To compensate for a potential $1.6 million budget deficit in Fiscal Year 2027, Cape Coral, Fla., city leaders considered an 80% increase to parks and recreation programming fees, but community members pushed back against the increase which would impact youth athletics, camps and vendors.
Cape Coral’s deputy director of Parks and Recreation told Wink News in an email that the fees would be adjusted based on “how long the organization uses the field. The intent is to move toward full cost recovery for field usage, including lights, water, sewer, and other facility-related expenses.”
For groups like the Cape Youth Football Association, that means annual fees would increase from $1,500 to $12,000, and those prices would be passed straight to families at the registration desk. Under the proposed increases, the Cape Coral Soccer Association could see prices rise as high as $53,463.
At a Cape Coral City Council meeting on Monday, association leaders, community members and parents pushed back against the fee increases and advocate for the importance of youth sports. Cape Coral Breeze described a room with emotions running high as speaker after speaker stood to oppose the motion. Even Cape Coral mayor John Gunter publicly opposed the fee increase.
“Not one council member sitting up here asked for this to be on the agenda. When it comes to the parks and recreation fee adjustments, that is being proposed by staff,” Mayor John Gunter said. “We asked the city manager to bring back options, so we can keep our millage rate at 5.1471 mills. We are trying to keep the millage rate at the same place it is today.”
As a result of the tremendous pushback from community members and families, the City Council took the option off the table, and committed to maintaining the parks and rec fees at their current cost structure.
