To the editor:

I have written numerous letters regarding the mayor, Council and city manager putting development before the best interests and sustainability of the city. I can’t say I am surprised at the Editorials in last week’s Breeze.

Mayor Gunter is 100% all in on development to the benefit of developers, builders, and Realtors, not the citizens of Cape Coral. Mayor Gunter’s campaign funds primarily came from the Realtors Association, builders and developers and he owns a building company. It looks like you get what you pay for! Just consider what he has worked to pushed through: $4 billions of U.S. government money for new building after Ian, the car wash on the Mast Canal, land grab from Matlacha, building houses and commercial space on the old golf course, Seven Islands, demolition of the Yacht Club, multi-level and mix use developments in South Cape, Redfish Pointe development, $60 million dollar bond for parks — which wasn’t enough money — for a few. All while “deferring maintenance” throughout The Cape. And Gunter’s political leadership has ensured that he has pro-development staff around him, like the current acting city manager. Gunter’s actions are like Sherman’s march to the Caloosahatchee.

Many of our neighborhoods suffer neglect and blight with multiple cars parked on front lawns, vehicles abandoned in driveways, unkempt lawns and yards, and deteriorating buildings that were substandard before Ian. Our 400-mile canal system, which is our claim to fame, is undervalued and ignored. For example, the Mast Canal is a nursery for manatees and thriving with wildlife. This City doesn’t care — let them fill-in a canal for a car wash that would have been flooded during Ian; sending chemicals all the way to the Caloosahatchee and into our water system. Don’t worry about the increase in traffic. It’s OK to push commercial traffic into residential neighborhoods. Don’t worry about the light and sound pollution. Don’t worry about water quality or wildlife. Don’t worry about the health of the canal system. Don’t worry about quality of life or the devaluation of residential property. The city’s mantra is all development is good; commercial development is even better.

It doesn’t have to be no development vs. all development; there is middle ground. You can put commercial use at the end of a canal without filling it in or polluting the canal. You can keep the historical piece of the Yacht Club and still develop for the future. You can turn the old golf course into a park. You don’t need to invade Matlacha. You don’t need to develop the watershed. You can develop the South Cape without re-creating Miami. You can use Ian money for block grants to support and encourage maintenance. But to do that the city needs to listen to its citizens.

We are no longer on the lists of best places to live – over development is killing our City. We will all suffer the negative effects of overdevelopment and neglect. Listen to the Editors of the Breeze and Gloria Tate. Attend the Cape Coral City Council Meeting: June 7, 4:30pm, at City Hall, 1015 Cultural Park Blvd. Let them know if they don’t pull back from development at any cost; they will lose their seat in the next election. Save the Heart in Our City – Manage Development – Save Cape Coral!

Nancy Cavanaugh

Cape Coral