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May 24, 2026 · The Sunday Brief No. 003 · Cape Coral, FL
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FREE
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What's being built · What it means
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8
Days to the official June 1 start of hurricane season
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$164M
Full Yacht Club Master Plan, nine phases, going to Wednesday workshop
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June 3
$65M bond ordinance continued; vote moves to Regular Meeting at 4 PM
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Lead story | City Council and the capital pipeline
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Cape Coral's $65M bond hit pause, and the Yacht Club piece turned out to be one slice of a $164M plan
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Two public hearings on Ordinance 27-26 were continued at the May 20 Regular Meeting, sending the bond conversation to a Wednesday workshop and a June 3 vote. Master Plan documents released with the May 27 Committee of the Whole agenda put the full Yacht Club rebuild at $164 million across nine phases, with staff recommending only $38 million advance in this cycle.
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At the May 20 Regular Meeting, Council heard the first public hearings on Ordinance 27-26 and its companion Resolution 106-26, which together would authorize the issuance of up to $65 million in Special Obligation Revenue Bonds, Series 2026. Both items were continued to the June 3 Regular Meeting and added to the May 27 Committee of the Whole for further discussion. The motion to continue carried with Councilmember Rachel Kaduk dissenting.
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Financial Services Director Crystal Feast walked Council through how the proceeds would be allocated. Roughly $18.7 million for Jaycee Park improvements (repaid from the general fund), $2.5 million for Coral Oaks Golf Course irrigation (repaid from golf course revenues), $14 million for North 1 West transportation improvements (repaid from the 6-cent gas tax), and $23 million for Yacht Club seawall work (repaid from the general fund). The remainder of the $65 million cap covers refinancing prior indebtedness and issuance costs. The bonds proposed are not general obligation bonds; property taxes are not pledged for repayment. Three of the four projects are currently funded through commercial paper while bond proceedings advance.
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WHY THIS MATTERS TO YOU
Three of the four projects in this bond package are already underway, financed in the short term by commercial paper. The June 3 vote is functionally a refinancing question, not a new-spending question. The harder question, framed by Wednesday's workshop, is how the city sequences the next decade of capital work against general fund cash on hand, the 6-cent gas tax, and parallel utility financing already approved.
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The case for the bonds came from Councilmember Bill Steinke, who outlined three points. Some of this debt already exists as commercial paper, where the city is paying interest only; bond financing would retire that debt and free up short-term borrowing capacity. Preserving reserves protects the city's credit rating. And when projects are debt-funded, future users contribute to assets that will serve them for decades, rather than placing the full cost on today's ratepayers and taxpayers.
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Kaduk's case rested on cash on hand. Per Feast's January budget workshop figures, the general fund holds approximately $29.9 million in unrestricted fund balance, with another $11 million generated by the sale of the Seven Islands property. Kaduk argued the city has the means to pay for these projects without taking on additional debt at all.
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We should not be borrowing $65 million.
Councilmember Rachel Kaduk, May 20 Regular Meeting
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Councilmember Keith Long asked for the bond discussion to be folded into the broader budget conversation rather than decided in isolation. Council agreed, and the workshop calendar reflects that: Wednesday May 27 at 9 AM for the Committee of the Whole, then back-to-back Budget Workshops on Thursday June 4 and Friday June 5, both at 9 AM. The June 3 Regular Meeting is the scheduled vote.
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The wider picture sits in the May 27 packet. Per the agenda materials prepared by the Capital Improvement office and slated for presentation by Kimley-Horn and City Staff, the updated Yacht Club Master Plan now identifies the complete project at $164 million across nine phases. Staff is recommending Council advance only Phase 1 (fuel system and tanks, $3M) and Phase 2 (civil site work, utilities, and beach amenities, $35M) at this time, both required by the city's existing concessionaire agreement with the Boathouse Tiki Bar & Grill. Every other phase is recommended to be placed on hold pending future Council direction.
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Yacht Club Master Plan | nine phases, $164M total
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| Phase |
Scope |
Cost |
Status |
| 1 |
Fuel system, tanks, enclosure |
$3M |
Advance now |
| 2 |
Civil site work, utilities, beach amenities |
$35M |
Advance now |
| 3 |
Floating and fixed docks (marina) |
$12M |
On hold |
| 4 |
Harbormaster building |
$7M |
On hold |
| 5 |
Beach restroom |
$4M |
On hold |
| 6 |
Maintenance building |
$2M |
On hold |
| 7 |
Parking garage |
$38M |
On hold |
| 8 |
Community center |
$45M |
On hold |
| 9 |
Resort pool, lifeguard, concession, pump building |
$18M |
On hold |
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WATCH LIST | READ THE TWO ITEMS TOGETHER
The $23 million Yacht Club seawall in the bond package corresponds to Phase 2 civil and seawall work. The bond does not pay for the $38 million parking garage, the $45 million community center, or the $12 million marina docks. If you are pricing contracts, leasing space, or evaluating waterfront investments on the assumption that Council will move the full Master Plan, Wednesday's workshop is the moment that assumption gets tested.
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Council denies two North Cape Government Complex contracts, sends both to Wednesday workshop
Two consent-agenda items tied to the North Cape Government Complex Fleet Maintenance Facility were denied at the May 20 meeting. Resolution 7-26 would have awarded Charles Perry Partners, Inc. a Construction Manager at Risk pre-construction services contract worth up to $188,456. Resolution 122-26 would have approved Contract Amendment No. 2 to the existing Weston & Sampson Engineers contract, adding $304,937.06 for additional professional design, permitting, and construction services. Both denials were paired with direction to add the NCGC item to the May 27 Committee of the Whole agenda. Council rejecting two related procurement items in a single meeting is unusual; the workshop will surface whether the friction is scope, vendor, sequencing, or all three.
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Embers Parkway sidewalks and turn lanes awarded at $908,250
Resolution 124-26, approved as amended, awards the Hector Cafferata sidewalks and turn lanes project to Andrew Site Work, LLC at $865,000, with a 5% city-controlled contingency of $43,250 for a total project amount of $908,250. The scope includes new sidewalks on the north side of Embers Parkway between El Dorado Boulevard and Chiquita Boulevard, plus new right and left turn lanes at the intersection of Embers Parkway and NW 19th Place. Funded from the General Fund and Road Impact Fees. Work runs 90 calendar days after Notice to Proceed.
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City Hall storefront still finishing Ian repairs, 32 months after the storm
Resolution 127-26, approved May 20, contracts Johnson-Laux Construction, LLC for repairs to the City Hall storefront damaged in Hurricane Ian. The total contract value is $622,986.21, procured through a Sourcewell cooperative piggyback contract, with completion targeted at 183 calendar days after Notice to Proceed. Eight days from the start of the 2026 hurricane season, the city's own administrative headquarters is still closing out 2022 damage.
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Two rezonings approved: South Cape densifies; Gleason Parkway picks up a new commercial node
Ordinance 22-26 rezoned a 0.41-acre parcel at 1620 SE 46th Street from Residential Multi-Family Low (RML) to South Cape (SC), continuing the steady conversion of older residential lots into mixed-use-eligible South Cape inventory. Ordinance 23-26 rezoned a 28,938 sq ft parcel at 1513 Gleason Parkway from Professional Office (P-1) to Commercial (C), creating new commercial development capacity along a corridor that has been almost entirely office and residential. Both items had Hearing Examiner and staff recommendations for approval.
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Cape Coral signs onto AlertLee with eight days to hurricane season
Resolution 132-26, approved May 20, formalizes a Memorandum of Agreement between Lee County Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Management, and all participating municipalities including the City of Cape Coral, for use of the AlertLee Mass Notification System. The MOA term is five years with five one-year renewals. AlertLee is the countywide opt-in alerting platform for hurricane, evacuation, boil-water, and emergency notifications; residents can sign up at alertlee.com. Worth a calendar reminder before Monday June 1.
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• HURRICANE WATCH | 8 DAYS TO JUNE 1
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NOAA's official 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook dropped Thursday May 21 at 11 AM EDT from the Aircraft Operations Center in Lakeland. The agency's call is for a below-normal season, citing the expected emergence and intensification of El Niño, partially offset by slightly warmer-than-average Atlantic sea-surface temperatures and weaker-than-average trade winds. NHC Director Ken Graham noted the standard caveat: outlooks describe basin-wide activity, not landfall probability, and it only takes one storm to make a season consequential. NHC's 7-day Tropical Weather Outlook this morning (2 AM EDT, Forecaster Papin) shows no formation expected.
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NOAA 2026 Atlantic Outlook | Issued May 21
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8 to 14
Named storms (winds 39 mph+)
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3 to 6
Hurricanes (winds 74 mph+)
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1 to 3
Major hurricanes (Cat 3 to 5)
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Probability split: 55% below-normal · 35% near-normal · 10% above-normal. 70% confidence in the ranges.
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The early-season private forecasts now sit alongside the federal call. Three of four major groups landed in the below-to-near-average range. Colorado State (April) called 13 / 6 / 2 (named storms / hurricanes / majors), ACE 90, citing 2006, 2009, 2015, and 2023 as analog seasons. Tropical Storm Risk (April) went lowest at 12 / 5 / 1, ACE 66. NC State (April 22) called 12-15 / 6-9 / 2-3, near-average with near-average Gulf activity and below-average Caribbean. The outlier, University of Arizona (April 7), called 20 / 9 / 4 with ACE 155, the only major outlook predicting an active season, citing high Atlantic SSTs as the driver. NOAA's federal call lands closest to TSR's at the conservative end of the consensus.
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THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK
Three things to handle before Monday: confirm your insurance declarations page is accurate (flood, wind, and contents limits); document every exterior wall, roof, and screen enclosure with timestamped photos; and look up your 2026 Lee County evacuation zone at the Lee GIS lookup map. The 2026 Atlantic storm-name list runs Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, with Leah replacing Laura on this year's rotation.
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• LOCAL PICK | MEMORIAL DAY
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Inaugural Cape Coral Memorial Day Parade
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Monday brings the first Cape Coral Memorial Day Parade, presented by the SWFL Military Museum & Library in partnership with the City of Cape Coral Parks & Recreation Department. The route starts at the corner of Del Prado Boulevard and Cape Coral Parkway (near Holiday Inn), runs westbound along Cape Coral Parkway, and ends at Leonard Street next to the museum. A community luncheon and reception follows at the museum. The parade is dedicated to the late Roy Leo, a Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross recipient who served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf War, and a long-time museum volunteer. Cape Coral carries the Purple Heart City designation; this is the first time the city has hosted a parade to mark Memorial Day.
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Inaugural Memorial Day Parade · Monday, May 25, 2026 · Step-off at Del Prado Boulevard and Cape Coral Parkway, westbound to Leonard Street · Luncheon after at SWFL Military Museum & Library, 4820 Leonard Street, Cape Coral, FL 33904 · Free and open to the public.
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Cape Coral is building a new Permit Data Search Tool, and it goes to council Wednesday
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Buried at the close of the May 20 Regular Meeting was a brief item from the City Manager: a Permit Data Search Tool would be added to the May 27 Committee of the Whole agenda. The full COW packet confirms it. For anyone who currently triangulates Cape Coral permit activity by stitching together the GIS Open Data Portal, the EnerGov Citizen Self-Service portal, and the monthly Building and Permit Reports, a unified front-end is a meaningful operational change.
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No public details on scope, vendor, dataset coverage, or launch date are out yet. That is what Wednesday's presentation should answer. The agenda lists the item alongside seven others: Yacht Club phasing, the NCGC Fleet Maintenance Facility revisit, the $65M bond, the Jaycee Park concessionaire term sheet, a North 3 UEP update, athletic programs, and a hurricane season outlook. The Digest will be in Council Chambers at 9 AM for the briefing.
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Committee of the Whole · Wednesday, May 27, 2026, 9:00 AM · Council Chambers, 1015 Cultural Park Boulevard · Open to the public. Live on CapeTV and the city website.
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That's the Sunday Brief, No. 003. The pace picks up this week. Wednesday May 27 at 9 AM brings the Committee of the Whole with eight items on the docket, any one of which could move the city's near-term capital path. Monday June 1 opens hurricane season. Wednesday June 3 at 4 PM is the scheduled vote on the $65M bond and, per the May 20 action summary, a possible window for the Jaycee Park concessionaire term sheet to come back for ratification. Thursday June 4 and Friday June 5, both at 9 AM, are the back-to-back Budget Workshops where Councilmember Long wanted the bond conversation to land.
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Next Sunday at 7 PM: full Committee of the Whole recap, the Yacht Club phasing decision, the Permit Data Search Tool reveal, and a fresh Editor's Pick.
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If something useful landed for you in this issue, forward it to one neighbor or one colleague who works in Cape Coral. That is how this newsletter grows.
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