Campaign Plan

Nine Commitments to the Residents of Cape Coral

These are not promises made at a podium for the first time. They are the next chapter of a 15-year public record — backed by documented results and accountable governance.

Foundation First — That's the Agenda

Lisa is not here to slash and burn. The foundation is protected. What stops is the waste.

Infrastructure

City Employees

Essential Departments

Fire & Police

Administrative Bloat

Unaudited Contractor Fees

Hidden Non-Ad Valorem Fees

Unrecoverable CRA Debt

Green = Protected. Red = Under Review.

The Plan

Three steps to a city that answers to you

Open the books

Plain-language budgets and a public explanation of every fee before it hits your bill.

Stop the debt spiral

Public forums and a resident vote before the city takes on major new debt. No exceptions.

Put residents first

Every decision measured by one question: does this make life better for the people who live here?

Do nothing, and the debt, the fees and the ribbon-cuttings keep coming. Join the team, and Cape Coral gets a Mayor who works for the people who live here.

Commitment 01

Residents First — Not Developers

The families who live here come before the firms that profit from here.

Homeownership incentives that help working Cape Coral families buy — and stay
Development accountability that puts existing residents ahead of new projects
Affordability-focused policy that does not price out the people who built this community

“My 15-year track record reflects the difference between serving people who live in homes and profiting from the people who build them. Check that record.”

Commitment 02

15+ Years as Cape Coral's Watchdog

This is not Lisa's introduction to Cape Coral politics — it's her next step.

Public Safety Building: $110M budget → $23M delivered → $87M returned to taxpayers
Fought rental registration fees that would have burdened property owners and renters
Challenged council stipend increases on the public record
Stood up for city employees facing insurance spikes and benefit cuts
15+ years of consistent, documented advocacy — property rights, financial transparency, resident-first policy

“I didn't need a campaign to fight for this city. I've been doing it for free, for years, because it was the right thing to do.”

Commitment 03

Fiscal Accountability — Your Money, Your Answers

Cape Coral's budget grew 13.3% in a single year. Residents deserve to know why.

Total city budget: $1,095,678,548 — a 13.3% increase from FY2023
Outstanding debt: $814M (as of 9/30/22) — projected to exceed $1.1B with FY2024 issuances
$298M in new debt authorized in FY2024 alone
Water & sewer rates: up 18% YoY, projected up another 20%+ by FY2026
Fire Service Assessment: jumped 39.6% in a single year — from $30.9M to $43.2M
Department-by-department review with one standard: Does this serve residents, or the institution?

“They gave us $110 million on the Public Safety Building and we did the job for $23 million. Cape Coral deserves that same standard applied to every dollar — and I intend to deliver it.”

Commitment 04

Bimini Basin East — A $45 Million Question

City leadership knew this debt could not be recovered. Who benefits? Taxpayers deserve an answer.

CRA purchased 20-acre Bimini Basin East for $45M in city commercial debt — post-Hurricane Ian
City-owned land designated 'Blight' to justify the acquisition
Interest payments covered by the General Fund — meaning Cape Coral property taxpayers
Purchase justified as benefiting neighboring Bimini Square private development
Full public accounting within the first 100 days as Mayor

“Did the Bimini Square developer contribute anything to offset the $45 million burden placed on taxpayers? If not — why not? As Mayor, I will get that answer publicly.”

Commitment 05

UEP Reform — Keep It in the Cape

Cape Coral's own skilled infrastructure team can do this work. Why are we outsourcing it?

Full feasibility review of UCD's capacity to absorb contracted UEP work in-house
Exploration of a new UCD division — staffing, structure, and cost savings
Complete review of UEP contracting practices and external pricing vs. in-house cost
Reform of interest rates charged to homeowners who cannot immediately pay full UEP assessments
Full forensic audit of the UEP

“This isn't about doing more with less — it's about doing more for our own people. Keep the work here. Keep the wages here. Keep the money here.”

Commitment 06

Public Safety — Unwavering Support

Cape Coral is one of Florida's safest large cities. That distinction is not for sale.

Cape Coral Police: $71.7M budget | 415 sworn officers | CALEA Accredited | 295,526 calls
Cape Coral Fire: $83M budget | 289 firefighters | 11 stations | 30,061 calls for service
Every dollar allocated to Fire and Police goes to protecting residents — not administrative overhead
The best protection for first responders is a fiscally sound city that never faces emergency cuts

“Safe neighborhoods are the foundation of everything else. That is non-negotiable.”

Commitment 07

Streamlining Permitting for Every Resident

Too slow. Too expensive. Too many unclear answers. This gets fixed.

Modernize permitting infrastructure with better technology and clear guidelines
Provide city staff the tools and training to process faster and more accurately
Set realistic, accountable timelines that every resident, contractor, and business can rely on
Eliminate the bureaucratic bottlenecks that cost Cape Coral families time and money

“The problem isn't the people in the permitting department. The problem is a system that hasn't kept pace with Cape Coral's growth.”

Commitment 08

City Employees & the Residents First Hiring Plan

Cape Coral's 2,296+ employees are not the problem. They are the foundation.

All future city contracts to carry a minimum 30% local workforce requirement
Priority given to Cape Coral homesteaders — people who own property here and have real skin in the game
City employees treated with the respect they have earned serving this community
No more 103-position additions without public justification before approval

“When residents win, employees win too. That's not a threat — that's an invitation.”

Commitment 09

Transparency & Government Accountability

If you need to read 342 pages to understand your tax bill — that's camouflage, not transparency.

Accessible, plain-language budget reporting — every fee, every assessment, every tax on one page, every year
Public forums before major expenditure or debt decisions are finalized
No development spending that benefits private interests at public expense without full community input
Accountability in how city-adjacent media platforms are used and funded
Quarterly public debt management report from the Finance Director — not annually

“I will put every dollar on one page.”

On the $250K Homestead Exemption

Yes — Lisa supports it. Full stop.

Cape Coral homeowners deserve every dollar of relief they can get. But voters deserve the complete picture.

The exemption reduces your ad valorem taxable value — which is real, meaningful relief. But it does nothing for non-ad valorem assessments — the flat fees that have been climbing fastest:

▶Fire Assessment: up 39.6% in a single budget cycle
▶UEP: infrastructure assessments handed to outside contractors believed to be grossly overcharging
▶Water & Sewer: up 18% year-over-year

The play: city reduces ad valorem taxes, applause is loud. Then, quietly, non-ad valorem fees absorb the difference. You celebrate savings that never actually arrive.

That will not happen under Lisa's watch.

Judge Her on the Record

These commitments are grounded in 15 years of documented public advocacy. Not a single one of them is new — they're the logical next step.

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