Cape Coral mayor discusses reelection bid, Jaycee Park and Yacht Club rebuild controversies

In a fast-growing city with big decisions ahead, Mayor John Gunter is hoping to stay at the helm. The Cape Coral mayor announced he is officially running for reelection.”I’m a results-based individual,” Gunter said in an interview at City Hall. “And when I look back, I know we’ve accomplished a lot.”He pointed to major strides in public safety during his time in office, including the addition of three new firehouses, a fire training facility, a police training facility, and the hiring of 80 new police officers and 80 firefighters.Another point of pride is the city’s declining millage rate.”When I was elected, it was 6.75 mills. We’re down to 5.1 now,” he said. “If you look at any other eight years in the history of our city, which is over 50 years, we’ve never reduced our millage rate to that level before. So, I want to try to continue that path.”Gunter says Cape Coral has made progress, but big challenges lie ahead.”One of our biggest needs that we really have to address is transportation and our utility expansion projects and finding a way to be creative in the funding,” he said.Gunter also addressed criticism, including a failed recall petition that accused him of corruption and ignoring public input. Controversial city decisions — like redevelopment plans for the Yacht Club and Jaycee Park and a council pay increase — sparked backlash.”That’s a small group of individuals that’s very vocal here in the city,” Gunter said of the recall effort. “Since the day I’ve taken office, I’ve never engaged in any type of illegal or unethical behavior.”He also addressed broader concerns that residents feel unheard.”It’s not that we’re not listening. Sometimes we may not agree with what their opinion may be,” he said. “And that’s a vast difference.”Gunter emphasized that major city decisions are not made by him alone.”I do not make the decisions for the city,” he said. “We make those decisions collectively as a body. Sometimes, we have to make decisions collectively for all 225,000 residents of the city and consider what is in the best interest of all of our residents.”On the council stipend increase, Gunter noted data that shows the amount discussed aligned with other cities similar to Cape Coral, but acknowledged the process lacked transparency.”We could have had more open discussions on it,” he said. “We could have stuck it on an agenda for a committee of the whole instead of just putting it on a consent agenda and passing it. I’m a firm believer you’ve got to take the good criticism.”Despite the controversy, he says he is eager to continue leading.”I’ve had some people ask me, ‘Boy, why would you want to do this again?'” Gunter said. “And when I look back on what we have accomplished versus some of the challenges, the accomplishments outweigh the challenges. So, I’d do it all over again.”Now, it’s up to Cape Coral voters to decide if they want to do it all over again, too.Richard Andrew Leon and Kara Rogers are also running for mayor in the 2026 election.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.

CAPE CORAL, Fla. —

In a fast-growing city with big decisions ahead, Mayor John Gunter is hoping to stay at the helm. The Cape Coral mayor announced he is officially running for reelection.

“I’m a results-based individual,” Gunter said in an interview at City Hall. “And when I look back, I know we’ve accomplished a lot.”

He pointed to major strides in public safety during his time in office, including the addition of three new firehouses, a fire training facility, a police training facility, and the hiring of 80 new police officers and 80 firefighters.

Another point of pride is the city’s declining millage rate.

“When I was elected, it was 6.75 mills. We’re down to 5.1 now,” he said. “If you look at any other eight years in the history of our city, which is over 50 years, we’ve never reduced our millage rate to that level before. So, I want to try to continue that path.”

Gunter says Cape Coral has made progress, but big challenges lie ahead.

“One of our biggest needs that we really have to address is transportation and our utility expansion projects and finding a way to be creative in the funding,” he said.

Gunter also addressed criticism, including a failed recall petition that accused him of corruption and ignoring public input. Controversial city decisions — like redevelopment plans for the Yacht Club and Jaycee Park and a council pay increase — sparked backlash.

“That’s a small group of individuals that’s very vocal here in the city,” Gunter said of the recall effort. “Since the day I’ve taken office, I’ve never engaged in any type of illegal or unethical behavior.”

He also addressed broader concerns that residents feel unheard.

“It’s not that we’re not listening. Sometimes we may not agree with what their opinion may be,” he said. “And that’s a vast difference.”

Gunter emphasized that major city decisions are not made by him alone.

“I do not make the decisions for the city,” he said. “We make those decisions collectively as a body. Sometimes, we have to make decisions collectively for all 225,000 residents of the city and consider what is in the best interest of all of our residents.”

On the council stipend increase, Gunter noted data that shows the amount discussed aligned with other cities similar to Cape Coral, but acknowledged the process lacked transparency.

“We could have had more open discussions on it,” he said. “We could have stuck it on an agenda for a committee of the whole instead of just putting it on a consent agenda and passing it. I’m a firm believer you’ve got to take the good criticism.”

Despite the controversy, he says he is eager to continue leading.

“I’ve had some people ask me, ‘Boy, why would you want to do this again?'” Gunter said. “And when I look back on what we have accomplished versus some of the challenges, the accomplishments outweigh the challenges. So, I’d do it all over again.”

Now, it’s up to Cape Coral voters to decide if they want to do it all over again, too.

Richard Andrew Leon and Kara Rogers are also running for mayor in the 2026 election.

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.