Sanibel's Bridgit Budd's new book offers rare, first-hand views of Hurricane Ian's aftermath

Amy Bennett Williams, Fort Myers News-Press
·2 min read
Bridgit Stone-Budd stops to check her messages while riding her bike on Sanibel Island on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. Budd, who owns The Pecking Order restaurant, stayed on the island during the storm and has been checking on homes for her friends.
Bridgit Stone-Budd stops to check her messages while riding her bike on Sanibel Island on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. Budd, who owns The Pecking Order restaurant, stayed on the island during the storm and has been checking on homes for her friends.

Sure, I called Bridgit Budd a force of nature before, but I meant it and I'm sticking to it. You may remember her from The Pecking Order, famous for its classic broasted chicken and to-die-for pies. Or before that, from the Redfish Blufish restaurants on Sanibel and Captiva. Or her seven years at the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce. (Not to mention her longtime philanthropy for Haiti.)

Then consider what this Sanibel woman has accomplished in the time since Hurricane Ian, which she, her husband, her mom and their dogs rode out in the family treehouse.

A page from Bridgit Budd's new photo book detailing the days right after Hurricane Ian.
A page from Bridgit Budd's new photo book detailing the days right after Hurricane Ian.

Immediately after the storm, Budd was up and out, patrolling the island by bike, checking on friends' homes, trying to salvage her beloved restaurant ‒ and she would have too, but for a landlord intent on gutting the building. Now, like so many others, and on top of everything else, she's on the long rebuilding journey, this time in a new location. Construction should begin once pavers are in, scheduled for early June.

Bridgit Stone-Budd waits to meet her daughter on Sanibel Island on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. Budd, who owns The Pecking Order restaurant, stayed on the island during the storm and has been checking on homes for her friends and posting Tiktoks from her bike trips to keep people informed.
Bridgit Stone-Budd waits to meet her daughter on Sanibel Island on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. Budd, who owns The Pecking Order restaurant, stayed on the island during the storm and has been checking on homes for her friends and posting Tiktoks from her bike trips to keep people informed.

Before the island was re-electrified, she'd pedal to the causeway to brief neighbors around the country on the state of their houses while drying out her own.

She helped organize demolition crews to tear down soggy drywall, lug soaked furniture to the curb and shovel out tons of foul muck.

Her day-to-day life updates, often delivered on her wildly popular TikTok from her car, had such humor, humanity and candor she became an A-list influencer. Throughout it all, there was usually a camera slung around Budd's neck, and she snapped as she went.

Now, Budd has collected her captures and produced an 80-page coffee table book, "Sanibel After Ian - Through my Lens."

The cover of Bridgit Budd's new coffee table book features what very few people saw: troops descending on Sanibel after Hurricane Ian. Budd could document the moment because she rode out the storm in her island treehouse, capturing its aftermath and ongoing recovery.
The cover of Bridgit Budd's new coffee table book features what very few people saw: troops descending on Sanibel after Hurricane Ian. Budd could document the moment because she rode out the storm in her island treehouse, capturing its aftermath and ongoing recovery.

Starting at 11 a.m., Friday, May 10, she'll be at Sanibel's Suncatcher’s Dream signing them. It's a big day for the treasured island gift shop, which is celebrating its grand re-opening post-Ian and the launch of Budd's skin care line.

In the Kitchen: Bridgit Stone-Budd, Daniel Cooke Budd

About the book, Sanibel Fire Commissioner and owner of the Sanibel Cafe said it "filled me with emotion, my body with goose bumps and my eyes with tears all from the devastation and recovery. Her photos brought me both pain and joy."

Get a copy, help Sanibel recover

Bridgit Stone Budd will be signing "Sanibel After Ian - Through my Lens" starting at 11 a.m., Friday, May 10, at Suncatcher’s Dream, 630 Tarpon Bay Road, Suite 2. The book is also for sale online at BridgitsWildlife.com for $65 plus shipping

Bridgit's skincare is also available online: SeaAnchoredSecrets.com (PROMO CODE: Bestie) $12-$32.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Sanibel islander creates new photo book in Ian's aftermath