Cape Coral Rowing Club | City council got this one wrong
To the editor:
I’m writing as a parent and community member who left the recent vote on the rowing club not just disappointed-but stunned.
Let’s be honest: Our city council got this one wrong.
At Tropicana Park, the city has already invested significant taxpayer dollars into infrastructure that supports rowing-to the tune of $500,000. The program is not hypothetical — it is active, successful, and shaping the lives of local kids in the best possible way. And yet, despite clear evidence and firsthand site visits, as well as compelling arguments from council members Derrick Donnell, Rachel Kaduk, Jennifer Nelson-Lastra and Bill Steinke, four council members chose to turn away from what is working.
Councilmember Laurie Lehmann signaled earlier that week that she supported keeping the club at Tropicana with reasonable conditions. Days later, she reversed course and voted down the decision to move to Tropicana. Residents deserve an explanation for that shift.
And Mayor John Gunter has remained consistently opposed, even as the facts on the ground have become harder to ignore.
Meanwhile, the alternative being pushed — Crystal Lake Park — is not a viable rowing site. The slope, riprap, confined waterway, and proximity to a public boat ramp create real safety concerns and practical limitations. This is not speculation; it is common sense to anyone who has actually seen both locations.
What makes this especially difficult to accept is who is being affected.
These are kids who are doing everything right. They are waking up before dawn, committing to a team, staying active, and building discipline. Many of them showed up to that council meeting during spring break — when they could have been anywhere else — just to be heard. My own child came home discouraged, asking why adults would take something like this away from them.
That question deserves an answer.
This decision sends the wrong message-not just about fiscal responsibility, but about follow-through, fairness, and whether we truly support youth programs once they are established.
The good news is this: it’s not too late to fix it.
I urge our community to speak up. Contact council members. Attend meetings. Ask direct questions. Hold our elected officials accountable for decisions that impact not just budgets, but the lives of young people in this city.
Because right now, the message to these kids is that their commitment doesn’t matter.
We can, and should, do better!
Kristin Kish
Parent, Cape Coral Rowing Club