CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WINK) — After 555 days behind fences, Jaycee Park sounded like a park again Thursday.
Kids ran through the splash pad. Families walked the new waterfront. Neighbors who watched years of construction, concern and debate got their first real look at a park that now looks, sounds and feels different.
Jaycee Park, located at 4215 SE 20th Place, officially reopened to the public on Thursday after a major renovation.
The City of Cape Coral says the park’s official ribbon-cutting is scheduled for Friday, May 8, at 10 a.m. The event is open to the public, and no reservation is required.
For many families, opening day was simple.
“It’s different, and it’s fun,” 8-year-old Duke Greenwell said after spending part of his day at the splash pad.
Duke said he thought everyone around him was having fun “because there’s a lot of people and they’re running around crazy.”
For some of the neighbors who watched the park change, the feelings were more complicated.
“We’ve got a lot of fond memories here, and we’re delighted that it looks very nice,” Ron Long said.
Long lives near Jaycee Park and has lived in Cape Coral for 12 years. He said he used to walk to the old park often and remembers the shade, the events and the feeling of a neighborhood gathering place.
“We all kind of feel it got started a little prematurely, but it’s here. Accept it. It’s nice,” Long said. “The colors are great.”
The reopening marks a major milestone for one of Cape Coral’s oldest parks.
In a statement to WINK News, the City of Cape Coral said Jaycee Park is approaching 50 years since it first opened. Over time, the city said the park faced aging infrastructure, invasive trees along the shoreline and throughout the park, and limitations with parking and pedestrian access.
The city said the goal of the project was not only to address those issues, but to reimagine Jaycee Park as a more accessible, family-friendly waterfront destination for residents and visitors.
The renovated park cost $18.7 million, according to the city.
The city says the rebuilt park includes a lighted riverfront boardwalk and overlook, upgraded pathways with cooling misters, native landscaping, enhanced accessibility, a large inclusive playground, special-needs adult changing stations, a 5,000-square-foot splash pad, shaded picnic areas, a bandshell for performances, cornhole, pool, shuffleboard, beach volleyball and large areas of green space. The city’s project page also lists a dedicated food truck court offering food and beverages as “coming soon.”
That unfinished food area matters to some parkgoers.
When 11-year-old Delaney Greenwell was asked what she thought was missing, she said, “Probably like some food, and not much more than just food, because it’s already amazing.”
The city told WINK News the dedicated food truck court offering food and beverages is tied to the Bistro Concessionaire agreement and is still coming soon.
For now, kids found plenty to do.
Aubrey Petralia, who is turning 12 and going into sixth grade, said the park looked “way different” when she arrived Thursday. She said she remembered more trees before, but likes the new version because there are more things to do.
“More things to do, I guess, the volleyball net and the water park,” Aubrey said.
She said the park gives kids a place to “run around, get exercise” and play ball. When asked how she would describe the park to someone who had not been there yet, she said, “There’s a lot to do and there’s never-ending fun.”
That kind of reaction is what the city says the renovation was meant to create.
In its statement to WINK News, the city said it has received positive input from residents who have visited the park firsthand. The city pointed to one resident who uses a walker and shared that he was previously unable to navigate the park because of uneven paths, but can now comfortably enjoy the space because of the improved accessibility.
The city said stories like that highlight the broader goal of the project: creating a park that is welcoming and usable for everyone.
For Diane Koza, who lives across the street from Jaycee Park and has watched the park change, the first walk through the finished space brought relief.
“I couldn’t be happier with the way things have turned out here at Jaycee Park,” Koza said. “I walked through first thing this morning, and it was serene and peaceful and just beautiful. It feels like Florida.”
Koza said she understood why neighbors were worried before the park reopened.
“I was concerned. You know, like a lot of us in the neighborhood, we were concerned,” Koza said. “We didn’t know what was going to happen. You’re always afraid of the unknown.”
The old Jaycee Park had pine trees, walkways and a smaller playground. Koza said that old version helped draw her to the neighborhood. But after seeing the finished renovation, she said the new park feels alive.
“You can hear the kids laughing and playing in the background, seeing families enjoying each other,” Koza said. “It’s vibrant. It’s alive.”
The reopening also comes after years of debate over what Jaycee Park was and what it should become.
The City of Cape Coral says the project addressed aging facilities, invasive trees, and parking and pedestrian challenges. The city’s project page says invasive and unhealthy trees were removed, while many healthy native trees were preserved or relocated, and new native landscaping was added to help establish shade and improve safety.
Shade remains one of the issues neighbors and parkgoers are still watching.
Koza said she has heard people complain there is not enough shade, but believes the park needs time.
“These trees are young. They’ll grow,” Koza said.
Delaney Greenwell said the shade was “pretty good,” but said the turf still gets hot where the shade coverings have openings.
“I feel like it’s pretty good, but like the little slits that are open, it gets really hot on the turf,” Delaney said.
The city’s online project updates show construction work continued through early 2026, with final work including landscaping, signage, volleyball equipment, furnishings, pavilions, bandshell and bistro work, plumbing fixtures, irrigation and final inspections. The city’s April update said construction was complete and the park would open April 30.
Long said he wanted to see how the new boardwalk looked and how future pieces of the park would fit into the surrounding neighborhood.
“What I was expecting is far beyond what I expected to see,” Long said. “There’s been a lot of controversy about the old JC Park.”
He said he believes the park will be a positive addition for Cape Coral, but also said the next test is how the city manages the park as it gets busier.
“I do think they got it right, maybe better than right, but evidence will make that clear based on how they monitor the sound,” Long said.
That is the next chapter for Jaycee Park.
The park is open. Families are back. The splash pad is running. But the food truck court and concession area are still coming soon, the new trees still need time to grow, and neighbors say they will be watching how the city handles crowds, parking, noise and special events.
“I want to be a good neighbor,” Long said. “And I hope the City of Cape Coral will be a good neighbor.”
For Delaney, the park’s future is easier to picture.
“Whenever I’m older… whenever I get kids, I can bring my kids here, and they can enjoy it just like I did whenever I was little,” she said.
Jaycee Park is open now. The official ribbon-cutting is set for Friday, May 8 at 10
