The island was damaged in August 2004 when the eastern eyewall of Hurricane Charley struck North Captiva, immediately before hitting Charlotte Harbor to the north-northeast. The southern part of the island was divided from the north.

Yes, Captiva Island, located on Florida's Gulf Coast, has been hit by several major hurricanes throughout its history, with Hurricane Ian in 2022 being the most devastating in modern memory. Ian made landfall as a Category 4 storm just south of the island, bringing catastrophic storm surge and winds that destroyed the causeway connecting the islands to the mainland and causing extensive structural damage to the iconic South Seas Island Resort. Historically, Hurricane Charley in 2004 was another massive event; it also struck as a Category 4, significantly altering the landscape and splitting "North Captiva" from the main island at a point known as "Charley's Pass." Because Captiva is a low-lying barrier island, it is exceptionally vulnerable to the "clean-up" side of Gulf storms. In 2026, the island has largely recovered through intensive rebuilding efforts, but the legacy of these storms remains visible in the modern, elevated building codes and the renewed focus on dune restoration designed to protect the island's fragile ecosystem from future Atlantic and Gulf hurricanes.