per hour, with only a few traffic lights holding you up. Captive Island is equally as non-congested. You can get to our Captiva Island real estate from Sanibel in no time.

What is the average temperature?

The average summer temperatures hover around the low 90’s. Compare this to areas like Orlando and Tampa, and it is often a 10-degree difference. The temperatures vary from around 85 to 90 during the season, where evening lows in the ’70s are common.

The spring season brings average temperatures in the low 80’s- ideal for anyone who wants to spend the spring-summer combination on a Florida island.

So overall, what can you expect from a typical Sanibel spring or summer?

You can expect mild numbers of beachgoers on the smooth sands year-round. You can expect light traffic and cool cottage-styled restaurants. You can expect a community in love with living the island life.

Overall, these reasons and many others make Sanibel Island real estate in “hot” demand. Contact our team for any further questions about the best locations, typical home prices, mortgage planning, things to do, and more. We can help guide you through the available Sanibel Island homes for sale so you can enjoy that year-round miraculous weather for yourself.