With hurricane season just around the corner, some Cape Coral homes are already covered in storm shutters. But the truth is, many never took them down in the first place.
And according to city officials, there’s not much stopping them. After Cape Coral Councilwoman Rachel Kaduk brought up the complaint's she's getting from residents about keeping windows boarded up, city leaders are planning a conversation about shutter rules and enforcement.
Cape Coral does have a rule on the books that says shutters need to come down within 90 days after a named storm. But it only applies to the South Cape and Mixed-Use Bimini zoning districts.
In the rest of the city? No citywide regulation and no timeline. Some residents say keeping shutters up is an eyesore and a fire safety hazard. Others argue it's a homeowner's property rights and shouldn't be up to the city.
"I used to go back and forth to New York State, and so I would put up all the shutters before I left and went home in the spring and leave them up," said Harold Perau. "It's a good idea. I don't think a person should be penalized for it. That's why I say it's discretionary."
Others like Lisa Rigoni, who has several homes in her Southeast Cape Coral neighborhood with shutters up most of the year, says she is tired of looking at them.
"I think there should be a time limit on how long you can leave them up after the season, I don't think they should be able to stay up all year round or, you know, six months at a time," said Rigoni.
According to the city, not a single violation was issued in all of 2024, even in the areas where the rule does exist.
"I do think that with the inconsistencies, we need to nail down what exactly our code is citywide," said Councilwoman Kaduk. "I definitely don't want to infringe on property rights. But we have to legislate for the whole city, not just those that get the luxury of owning second homes. There is a cost when you own a second home. And unfortunately, sometimes that's when the hurricanes come in and got to pay to put up shutters."
City leaders say the topic will come up at the next Committee of the Whole meeting.
No vote will be taken, but it could kick off a bigger conversation about what’s fair, what’s enforceable, and whether Cape Coral needs a rule that applies citywide.
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