A candidate is challenging the incumbent to become the next Cape Coral council member for District 4 in Southwest Florida‘s Lee County.

Wedged between districts 1 and 2, District 4 includes central Cape Coral with generally Veterans Memorial Parkway to the north and Cape Coral Parkway to the south. but the voting is done citywide for the four-year term.

All eligible voters, regardless of party affiliation, will be able to cast their ballots in the non-partisan elections scheduled for Nov. 3. Because there are only two candidates, they bypass the Aug. 18 primary and get a ticket straight to November

Cape Coral has a council-manager form of government with seven districts with population sizes that are as equal as possible and follow the center lines of streets or canals. Council members are paid an annual salary of more than $44,000.

Look for more on the candidates, the races and what they have to say in future editions of the News-Press. Here’s an initial look at a list of who’s running.

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Jennifer Nelson-Lastra

Jennifer Nelson-Lastra

Jennifer Nelson-Lastra

The incumbent is director of Dress for Success Southwest Florida, which assists women. “My vision is to build a city where future generations, including my own daughter, will be proud to live, work and raise their families,” said Nelson-Lastra, 55, whose focus is “on sustainability, smart development and enhancing our parks.”

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James Vargas of Cape Coral.

James Vargas of Cape Coral.

James Vargas

He is owner of BeastRx Supplements and Nutrition, which opened in Cape Coral in 2024. “Every election we have an opportunity to identify a problem and change course,” said Vargas, 45. “If we do nothing, we’re going to get four years of the same. (City) Hall works for the people, (and) we want accountability. We want transparency. We want modernized infrastructure without taxing us to death.”

Writing In the Know for the USA TODAY Network, Columnist Phil Fernandez (pfernandez@gannett.com) grew up in Southwest Florida and has led Pulitzer Prize-winning efforts. Sign up for our free Breaking Ground growth and development newsletter. Subscribe to our News-Press and Naples Daily News apps.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: A head-to-head contest forms in Cape Coral’s District 4 council race