Election 2026 | Question of the Week 9, District 4
Each week through the General Election, The Breeze will ask the candidates for Cape Coral City Council an issue-related question. In the interest of fairness, each candidate is limited to the same amount of space, about 100 words, for their response.
Cape Coral City Council races are non-partisan races. Council members qualify in their respective districts but are elected at-large. This means all registered city voters may cast a ballot in each race regardless of where they live and the party to which they are affiliated, if any. This year’s General Election, on Nov. 3, features four Cape Coral City Council races: Mayor and the seats for District 1, 4 and 6.
Question of the Week: Where do you stand on the Bimini East Redevelopment Project as proposed?
The following candidates are running for Cape Coral City Council set for District 4:
• Jennifer Nelson-Lastra (I)
I do not support giving a blank check to any development proposal.
A CRA District’s purpose is to remove blight. I would want any city park included in the proposal to be deemed parks and rec in perpetuity. I want a project that is financially responsible, protects taxpayers, provides measurable public benefit, and reflects the needs and priorities of our residents. Before moving forward, I would expect clear financial projections, a transparent development agreement, defined performance standards, and safeguards against shifting costs or risks to taxpayers.
James Vargas
I support the vision for Bimini East and believe responsible redevelopment could be transformational for Cape Coral. However, supporting the vision does not mean automatically supporting every term of the agreement. Before committing additional public dollars or incentives, I want measurable performance requirements, development deadlines, taxpayer protections and safeguards for Four Freedoms Park. We must also understand the city’s total investment and expected return. I support bringing hotels, restaurants, businesses and jobs to Cape Coral, but any final agreement must demonstrate that the residents who helped fund this redevelopment are receiving a fair return on their investment.