No-brainer
To the editor:
Rowing clubs all over the country practice in busy waterways.
Meanwhile, here in Cape Coral, it’s a classic case of Not in My Backyard.
The so-called safety issue – which became the concern of convenience when the aesthetics argument was rendered obsolete – has been debunked.
Agencies like FWC and local law enforcement are more than capable of handling boat traffic concerns, and certainly more qualified to do so than a neighborhood association with an agenda. And once that becomes clear to the association’s leadership team, it’ll be on to the next bullet point that they think will get temporary traction and make for a good AI image or two.
Parking, perhaps?
Meanwhile, the traction is real for city residents tuning in to see how their tax dollars may be squandered and their other concerns ignored.
At the April 15 meeting, a council member claimed to be working on solutions. But these supposedly zero-dollar finagled solutions bring in legal and ethical concerns and should not be backdoor deals brokered on city property.
Lest we forget, the council voted in 2020 to approve Tropicana Park as the rowing club’s home for a leased fee.
Both Tropicana Park and Crystal Lake Park were included in the GO Bond Portfolio. In fact, Crystal Lake Park was permitted BEFORE Tropicana Park, so if Crystal Lake Park is really the PERFECT location and Tropicana Park is SO DANGEROUS, why weren’t efforts made to include the floating docks in the Crystal Lake plans in the first place?
Seems like a no-brainer.
Years have passed between design and permitting on both projects and there’s been a LONG window of opportunity to make changes that could have saved a fortune.
The final regulatory permit was received in July 2024 and the bid package for Tropicana Park, including the floating dock system, was sent out. On Oct. 30, 2024, at a regular council meeting, Resolution 350-24 was on the consent agenda. This was the resolution to award the Tropicana Park contract to Burke Construction Group at a taxpayer cost of $4.7 million dollars.
The state-of-the-art dock system both accommodates the rowing club’s needs and is a public asset designed with all kinds of non-motorized watercraft in mind.
The bottom line is simple: Taxpayers deserve an explanation for why those council members voted FOR the amenity in October 2024 and are voting against the amenity now, AFTER the money has been spent.
If you were a YES vote when it was time to spend the money, you need to justify a half-million dollar reason to taxpayers – not the homeowners association – why you’re a NO vote now.
Taxpayers deserve answers and transparency.
Danielle Fitzsimmons
Cape Coral