Who are they really working for? You decide.
To the editor:
Think the council isn’t going to “move” Four Freedoms Park or that they put the people first? Read this and make your own determination.
On Sept. 10, 2025, the CRA held its regular meeting. During the course of the meeting that focused on the proposed Bimini East project, the subject of “moving” Four Freedoms Park came up. Something they previously denied when I brought it up weeks ago.
During the discussion, we found out that the city manager had a meeting with a CRA Stakeholder Group consisting of business owners in the CRA — who they are, we don’t know. It was unclear when this meeting took place as these meetings are not, apparently, for the pubic to attend and are not listed the the “Meeting Agendas & Minutes” platform. Sunshine Law violation here? Just asking.
The dialogue starts at 1:25:32 in the meeting video available on the city website, just go to “Meeting Agendas & Minutes,” click on it, scroll down to “Past Meetings” then scroll down to and click on “Community Redevelopment Agency-Regular Meeting” and click on the Sept. 10 Video link and advance it to 1:25:32.
I am going to provide a (mostly) verbatim accounting of what our city manager said his “stakeholders” (business owners in the CRA) indicated “they were in strong support of relocating Four Freedoms Park. Language and terms they were using was tired and run it’s life. There was some discussion of the nature of people who utilize it are not what we want in the CRA. The only people who use it are kids.”
Seriously? When is it acceptable for a city manager denigrate a sector of our population in a public forum? Sounds like an elitist to me and someone who has no business being in public service, especially at his level. And remember, it was this very same city manager that demolished their housing and provided little to no help in relocating these people — including the poorest of the poor. If the park was “tired” why did they install what appears to be new playground equipment? And I guess it is perfectly acceptable for our mayor and city manager to take a park away from children to placate business owners or developers who will profit from it — all in the name of “the greater good.” Question is who benefits? Certainly not us. And you think the mayor is going to help save the current location of Four Freedoms Park? Hardly.
Just listen to his discussion on Four Freedoms Park that starts at 1:26:31 of the Sept. 10 meeting video. He indicated that the park was under utilized. Well, if you demolish the housing of people who did use it, what else would you expect? And he also talked about the park having better accessibility. It is just a ruse for them to justify “moving” it to a treeless lot somewhere within the Bimini East Proposed development. They will give us a park where they’ll plant tiny trees incapable of providing shade for a decade or more. Accessibility is just fine as is, there are two streets that lead into it right behind LMCU building. It couldn’t be easier and lots of parking.
It is one of the nicest parks and the very FIRST PUBLIC PARK in the city, lots of shade around the playground area from REAL, mature trees, no shade sails like they’re putting in most of the parks because they plant tiny trees incapable of providing shade for a decade or more. It has a nice grassy area and a small sandy area where you can sit in the sun or kids can build sand castles. It is not a true beach (Cape Coral has none and the Yacht Club “beach” is just sand along a polluted, algae-filled river). It is not a true beach where you can go into the water, in fact it is posted you cannot go in the water, yet the mayor and the city manager want to give it to developers, probably to create a “new and wonderful” waterfront attraction like another SlipAway to blare out loud music to disrupt nearby housing day in and day out.
WHY are this council and city manager so intent on destroying the history of Cape Coral? Enough already, many Cape residents cannot afford to go to these expensive venues you are ballyhooing. These venues are for the wealthy. Notice, the council NEVER puts these things anywhere near where they live. We no longer have a waterfront park that gives us the ability to go to a park that provides the peace and tranquility that Four Freedoms Park provides. But fear not! The city will destroy it.
My fear is they will do another vindictive Jaycee Park and Yacht Club demolition where they send in the heavy equipment in to destroy Four Freedoms Park so it can’t be put back, again sticking their collective fingers in our eyes. And based on past experience, the city WILL NOT COMPROMISE ON IT. Compromise is not in their vocabulary — at least not where citizens are concerned.
If Four Freedoms Park stands a chance of surviving as is and not given to developers, you all need to contact all council members, the mayor and the City Manager and CALL city hall to verbally express your objections. Remember, council members represent us all so you don’t only have to contact your district representative.
The phone number for city hall is 239-574-0436. Phone number for the city manager is 239-574-0451.
The emails for council, mayor and city manager are:
bsteinke@capecoral.gov; llehmann@capecoral.gov; ddonnell@capecoral.gov; jnelson-lastra@capecoral.gov; jkilraine@capecoral.gov; klong@capecoral.gov; rkaduk@capecoral.gov; jgunter@capecoral.gov; milczysz@capecoral.gov
Demand they leave Four Freedoms Park alone.
Thanks for listening and thanks for your participation in trying to stop the destruction of yet another park.
Maybe if we scream loud enough the fate of Four Freedoms Park will not end up like Jaycee Park and the Yacht Club.
Marie Kavanaugh
Cape Coral