Captiva Island is a barrier island located four miles off the coast of Southwest Florida, just west of Fort Myers, Florida. Residents and visitors enjoy the slender island's five miles of sandy gulf shoreline. As is the case with most barrier islands, beach erosion can be a threat to upland development, recreation and environmental interests. The Captiva Erosion Prevention District (CEPD) is an independent special beach and shore preservation district established on June 19, 1959 under the provision of Chapter 161, Florida Statutes. It is governed by an independently elected district board possessed of broad powers to do as necessary or desirable to carry out the CEPD comprehensive beach and shore preservation program.