Rowing club gets Tropicana Park OK
Cape Council approves license agreement, site location, originally proposed
The Cape Coral Rowing Club will row from Tropicana Park.
Instead of opting for a pair of alternatives, Cape Coral City Council on Wednesday approved the license agreement that drew a deadlocked vote in April.
Mayor John Gunter was not present, and Councilmember Laurie Lehmann, who had been working on alternative locations, voted against in the 6-1 decision.
“We are so grateful for the leadership and wisdom shown by our elected officials. While the turn of events was very unexpected, we appreciate that they took the time to thoughtfully consider the pending license agreement before voting on the motion on the floor. This is an amazing culmination of a very long journey, and we are excited for a fresh start at Tropicana Park,” Rowing Club President Saundra Weston said, adding that she is still walking on air.
Numerous youths and some adults spoke during public input, sharing their passion about the club in advance of council discussion held towards the end of the long agenda.
Weston opted to highlight the accomplishments of the kids instead of talking about the deficiencies in the plan that was to be presented.
“I have been doing this for five years – such a blessing of my life. They are unbelievable, they do things they don’t think they can do. They are mature, become leaders and are a joy and blessing to work with,” she said. “That is why I fight so hard for them. I want it to make sense. I can’t possibly imagine why we would not want this in a town surrounded by water. It’s incredible to me that I am not included in the proposals. I know a lot about the waterway – it’s my workplace.”
Weston said the kids are the joy of her life, and asked council to work on the terms of the license, needed to allow the club to operate from the city park, so the youth rowers would no longer feel uncertain about their future.
The planned city presentation was not made, though, as Councilmember Jennifer Nelson-Lastra said city proposal was the same as the board had previously heard and was clearly not viable.
She made the initial motion to authorize the approval of a license agreement between the Rowing Club of Cape Coral and the city for the “utilization of city owned property located within Tropicana Park for the purpose of recreational, training in the support of crew rowing and the storage and associated equipment for the initial term of 10 years with additional renewal options.”
The motion was later modified by City Attorney City Attorney Aleksandr Boksner.
The modified motion, which was approved, was to “authorize a license agreement which was presented to the Mayor and City Council at their April 15, 2026 regular council meeting, which would have authorized an agreement between the Cape Coral Rowing Club, a Florida nonprofit corporation and the City of Cape Coral, a Florida municipal corporation, for the utilization of city owned property located within Tropicana Park by the Cape Coral Rowing Club for the purpose of recreation, training in the sport of crew, rowing and the storage of associated equipment for an initial term of 10 years with additional renewal options to authorize the city manager or their designee to execute that license agreement.”
After Nelson-Lastra’s initial motion, some council members asked to review the agreement before taking a vote.
Councilmember Keith Long suggested a recess to give council members time to review the original agreement.
“I’m not opposed to the motion. Instead of just saying remember that (because we are) one guy short and the number is right – there is an easier way to do it,” Long said, adding that he was not going to blindly vote on a document that he had not seen in months.
The April 15 Resolution 102-26 is for a 10-year agreement that may “be renewed for three successive terms of five years each upon the written mutual agreement of the parties provided CCRC is not in default or breach of any term or provision of this agreement.”
The club will pay the city a use fee of $10 per year, plus any applicable sales tax.
“The premise shall be used for the offering of community programs dedicated to the education and training of youth and adults in the sport of crew rowing, including associated meetings, camps, and classes,” the resolution states.
Following the granted meeting break, Nelson-Lastra made the motion to approve which was seconded by Councilmember Rachel Kaduk.
Councilmember Dr. Derrick Donnell said his comments were in no disrespect to Lehmann, as she took a lot of time and effort at coming up with an alternative in the wake of the April deadlock, but he makes his decisions on data – the best data made available.
“The data and a very compelling email (showed that) the data strongly supports what Councilmember Lastra put on the table,” he said, making note that although they were a board member shy, council could not deter what needed to be moved forward. “For me the data is overwhelming.”
Nelson-Lastra said they made a commitment back on May 6 to get the Cape Coral Rowing Club back on the water as quickly as possible. She said council has already been through the leasing agreement and talked about it at several meetings.
“We had one in place that we all agreed on it terms of greenery for the fencing, and I thought that was the true issue,” Nelson-Lastra said, adding that they were “duped,” as they were getting emails from NWNA about safety concerns and rowing at the park.
Boksner said the agreement is already in existence and executed by the Cape Coral Rowing Club and witnessed by two individuals. He said he would memorialize the agreement via an after-the-fact resolution.
Lehmann had questions about if the docks the rowing club would use would be open to the public.
“Tropicana Park is a public park and currently there are people that are fishing at those docks, tying their boats up,” she said, asking if they would be for the exclusive possession of the rowing club.
Boksner said the docks remain open to the general public.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include comments from Cape Coral Rowing Club President Saundra Weston.
To reach Meghan Bradbury, please email news@breezenewspapers.com