The Mayor’s Parks Legacy: Overruns, Delays, and Broken Promises

Beloved Jaycee Park Destroyed by the Mayor's Greed?

The Mayor and Our Parks: Promises, Overruns, and Broken Commitments

Mayor John Gunter has frequently touted the city's progress in expanding and improving Cape Coral's park system. But when you take a closer look at the numbers and the broken promises, it paints a very different picture of what's really going on behind the scenes with our tax dollars.

Let's begin with the highly anticipated Crystal Lake Park, expected to open this month. Originally pitched to voters in 2018 as part of the $60 million Parks GO Bond referendum, the park was projected to cost $3,185,748 and be completed by October 2021. Instead, it's arriving three years and eight months late, at a ballooned cost of $10,293,147-more than triple the original budget.

One of the key attractions used to sell the park to voters- the floating Aqua Park- was scrapped during development. Why? City officials feared it would be vandalized due to the park's remote location. That feature was never replaced, and yet the cost still skyrocketed.

Now, consider the Yacht Club, which was originally allocated $10,980,027 of the $60 million GO bond. That project was quietly removed from the bond plan before Hurricane lan due to uncontrolled project growth. Its original intent was to upgrade the marina and build a two-story parking structure. Today, the only remaining amenity is the beachfront. All structures have been demolished, and both the marina and boat ramp are closed indefinitely. The latest estimate? Over $150 million, with no completion timeline in sight.

Subtracting the Yacht Club's allocation from the GO Bond leaves $49 million intended for 10 new parks and various enhancements. But the current estimated cost for those projects is $88,811,575, a nearly $40 million overrun. And yet, four of the ten parks remain incomplete

Let's also not forget the mayor's own words. At one point, he publicly claimed he would not support Jaycee Park's redesign unless it fulfilled the original promises made under the Parks GO Bond. That stance changed last year when he voted in favor of the Jaycee Park plan, despite widespread public concern and clear deviations from the original scope.

So, what happened to accountability? What happened to financial stewardship? And more importantly, what happened to trust?

Cape Coral residents were sold a vision. They voted to invest in their community. What they've received instead is delays, broken promises, skyrocketing costs, and a mayor who has abandoned the very principles he once claimed to defend.

It's time to stop the spin and start demanding transparency. The mayor may claim these parks are a major accomplishment, but the numbers, the delays, and the broken commitments tell a very different story.

All information has been thoroughly investigated and reported by the Take Out the Trash Committee of Cape Coral and/or its authorized volunteers!