Jillian Haggerty
•6/16/2026
CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WINK)—A growing controversy is unfolding at the Seven Islands development site after neighbors discovered hundreds of feet of mangroves had been removed along the waterfront.
The removal happened despite the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers telling WINK News no mangroves had been approved for removal as part of the project's ongoing permit review. The community is now demanding answers, questioning why it happened and whether the environmental damage can be repaired.
What was once a dense stretch of mangroves along Cape Coral's Seven Islands waterfront is now a clearing of exposed shoreline. David Scott and Nate Bliss live nearby and say they were shocked when they noticed heavy equipment working along the water's edge and what was left.
"If you were on a boat close on there it is just a mess," Bliss said.
Scott said he initially assumed the work had been permitted.
"My automatic assumption is that, wow, they got their permit, but I was just talking to the guy the other day that said that the permit is a long way off for the sea walls here," Scott said.
The Army Corps of Engineers tells WINK News it currently has a permit application under review for the Seven Islands project, but that the application is in a withdrawn status pending a design change. The Corps also says no mangroves were approved for removal.
According to the agency, no formal stop-work order was issued. Instead, after learning about the work, a representative for the developer visited the site and advised the contractor to stop.
"I'm trying to give the developer the benefit of doubt, but it's, it's like, man, nobody would have, I don't think anybody would have done this knowingly or willingly, you know," Scott said.
The concern goes beyond the plants themselves. Mangroves play a critical role in protecting shorelines, filtering water, providing habitat for marine life and reducing storm surge during hurricanes.
"Why this is blowing up this way. Why doesn't somebody just man up, say we made a mistake, let's mitigate it. Let's correct it," Bliss said.
WINK News reached out to the developer for answers about the mangrove removal, whether the work was authorized and what steps may be taken to restore the area. The city of Cape Coral says it is not involved in any work stoppage and directed questions to the developer and Army Corps.
