To the editor:<\/p>\n
I\u2019m reaching out as a property owner in the North 3 UEP area with a request that directly concerns homeowner awareness and property rights.<\/p>\n
Over the past week, several important facts have come to light regarding the roadway portion of the North 3 UEP assessment. These facts are documented through NWCCNA\u2019s own communications and through reporting published by the\u00a0Cape Coral Breeze\u00a0on Sept. 29. Because these issues affect thousands of residents and lot owners, I respectfully ask that NWCCNA and\/or the\u00a0Cape Coral Breeze\u00a0consider publishing an informational article to help homeowners understand what they must do to protect their property rights before the final vote on Nov. 2.<\/p>\n
Key facts now confirmed:<\/p>\n
1. NWCCNA\u2019s 2024 survey was not a vote and was never intended to support any roadway assessment.\u00a0NWCCNA leadership has confirmed that the city asked them only to survey roadway design preferences, not to approve any assessment. The city stated that Alternate 5 was \u201cnon\u2011assessment transportation cost,\u201d and NWCCNA supported it only under that understanding.<\/p>\n
2. NWCCNA was never informed that roadway redesign would be assessed until the Sept. 28 council hearing.\u00a0This means the survey cannot be used to justify including roadway redesign in a Statute 170 special assessment.<\/p>\n
3. The survey included participants outside the North 3 UEP boundaries.\u00a0Because the survey was not limited to affected parcels, it cannot be used as evidence of homeowner approval for assessment purposes.<\/p>\n
4. The Cape Coral Breeze has reported that homeowners filled the council chambers requesting the UEP be paused due to financial impact.\u00a0A motion to delay the project until after the November election failed 5-3. The article confirms that parcels west of Burnt Store Road face an estimated assessment of $41,029 per EP, including an additional $5,765 for roadway redesign (Alternate 5), plus connection costs, septic abandonment fees, water meter charges, and long\u2011term interest if financed over 20-30 years.<\/p>\n
5. Under Florida Statute Chapter 170, roadway redesign must provide a parcel\u2011specific special benefit to be assessed.\u00a0Roundabouts, median changes, multi\u2011use paths, and corridor redesign serve regional traffic and tourism, not individual parcels. Homeowners need to understand this distinction before the final vote.<\/p>\n
Many homeowners still do not understand that:<\/p>\n
\u2022 They must file a\u00a0Formal Objection\u00a0before the final vote<\/p>\n
\u2022 Failure to object means the city legally treats them as\u00a0agreeing\u00a0to the assessment<\/p>\n
\u2022 The roadway portion is\u00a0not a utility cost<\/p>\n
\u2022 The roadway portion is\u00a0not required for water\/sewer installation<\/p>\n
\u2022 The roadway portion is\u00a0not a Statute 170\u2011qualified special benefit<\/p>\n
\u2022 The roadway portion adds\u00a0$5,765 per EP\u00a0to west\u2011side parcels<\/p>\n
\u2022 The roadway portion was originally presented as\u00a0non\u2011assessment<\/p>\n
An informational article from NWCCNA or the\u00a0Cape Coral Breeze\u00a0would help ensure that residents understand their rights, the process, and the steps required to formally object if they choose to do so.<\/p>\n
This is not political advocacy \u2014 it is simply factual information that homeowners need in order to make informed decisions and protect their property rights.<\/p>\n
To be clear: Each property owner must file a formal objections letter, or email to the city clerk or council, prior to Nov. 2. If you do not file a formal notice, you are essentially saying you approve, and you give up your right to challenge \u2014 you have no legal standing to object afterwards.<\/p>\n
This information is critical for homeowners before the final vote on Nov. 2.<\/p>\n
John Swartz<\/p>\n
North 3 UEP Contract Area #7<\/p>\n
Cape Coral<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"To the editor: I\u2019m reaching out as a property owner in the North 3 UEP area with a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":423380,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":["post-423379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=423379"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423379\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/423380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=423379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=423379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=423379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}