Election 2026 | Question of the Week 13, District 4 | What city or council policy would you add, change or delete?
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: What city or council policy would you add, change or delete?
The following candidates are running for Cape Coral City Council set for District 4:
• Jennifer Nelson-Lastra (I)
I would strengthen the city’s policy for reviewing vacant positions. If a position has remained vacant for six months or longer, we should require a review of whether that position is still necessary before continuing to budget for it. That doesn’t mean eliminating positions we genuinely need, it means regularly reviewing staffing needs and putting taxpayer dollars where they are most needed. In a growing city, our budget policies should be just as intentional as our growth policies.
James Vargas
I would look at Cape Coral’s 180 mandatory utility connection policy. First council can revert back to Florida Statute 381.00655, which allows 365 days to connect. Next I would request council to look into grandfather options for homeowners with properly functioning septic systems. Subject to inspections and environmental safeguards, of course.