We, the undersigned residents and stakeholders of the City of Cape Coral, respectfully submit this petition to the Mayor, City Council, and Development Services Department to demand immediate reform of permitting practices and modernization of the Land Development Code (LDC).

1. End the “Find a Way to Say No” Culture

Many residents have experienced a pattern where staff seem to search for reasons to reject applications rather than work collaboratively toward compliance. This approach causes unnecessary delays, discourages investment, and erodes public trust. The City should adopt a “help find a way to say yes” philosophy, working with applicants to resolve issues efficiently.

2. Enforce Accountability for Review Times

The City routinely sets far-reaching review timeframes — often stretching weeks or months — and then fails to meet those deadlines. This creates uncertainty for homeowners, contractors, and businesses, and adds unnecessary costs to projects. There is currently no effective accountability mechanism to ensure reviews are completed within reasonable, predictable timeframes. We call for:

• Firm deadlines for all review disciplines, not just those covered under state statutes.
• Public tracking of review progress and adherence to timelines.
• Clear consequences when deadlines are missed without valid cause.

Timely reviews are essential for maintaining trust, encouraging investment, and keeping Cape Coral competitive with other municipalities.

3. Update the LDC to Match High-End Municipal Standards

Cape Coral has evolved into a desirable, high-value community and should have development standards to match. Cities like Naples, West Palm Beach, Sarasota, and Boca Raton maintain clear, modern, and attractive codes that encourage high-quality growth. Cape Coral’s LDC should be reviewed and rewritten to reflect the community we want for our future.

4. Correct the Misclassification of Covered Entry Features

City staff have recently classified a covered, architecturally integrated entryway — designed for safe, dry drop-off in one of the rainiest places in the country — as a prohibited “carport.”

The LDC defines a carport as a structure “designed or used for the storage of motor-driven vehicles”. This clearly refers to utilitarian vehicle storage structures, not covered residential entryways that are an intentional part of a home’s architecture.

We respectfully request that the governing body — whether the Development Services Director, Special Magistrate, or City Council — interpret the LDC in a way that reflects this distinction, and amend the code to explicitly allow such features.

We call on City leadership to:

• Adopt a customer-service-driven approach to permitting.
• Enforce reasonable and accountable review timelines.
• Modernize the LDC to match Florida’s most respected high-end municipalities.
• Clarify and amend the LDC so covered, architecturally integrated entry features are expressly permitted.

This petition will be delivered to the Mayor, City Council, and Development Services Department of the City of Cape Coral.