Cape Coral residents want to know why the iconic Yacht Club is taking so long to rebuild, and now city leaders say they need more money for the project.
It’s been over two years since Hurricane Ian devastated the landmark, leaving its buildings destroyed and the pier in ruins.
Tomorrow, Cape Coral City Council is set to vote on a resolution to approve $1,202,049.92 in additional preconstruction costs for the Yacht Club improvement project. If approved, this will bring the total preconstruction cost to $1,533,336.80.
The city’s vision for the Yacht Club is ambitious, featuring a Key West-inspired community center, two piers, pools, and resort-style amenities. Despite these plans, it's still unclear when construction will begin.
They also confirmed they are waiting on final permits from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), with no set timeline for approval.
“They say it’s permitting. I can understand that for the marine portion, but for the rest of the park? I don’t see why they can’t start building some of it right now,” said David Rebecca, who has lived in Cape Coral for 27 years. "We're watching parks being built everywhere, and this is our iconic park. This is Cape Coral."
Other residents, like Charis Garcia, also feel the Yacht Club should be the city's top priority.
“I remember a lot of people always coming here, loving the beach and hanging around. They really need to get working on it,” Garcia said.
The city has yet to provide clear answers about the overall cost of the project or give a more specific breakdown of pre-construction costs. Additionally, they did not respond to questions about why work can't start any earlier or give reasoning for why the permits are taking so long to get approved.
According to an NBC2 report published back in February of 2022, the city manager estimated the project to cost around $37 million and said officials had already started the permitting process.
The council will meet at 5 p.m. tomorrow at city hall.