Bahama Shutters on Sanibel Island, FL
The simplest thing we sell, on the harshest environment we work in. There is no
motor, no track, no wheels and nothing to seize — which on a barrier island is most of the
argument.
Nothing to go wrong
A Bahama shutter is a louvered panel hinged at the head and
propped out over the window. Count the moving parts: a hinge and a prop.
Compare that with a motorized system living in salt air, and the appeal on Sanibel is obvious.
It is not that powered products fail here — ours do not, and a roll down spends most of the
year inside its housing. It is that a Bahama has almost nothing that salt can take away from it, and
on a house that stands empty for months at a time that simplicity is worth real money.
It belongs to the island’s architecture
Sanibel’s building character is cottage, louvre, deep overhang and shade — and the city
reviews exterior alterations more carefully than anywhere else in the county. A Bahama reads as part
of that language rather than as hardware added to it, which is generally the shortest path through
review for a storm product on this island.
What it does the rest of the year
- Permanent shade across the glass it covers, every day, on the Gulf-facing side where it matters
most - Flooring, furniture and art on that elevation stop fading
- The room behind runs measurably cooler through the afternoon
- Daytime privacy on a window facing a lane or a neighbour
Rated or decorative — ask
A great deal of what is sold as a Bahama shutter in Florida is purely decorative with no approval
behind it. That is a fine purchase if shade is what you want, but it is not opening protection and
a building department will not treat it as such. We will tell you which one is in your quote. We
supply and install Bahamas; unlike our accordions and roll downs they are not built in our shop.
Sanibel permits its own work, strictly
The City of Sanibel runs its own building department and the island is known for holding a tighter line than anywhere else in the county — on what may be attached to a building, on vegetation, and on lighting. Anything fixed to an exterior wall is reviewed properly rather than waved through. We specify to that rather than submitting and hoping. Permitting is handled as part of the job.
Talk to us about Bahama shutters on Sanibel
Tell us what you are looking at and someone from our team will call you the same business day. We go through it on the phone first — your openings, the products that actually fit, what is involved — and if it is a fit we come out and put a written quote in your hand. No charge and no obligation.
Questions we get asked
Why recommend these on an island?
Because there is almost nothing on them for salt to attack – a hinge and a prop. On a house that sits empty for months, simplicity is worth a great deal.
Will the city approve them?
They generally sit better with Sanibel’s review than anything else we sell, because louvred shade devices are part of the island’s building character rather than an addition to it.
Are they real protection?
When specified and permitted as a rated unit, yes, on the opening they cover. Decorative Bahamas carry no approval at all and the two look very similar.
More questions? Our full hurricane shutter & screen FAQ covers products, service, permitting and financing.
More in Sanibel: accordion shutters · Bahama shutters · roll down shutters · storm panels · roll down screens · impact windows · everything we do in Sanibel
Florida Screen & Shutter, LLC · 883 NE 27th Ln #5, Cape Coral, FL 33909 · (239) 409-0426
License #SCC131152867 · Fully Licensed & Insured Florida Contractor · MagnaTrack President’s Club, #6 in the country, 2025