An island, by its very nature, stands apart from the rest of the world, separated by distinct watery boundaries. Each island therefore develops its own personality without much influence from that other world. Every island is different from the next. No one could confuse Sanibel with Captiva, even though they are separated by a pass that is only a few feet wide at best. Each has a distinctive character: Captiva in transition, but still a little more old world and exclusive; Sanibel, younger, independent, conservation-minded, low-key. The same can be said for Marco, Ft. Myers Beach, Upper Captiva, Gasparilla: all islands, but all very different. What they all have in common, however, is a strong sense of community. This is apparent in that three of the islands in the Southwest Florida chain have declared their independence from the mainland by forming their own governments Sanibel was first to incorporate 25 years ago, followed by Ft. Myers Beach and Marco Island more recently. These cohesive communities exist in spite of extreme seasonal population fluctuations. The population of Sanibel explodes from 5,400 year-round residents to, on any given day in season, approximately 38,000 residents, tourists, and daytrippers. Most of these visitors are oblivious to the idea that Sanibel is anything but one big playground. They don�t realize that behind all the restaurants, shops, and resorts is a core community the island�s backbone raising their families, pursuing careers, living their lives with Sanibel as the beautiful backdrop. There�s not much evidence of it to outsiders maybe they notice city hall, the elementary school, a few grocery shoppers buying containers larger than trial size but it exists, mostly behind the scenes. Over the past few months, I have seen the community of Sanibel at its best, united in an important cause: to expand and improve its school. All segments of the community business, city officials, parents and grandparents have worked together to make this happen. Members of the Lee County School Board were visibly astonished to see scores of Sanibel residents fill the normally empty board room to brimming in support of the changes at the school. It was, said one, a force to be reckoned with, and it worked. For the residents of Sanibel, as with other islands, community is not just sand-deep. They are united not only in their geographic boundaries, but in the deep love they share for the world inside those boundaries. Islanders of all backgrounds and different economic levels are here not because they have to be, but because they choose this island lifestyle. Our cover story in this issue is about community of a different kind: the struggling, largely hidden community of Havana. An undeniable affinity exists between our islanders and theirs, says writer Thomas Whittingslow. �In many ways, Southwest Floridians have more in common with Cubans than with Californians: geographic proximity, a common history, the seas and weather that we share. While untold numbers of Cubans have risked their lives crossing the Florida Straits in handmade vessels of every description, a growing number of adventurous Floridians are making the reverse trip. For an experienced sailor it�s a fairly easy run, but from a political standpoint, you're traversing troubled waters, as Tom explains in the feature, beginning on page 24. One final note: We are proud to report that in its first year as a contestant in the annual Florida Magazine Association Charlie Awards, Times of the Islands won bronze awards in two categories: best-written magazine overall and best in-depth reporting. Our entries were among 954 from magazines all over the state. Susan Holly