CAPE CORAL, Fla. —
The Cape Coral City Council decided Wednesday to redesign the North 3 UEP, delaying it by at least a year and pledging that the costs of the redesign and rebid will not be passed on to homeowners.
Lisa Cohen-Adkinson, a Cape Coral resident and mayoral candidate, shared her reaction to the decision.
“I did already reach out to our lawyer, and we’re going to halt the legal stay because it looks like this is the direction we’re going to be going in,” Cohen-Adkinson said.
Cohen-Adkinson had filed a lawsuit last week, which she confirmed is now on hold.
During public comment, residents expressed concerns about the financial impact of the project.
“Seventy thousand, that’s half of my family’s income,” one resident said.
Another resident added, “Can you please find an alternate funding to deliver this project to us?”
Mayor John Gunter addressed the issue, emphasizing that the redesign costs, estimated at $3 million, should not be included in homeowner assessments.
“We’ve already been told that the redesign cost will probably be around $3 million. That should not be put in the assessments either. This is our screw-up; it isn’t your screw-up,” Gunter said.
The mayor’s stance surprised some attendees, including Cape Coral resident Wes Owen.
“One thing I probably never thought I would say is I’m really proud of Mayor Gunter today and how he stood up to the city and did the right thing. He was, he was great today,” Owen said.
Outgoing council member Bill Steinke offered a warning to the incoming council, reflecting on the challenges of city governance.
“Future councilmembers, welcome to our world. Cause this is the way it always happens. And looking at those 6,000 parcels, not one person came here between then and now and said, ‘No, don’t do it, no, don’t do it.’ Didn’t hear a word until a couple weeks ago. When it’s time to pull the trigger, stop! Well, that’s not how you can run a city,” Steinke said.
An informational meeting planned for next week was canceled shortly after Wednesday’s decision. At the Nov. 2 meeting, the council will vote to repeal previous ordinances related to the project.
Mayoral candidate Rick Erickson was contacted for his thoughts on the continuance, but did not respond.
DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.