Cape Coral residents starting a petition to park boats in driveways

One of the perks of living in Southwest Florida is the option to own a boat.

But where to store that boat? That’s another question.

A recent post in Cape Coral Facebook groups has some people wanting to start a petition to park their boats on their driveways.

“I don’t think it should be any issue,” said Bob Schmid, a Cape Coral resident.

Schmid owns a boat in the Cape. While he keeps his boat on his dock, he doesn’t mind boats parked elsewhere.

“I think that doesn’t bother me,” he said. “As long as the boats aren’t permanently kept there. They’re working on them and storing them for a short period of time. It’s not an eyesore.”

Nic Staub, a contractor in Cape Coral, said the issue is more complicated.

He understands why some want to park their boats in their driveways, but he feels this would create a snowball effect.

“If you let somebody park their boat, pretty soon we have work trailers, RVs, and other vehicles that are parked in the driveways,” Staub said. “It just turns into a mess.”

Staub, like others, is also concerned that the city might start to look messy.

“Every time I drive in Cape Coral, it’s a nice, clean neighborhood,” he said. “There’s not five cars that aren’t being driven, sitting in people’s driveways or yards.”

The city’s land development code currently says that people cannot park, store or keep their boats in the front or side yard.

A boat can be parked on a trailer in the backyard as long as the boat is kept clean.

This isn’t the first time this issue has been brought before the council.

Councilman Robert Welsh worked on a draft ordinance late last year that would have allowed boats to be parked on the side of people’s garages.

He did not gain any support from fellow council at that time.