Council supports Tropicana Park license for Cape Coral Rowing Club with fence and occupancy conditions

Parks Director Joe Petrella presented a term sheet for a 10‑year license allowing the Cape Coral Rowing Club to use roughly 11,300 square feet at Tropicana Park for equipment storage and youth/adult programs. Petrella explained the club is a 501(c)(3) that trains youth and adult rowers and asked for feedback on operational restrictions and improvements. "Cape Coral Rowing Club shall not make any additions, changes, alterations, or improvements to the premises without the prior written consent of the City Manager or City Manager's designee," staff said in the term-sheet summary.

Club representative Sandra described funding sources ("Our funding comes primarily from member fees"), seasonal schedules (about eight regattas and multiple competitions), and safety practices (two coach/safety boats). Council questions focused on visual buffering and neighbor impacts, the location and permanence of chase boats (staff said chase boats will be stored in the canal off the floating dock, not on the public dock), hours of operation (staff proposed slightly extended hours to allow tournament travel), and who will pay for fencing/landscaping (club responsibility; city not funding improvements beyond the park construction). Several council members supported pursuing a resilient perimeter wall or high‑quality fencing to conceal equipment and asked that the fence be constructed before occupancy.

Council also debated termination language in the draft (the term sheet included a termination-for‑convenience clause). The city attorney advised retaining a termination‑for‑convenience provision but council requested a longer notice period than the draft's 30 days; discussion settled around a 90‑ to 180‑day window, with several members favoring 6 months. Staff will return with a license that includes the agreed conditions (fence/landscaping, permitted hours with director exceptions for events, storage off the public dock, required insurance and safety-boat provisions).