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CAPE CORAL, Fla. \u2014<\/p>\nCAPE CORAL, Fla. \u2014<\/p>\n
On Nov. 3, Cape Coral, one of the largest cities on the Gulf Coast, will decide who will become the next mayor. Two fresh faces are on the November ballot after current Mayor John Gunter lost the primary election.<\/p>\n
Voters will decide if real estate broker Lisa Cohen-Adkinson or retired United States Army servicemember Rick Erickson will become the Mayor of Cape Coral, one of the fastest- growing cities in the country, and one rife with questions of transparency and affordability.<\/p>\n
Here’s everything you need to know about the two candidates running for Mayor:<\/p>\n
Lisa Cohen-Adkinson![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/dd3398bd-4366-4c42-b66c-7c726ef8cf47.jpg\")
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Lisa Cohen-Adkinson<\/p>\n
Lisa Cohen-Adkinson<\/p>\n
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Cohen-Adkinson is the owner and broker of Valor Real Estate Services. According to her campaign website, she has been a Cape Coral resident for 36 years, first moving to the city in 1990. She has previously served on the Public Safety Building Committee.<\/p>\n
If elected, Cohen-Adkinson would become only the second-ever female Cape Coral mayor. Her platform includes promises of affordability, transparency, and government accountability.<\/p>\n
Platform Highlights<\/p>\n
UEP Reform: Cohen-Adkinson has been a long-time critic of the city’s Utilities Expansion Project (UEP), which aims to connect households currently running on well water to city water. This includes sewer water and irrigation.<\/p>\n
On her campaign website, Cohen-Adkinson calls for a “full forensic audit of the UEP.” She also asks for a complete review of UEP contracting practices and external pricing vs. in-house costs.<\/p>\n
Cohen-Adkinson recently filed a lawsuit<\/a> against the City of Cape Coral over the North 3 UEP in a bid to stop the city council from voting on it one day before the general election on Nov. 2.<\/p>\n Transparency: Cohen-Adkinson is promising accessible, plain-language budget reporting, in a bid to bring what she calls “fiscal accountability.” She’s promising the following:<\/p>\n Public forums before major expenditure or debt decisions are finalizedNo development spending that benefits private interests without full community inputA quarterly instead of annual public debt management report from the Finance Director<\/p>\n Streamline permitting: According to her campaign website, Cohen-Adkinson is looking to modernize permitting infrastructure with better technology and clear guidelines. She says she looks to do this by:<\/p>\n Providing city staff with the tools and training to process permits faster and more accuratelySetting realistic timelines that residents, contractors, and businesses can rely onEliminating the “bureaucratic bottlenecks” that cost families time and money<\/p>\n Fiscal accountability: Cohen-Adkinson claims that if elected, she will do a department-by-department review of the city’s budget. Her campaign website claims that Cape Coral’s budget grew 13.3% in a single year.<\/p>\n City employees and resident hiring: On her website, Cohen-Adkinson says that she’s committed to having all future city contracts carry a minimum 30% local workforce requirement. She also looks to:<\/p>\n Have no more than 103 position additions without public justification before approvalHave priority given to Cape Coral homesteadersHave city employees “treated with the respect they have earned serving this community” Position on Amendment 3<\/p>\n On her campaign website, Cohen-Adkinson says that she is a supporter of the homestead tax exemption, but that voters “deserve the complete picture.”<\/p>\n She says that the exemption reduces ad valorem taxable value, but does nothing for non-ad valorem assessments.<\/p>\n She says that the city can reduce ad valorem taxes, while non-ad valorem fees absorb the difference.<\/p>\n Cohen-Adkinson says that this will not happen if she gets elected.<\/p>\n Key endorsementsCongressman and Republican candidate for Florida Governor Byron DonaldsState Representative Mike GiallombardoFormer congressional candidate Catalina LaufRick Erickson Rick Erickson for Cape Coral Mayor<\/p>\n Rick Erickson<\/p>\n Rick Erickson is a retired Special Forces Sergeant Major and Green Beret who served in the United States Army.<\/p>\n On his campaign website, Erickson says that he’s running for Cape Coral mayor because “residents are being ignored and forced to bear the cost of decisions that benefit developers and special interests.”<\/p>\n Erickson says that he will restore accountability, ease the financial burden on families, cut unnecessary fees, and fix broken processes.<\/p>\n Platform highlights<\/p>\n The creation of a UEP\/Infrastructure task force: Erickson says that UEP and infrastructure issues are the biggest financial challenge that the city faces. As mayor, Erickson says he will make it a main priority to bring as many resources and relationships to bear to get a reasonable plan and State\/Federal funds to reduce financial burden on residents. Erickson plans to:<\/p>\n Restructure remaining UEP assessments to provide immediate relief, with longer grace periods, capped interest rates, and hardship protections for seniors and fixed-income households.Secure federal dollars through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA programs, and other funding sourcesHave projects completed efficiently, with oversight to prevent cost escalation<\/p>\n Hurricane Preparedness: According to his campaign website, Erickson wants to establish an independent oversight review of the city’s emergency management operations. This would include evacuation routes, shelter capacity, debris removal timelines, and more. Erickson is also looking to:<\/p>\n Secure more federal funding to strengthen readinessExpand rapid response contracts for debris and utilitiesExpand resident readiness by giving households guidance on evacuation zones, shelter options, and post-storm procedures<\/p>\n Transparency and accountability: If elected, Erickson promises to “establish transparency as the standard, not the exception.” According to his campaign website, he’ll do this by:<\/p>\n Implementing a comprehensive Cape Coral Transparency Portal with real-time access to budgets, pay scales, contractor bids, and project-level spending.Publishing all major development agreements online a minimum of 30 days before any voteEstablishing independent citizen oversight with Standing Citizen Oversight Committees, and formal third-party or citizen-led review for larger projects<\/p>\n Stopping overdevelopment: According to Erickson’s campaign website, the city is being “pushed past its limits.” He says that Cape Coral was built as a low-density waterfront community. He’s looking to protect this by:<\/p>\n Pushing for a moratorium on new high-density rezoning until an independent, citywide infrastructure assessment is completeOverhauling the Land Development Code to enforce clear, consistent density limits in residential areasEstablishing a mandatory annual Growth Impact Report with metrics on capacity, traffic, schools, utilities, and environmental impact.<\/p>\n Fixing the permitting process: Erickson says that the current permitting system is failing. He says that it’s slow, expensive, and unpredictable. He looks to fix that by:<\/p>\n Initiating an independent third-party audit of the EnerGov system and the Development Services Division to identify failures and eliminate them.Implementing a “one-touch” fast-track lane for simple residential permits, designed for speed and efficiencyDeploying real-time public dashboards to track wait times and performancePosition on Amendment 3<\/p>\n During public hearings, Erickson has said that he is in support of the Homestead Tax Exemption. In a video<\/a> published to his Facebook page, Erickson expanded on his stance, saying that if a homeowner keeps having to pay increasing property taxes to remain on their property, they never truly own it.<\/p>\n Erickson also said that residents should not believe that the amendment will cripple law enforcement and fire services, a common criticism of the proposal. He says that public safety remains his priority.<\/p>\n Primary Results<\/p>\n Erickson won the majority of votes in the Cape Coral Mayor primary election, getting 32.06% (12,170) of the vote.<\/p>\n Cohen-Adkinson came in second, getting 24.28% (9,293) of the vote.<\/p>\n A Heated Race<\/p>\n Cohen-Adkinson and Erickson have traded blows on the campaign trail since before the primary election. Both candidates have criticized the other over decisions and behavior.<\/p>\n Allegations of threats<\/p>\n Back in July<\/a>, Cohen-Adkinson accused Erickson of sending threatening text messages, prompting her to file a report with the Cape Coral Police Department.<\/p>\n She claimed that Erickson sent her statements such as “Stop it fully or else” and “There will be a higher price to pay, trust me.”<\/p>\n In a statement, Erickson said that the allegations were “false, politically motivated, and an unfortunate distraction from the issues facing Cape Coral.” <\/p>\n Cohen-Adkinson confirmed<\/a> in a statement that there was not enough evidence to support a criminal charge against Erickson.<\/p>\n Campaign donation questions<\/p>\n When Cohen-Adkinson filed her lawsuit against the City of Cape Coral over the North 3 UEP, Erickson criticized<\/a> her use of campaign donations.<\/p>\n In her initial announcement of her legal challenge, Cohen-Adkinson said on Facebook that she was retaining the services of a law firm. She also said, “PLEASE CONSIDER DONATING TODAY. TOGETHER LET’S PUT THE FUTURE OF CAPE CORAL BACK IN OUR HANDS” with a link to her campaign website.<\/p>\n In a statement, Erickson criticized the move and questioned the transparency of how campaign donations were being used.<\/p>\n \u201cThe announcement is also being used to solicit contributions to her mayoral campaign for the stated purpose of supporting the fight. Who ends up paying these legal fees? Residents are entitled to transparency about how those contributions will be used, how any legal expenses will be paid and reported,\u201d Erickson said.<\/p>\n In response, Cohen-Adkinson said that her “personal wallet is funding the courtroom battle. When you donate to my campaign, you aren’t paying a lawyer.”<\/p>\n Erickson released the following statement on Cohen-Adkinson’s decision to sue the City:<\/p>\n Rick Erickson<\/p>\n Rick Erickson\u2019s Statement on Lisa Cohen-Adkinson\u2019s North 3 UEP lawsuit<\/p>\n DOWNLOAD\u202fthe free\u202fGulf Coast News app<\/a>\u202ffor 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<\/a> to stream news, entertainment, and original programming on your TV.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CAPE CORAL, Fla. \u2014 On Nov. 3, Cape Coral, one of the largest cities on the Gulf Coast,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":430415,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[836,17907,51694,169032,98024,209,151686,211,19411,157059,210,187,166403,169031,536,123976,24128,356,137675,86080,168268,60772,63578,169034,2171,139403,5956,169033,15735,33448,4610,13983],"class_list":["post-430414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-affordability","tag-amendment","tag-bid","tag-campaign-threats","tag-campaign-website","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-election","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-mayor","tag-cape-coral-mayor-race","tag-cape-coral-news","tag-city","tag-cohen-adkinson","tag-florida-mayor-race","tag-gulf-coast","tag-homestead-tax-exemption","tag-john-gunter","tag-lee-county","tag-lisa-cohen-adkinson","tag-next-mayor","tag-north-3-uep","tag-november-ballot","tag-overdevelopment","tag-permitting-process","tag-resident","tag-rick-erickson","tag-statement","tag-threatening-text-messages","tag-transparency","tag-uep","tag-utilities-expansion-project","tag-vote"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430414","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=430414"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430414\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/430415"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=430414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=430414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=430414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/57e66a1d-c9af-43af-acb1-59203d006eb2.jpg\")
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