Cape Coral developer says contractor mistakenly removed mangroves

CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WINK)—Developers of the 47-acre 7 Islands project say mangroves were removed by mistake at the future development site in northwest Cape Coral.

Gulf Gateway, the project's developer, told WINK News a contractor mistakenly removed the mangroves while only authorized to clear invasive species. The 7 Islands project will bring a hotel, condos, restaurants and a marina to the area.

Mark Fry lives directly across from the future development site.

"I think it's a good move for Cape Coral. However, my biggest concern is if you know the area, there's not much infrastructure to support," Fry said.

Fry and other neighbors expressed concerns about traffic once construction begins.

“I want to make sure that you know there's not people running up and you know, trucks, utility vehicles running up and down Burnt Store Road, Old Burnt Store Road here, you know, at 630 in the morning to get a jump, you know, on things." Fry said.

Some neighbors who did not want to appear on camera told WINK News they are excited about the possibility of their home values increasing, but are also concerned about the increased traffic.

In a statement, Gulf Gateway said the mangroves were removed by mistake and the contractor was only authorized to clear invasive species:

“Gulf Gateway Resort & Marina LLC was deeply concerned to learn that mangroves were mistakenly removed from the Seven Islands property. The vegetation work that was underway on the property by the contractor was intended to be strictly limited to the removal of invasive exotic species, including Australian Pine and Brazilian Pepper…”

Neighbor David Scott said he believes the removal was unintentional.

"It's our opinion it was probably a mistake," Scott said.

Scott said he is now worried about the exposed shoreline left behind.

"There's absolutely no reason to create that potential for erosion and sedimentation into the canal," Scott said. "There's no need whatsoever to do this disturbance to the bank until you know you're going to get that federal permit in hand."

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told WINK News a federal permit application was withdrawn because of design changes. The developers said the change has nothing to do with the mangroves or clearing work.

The city of Cape Coral and the Army Corps told WINK News they have not issued stop-work orders.

"We support the Seawall design here. It's very forward thinking and visionary, and we look forward to the developer complying 110% with the constraints of development," Scott said.

Gulf Gateway said the current timeline is an ongoing process with many components across the seven Islands. The company said it is working with several local and federal agencies on next steps.