Cape Coral rowing club's Tropicana Park storage plan faces neighborhood opposition

CAPE CORAL, Fla. —

The Cape Coral Rowing Club is seeking approval to store its boats and equipment at Tropicana Park, but the proposal has drawn mixed reactions from neighbors.

"Everybody in Cape Coral that I have talked to has had the same reaction to this situation. They just can't believe it's happening and believe it is absurd," said Cape Coral resident Larry Kegley.

The rowing club, which teaches adults and children, has helped some participants go on to compete in college.

"Well, I think we're just at a point now where people need to clearly understand that, you know, when you're a rowing club and your equipment doesn't fit on top of your vehicle, in the back of your pickup truck, in your garage, or even in your backyard when you are denied a place to operate, you are, in fact, closing down the organization," said Saundra Weston, a rowing coach with the club.

Weston said the licensing agreement for the storage site has been in the works for years but has faced repeated delays. Club members lobbied the city council to support the agreement during a recent meeting.

Some neighbors, however, are unhappy with the idea.

"Well, I'm glad the park is nearing completion, and it’s exciting to have something like that in our neighborhood, but I'm against using public property for a private entity. I'm not sure if there's any money involved in, you know, who's going to keep the upkeep, but just actually giving property to a public entity doesn't seem right to me," said Cape Coral resident Will Brewer.

City council members discussed the possibility of adding a vegetative barrier to block off the proposed storage site at Old Burnt Store Road and Tropicana Parkway. Many residents have suggested that the rowing club relocate to Crystal Lake instead.

"Well, Crystal Lake is just not an area that we can put a boat into. Frankly, not right now. As it stands, I did. I physically went out there, I checked the shoreline. The shoreline is incredibly steep. It's about 12 feet from the top flat area down to the shore. The shore is coated with riprap and mangroves. So there has to be so much mitigation there," Weston said.

The city council is expected to discuss the next steps regarding the rowing club's proposal at a future meeting. This weekend, the rowing team will compete in the Florida State Championship in Sarasota.

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