City sets Public Hearing for Bimini East
Ordinance 55-26 Bimini Basin Development Agreement – CM2026037
Ordinance 55-26 – updated to include the exhibits
RFP Proposal – Bimini Basin Redevelopment Company LLC_7-29-26 COW
Final 2026 July 29 CRA Bimini East Redevelopment Presentation
A half-billion dollar development project proposed for the South Cape will come back to Cape Coral City Council for its first public hearing Wednesday.
The ordinance for the development of Bimini East is an agreement between the city and the developers, Crown Development and the Bimini Basin Redevelopment Company LLC.
There are three linked agreements: a development agreement, a purchase and sale agreement for the sale of city property to the developers, and a ground lease agreement for Four Freedoms Park.
As presented, the $500 million mixed-use project to be built on approximately 34 acres calls for 900 residential units, 250 hotel keys, 210,00 square feet of medical office, 55,000 square feet of general office, 130,000 square feet of ground floor retail and a marina with 50 boat slips.
The developers would pay the city $22.4 million for the 20.1 acres the city owns, plus another two acres to be acquired by the city through the South Cape Development Agency at a cost of $5.5 million each.
The original 20-plus acre parcel is comprised of 47 individual properties that the city bought site by site following Hurricane Ian at a cost of some $45 million. The total appraised value of the 22 acres is $42,999,504.
The land-lease agreement calls for the city and the developers to enter into a 99-year lease for $1 per year for Four Freedoms Park on the Bimini Basin, which offers direct access to the Caloosahatchee.
The project moved into a final negotiation phase last month after the city council approved a key funding element. The council, sitting as the Community Redevelopment Agency board of commissioners, approved a $45.7 million tax rebate for the project.
According to the Tax Increment Financing agreement, the rebate will run annually through 2042 or when $45.7 million is met, to be paid on a pay-as-you-go basis. Officials said this means the rebate is self-funded and self-generating by capital improvements that are performed
The TIF agreement has a completion trigger — no rebate would be provided until a certificate of occupancy is granted and the taxes are paid by the developers before delinquency each year.
If Crown Development underperforms, it will receive a smaller rebate, and if there is a late completion, there will be no rebate.
The second and final public hearing is set for Oct. 21.
In other business (subhead)
Consent agenda
• Resolution 261-26 is for the approval and ratification of the collective bargaining agreement between the city and the blue collar, white collar, non-supervisory professional and supervisory units of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. The year one agreement totals $4,884,932, an average of a 3.25% step and merit range up to 1.24%. For years two and three, the contract will reopen for wages.
Resolutions are part of the city’s consent agenda, meaning there will be no council discussion unless a member of the elected board “pulls” the item for discussion. Consent agenda items frequently include contract awards for requests for proposals solicited by the city, purchase orders, work authorizations and the like and are approved as a package.
New business
• Resolutions 284-26 and 285-26 are to authorize the continuation of the contract award process, “without further delay,” for the collection of solid waste, recyclables, horticulture and bulk waste.
The city issued a request for proposal on Feb. 20 for franchise collection services. There were three proposals when the solicitation closed on April 30. They were Coastal Waste & Recycling of Florida Inc., FCC Environmental Services Florida LLC and Waste Pro of Florida Inc.
According to agenda documents, the city issued a Notice of Intent to award the RFP to FCC Environmental Services Florida LLC due to its highest score on Aug. 6, “contingent on mayor and City Council approval.”
Coastal Waste & Recycling Inc. filed a formal protest and posted the required bond following the notice. The protest raised six issues.
Waste Pro of Florida Inc. also filed a formal protest that raised six issues.
On a related note, Resolution 246-26 is for the city council to elect to refer to the Department of Administrative Hearings the formal protest submitted by Coastal Waste & Recycling Inc. It filed a timely protest and paid a $5,000 protest bond.
Resolution 254-26 is for the city council to elect to refer to the Department of Administrative Hearings the formal protest submitted by Waste Pro of Florida Inc. It filed a timely protest and paid a $5,000 protest bond.
The current solid waste services contract is set to expire Sept. 30, 2027.
The Oct. 7 meeting begins at 4 p.m. in Council Chambers, at 1015 Cultural Park Blvd., Cape Coral.
The meeting is open to the public.