Election ’26 | Cape Coral City Council: Mayor’s race
The primary race for Cape Coral mayor includes six candidates. Cape Coral voters may cast a ballot in every council race in both the Primary and General Election no matter where they live in the city or their party of record.
Candidate name: Lisa Cohen-Adkinson
Age: 46
Educations/degrees: Florida Licensed Real Estate Broker
Occupation/ place of employment: Broker-Owner, Valor Property Management / Valor Real Estate Services, Inc.
Time in the district in which you are running/years of residency: 36-year resident
Business experience applicable to the office you are seeking: Founded and operate full-service brokerage specializing in lease compliance, tenant accountability, and asset protection; Manage 100+ residential and multi-family units under Valor’s Exclusive Lease Agreement, one of the most legally rigorous in Lee County.
Political Experience/offices held: Cape Coral Public Safety Building Committee | 2007-2009
Civic/Community involvement: Iwo Jima Monument Restoration Project – Revitalized Cape Coral’s Iwo Jima Memorial after years of deterioration; grew the project into a lasting Veterans Memorial Park initiative.
Family: Married, husband Dennis; two children
Website: VoteLisa4Mayor.com
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Candidate name: Rick Erickson
Age: 63
Education/degrees: Graduated from the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy at Fort Bliss, Texas.
Occupation/place of employment: Retired US Army Components, U.S. Postal Office; founder at SaveOurVet.org; founder of Norseman Ops., LLC.
Time in the district in which you are running/years of residency: 37-years
Business experience applicable to the office you are seeking: As a Special Forces Sergeant Major I served as the senior enlisted advisor to commanders at detachment, company, battalion; command levels supervising and mentoring at least 50 to 800 plus personnel across multiple teams and staff sections; monitored and advised on budgets for training, deployments, and military activities; oversaw training management. As founder and president of Norseman Ops, LLC, I established and led a veteran owned company for over 10 years. I supervised, conducted, and ran teams of medical, security, and support personnel, managed all operations, and oversaw budgeting for contracts, training, and deployments.
Political Experience/offices held: None
Civic/Community involvement: Volunteer & Donor: Brotherhood of Heroes Museum and Resource Center; founder, Save Our Vet saveourvet.org; Military Order of the Purple Hearts Organization Member
Website: ericksonformayor.com
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Candidate name: John Gunter (incumbent)
Age:
Education/degrees: Studied Criminal Justice
Occupation/place of employment: President – Gulf Coast Premier Homes, Inc.
Years of residency: Lived in Cape Coral since 2007
Business experience applicable to the office you are seeking: In addition to private-sector/business experience, numerous boards and committeeships at the national, state and local level.
Political Experience/offices held: Elected Mayor November 2022; appointed Mayor January 2021; Elected District 1 Councilmember 2017; Cape Coral Mayor Pro Tempore November 2020 – January 2021; Council Office Manager 2021 to present.
Civic/community involvement: Member – Rotary Club of Cape Coral; Member – Cape Coral Construction Industry Association
Family: Married to Teresa. Five children and six grandchildren.
Website: gunterformayor.com/
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Candidate name: Richard Leon
Age: 39
Education/degrees: Cape Coral High School
Occupation and place of employment: Operations Manager, Cape Coral Kiwanis Foundation
Time in the district in which you are running/years of residency: 37-year resident
Business experience applicable to the office you are seeking: Various management positions, currently the Operations Manager, Cape Coral Kiwanis Foundation, budget $1.1 million, staff of 150.
Political Experience/offices held: Former Cape Coral city councilmember, District 4
Civic/Community involvement: Cape Coral Charter Review Commission; Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization, CAC; Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors; Cape Coral Historical Museum Board of Directors; Cape Coral Republican Club; Lee County Republican Executive Committee; Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce, Government Affairs Committee; Lee County School District Financial Advisory Committee; SWFL Young Republicans; Cape Coral Redistricting Commission; SWFL Inc Chamber Leadership Course; Cape Coral Chamber Leadership Course; Muscular Dystrophy Association, camp counselor; Keep Lee County Beautiful, road clean up; Red Cross Volunteer
Family: Single
Military Experience: None
Website: richformayor.com
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Candidate name: Kara Brooke Rogers, Esq.
Age: 39
Education/degrees: J.D., Stetson University College of Law; B.S., Elementary Education/Exceptional Student Education, University of South Florida
Occupation and place of employment: Attorney and Founding Partner, Powers & Rogers, PLLC, Cape Coral, FL
Time in the district in which you are running/years of residency: I moved to Cape Coral in 2017-2018 while I was serving as a law clerk; returned to permanently reside in Cape Coral in June of 2022.
Business experience applicable to the office you are seeking: Founding partner of Powers & Rogers, PLLC, a boutique civil litigation firm in Cape Coral currently comprising two partners, an associate attorney, a paralegal, and an office manager. As founding partner, my responsibilities include firm financial management, budgeting, billing structure, and all personnel decisions including hiring, compensation structuring, and practice development.
Political Experience/offices held: None. First-time candidate.
Civic/Community involvement: President, Lee County Association for Women Lawyers (LCAWL), 2024-2026; Chapter Representative for LCAWL, Florida Association for Women Lawyers (FAWL), 2024-2026; Barrister, Calusa Inn of Court, 2022-2025; Member, Lee County Bar Association (LCBA); Member, Cape Coral Construction Industry Association (CCCIA); Member, SWFL Harmony Chamber of Commerce; Member, Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce; Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce Leadership Class of 2025; Guardian ad Litem and Attorney ad Litem, Twentieth Judicial Circuit and Sixth Judicial Circuit (approximately 8 years total); Pro bono representation via The Jane Network; Co-author, Concur or Object: Differing Viewpoints From Diverse Attorneys, monthly legal column, Cape Coral Sun; Super Lawyers Rising Stars, 2024-2026; FAWL Leader in the Law, 2025
Family: Married 13 years to Justin Rogers with 14th anniversary in August. Justin has one adult daughter who is currently attending college in Kentucky. Justin and I also lost three daughters — Ashlynn, Camille, and Calliope — to miscarriage. We have four dogs: Amaya, Crowley, Zack & Zeke. Zack and Zeke were foster-fails from Gulf Coast Humane Society.
Military Experience: None.
Website: karaforcapecoral.com
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Candidate name: Dan Sheppard
Age: 63
Education/degrees: High School/Vocational School
Occupation and place of employment: Palm Tree Farmer Owner/Operator: Farm #1 – Palm Source Pine Island, LLC; Farm #2 – Sheppard Landscape, Inc.; and Island Time Village
Time in the district in which you are running/years of residency: Resident since 1998, 28 years same home
Business experience applicable to the office you are seeking: I started my own business in 1984 as an Architectural Millwork Designer and manufacturer in New Jersey. Over the years it turned into a very large company where I manufactured for casinos, hospitals, large retail chains such as JCPenny’s, and USPS from Connecticut to Florida. I owned three retail stores until we decided to move to Florida. I started my business in Cape Coral, Sheppard Landscape in 1999. Palm Source Pine Island, LLC was started approximately 15 years ago which is a wholesale palm tree farm with many locations in Pine Island Florida. Growing and supplying palms to landscape companies in Florida, Texas, and the Bahamas.
I have 43 years of building, owning, operating, financing, and managing businesses.
Political Experience/offices held: Cape Coral City Council Member District 2 from 2020 – 2024; attending Cape Coral City council meetings for 24-25 years; While a city council member served on the MPO board of Lee County and CRA.
Civic/Community involvement: Helped create two non-profits: one for median beautification and one for Cape Coral botanical gardens; or the last eight years our family tradition on Christmas Eve is to distribute baked goods to all the Fire Stations, Police Department/911/EMS, Water/Sewer Plants, and the hospital.
Family: Married, wife Cathleen, six children: Ashley 38, Daniel 37, Dalton 28, Dante 22, Donovan 16, and Lena 12.
Military Experience: None
Website: Facebook: facebook.com/dan.sheppard.1650
Instagram: @dansheppard-capecoral