Jaycee Park closing for major improvements next week, won’t reopen until 2025

The City of Cape Coral has announced the upcoming closure of Jaycee Park to begin improvements that have been long in the planning stages.

The park will be closed to the public starting Tuesday, as planned major park renovations and improvements will commence. 

A construction fence will be installed, and site preparation will begin once the site is secured. 

Jaycee Park is expected to remain closed until the Fall of 2025.

The city said, “These significant upgrades will transform Jaycee Park, offering enhanced recreational facilities and new amenities for the community.”

Since last year, the city has been divided over Jaycee Park’s future. The city council has wanted to upgrade the park with food trucks, a bistro, a splash pad and a “wet-zone” for the consumption and sale of alcoholic beverages.

The city also planned to remove the giant Australian pines from the park because they are invasive to the Florida ecology.

However, Cape Coral neighbors have been against it every step of the way.

Some locals we spoke to within the last year said they planned to go to every meeting to keep Jaycee Park the peaceful place it is for them; however, others said they gave up going and are frustrated because they felt the city council didn’t listen to the city’s people.

Overall, residents felt that the city was not hearing their pleas. They filled out the city council meetings, created signs and handed out “Save Jaycee Park” T-shirts.

They said the people of Cape Coral never asked for Jaycee Park to change, and they didn’t understand why the council wanted to change it if it was supposed to be for the people.

Residents rallying for the park did not quit. They held events and made their stance known throughout the city.

In June, we talked to Kathleen Lopez at an event hosted by the Save the Jaycee Park organization.

“We want to keep the park as it was intended for the public general, not the public specific, not central groups, [but] public general,” said Lopez.

The most recent sign of change at Jaycee was the removal of memorial benches spread throughout the park.

Parkgoers were not happy with the decision, stating that many people come to the park to memorialize their families, who are engraved on their benches.

Now, with the park’s closure, residents will have to wait and see what happens.

• Read more on Jaycee Park:

• Proposal made to rename Jaycee Park
• Cape Coral City Council approves renovations for Jaycee Park
• Locals gather to protect Jaycee Park
• Cape Coral divided over future of Jaycee Park
• Cape Coral residents continue to fight for Jaycee Park
• Jaycee Park changes from a boater’s perspective
• Cape Coral City Council approves Jaycee Park design concept by 7 to 1 vote
• Man taken out of Cape Coral Council Chambers by police