The two candidates vying in the Cape Coral mayoral election, Lisa Cohen-Adkinson and Rick Erickson, have a lot to say.

Who is Cohen-Adkinson?

Cohen-Adkinson, 49, is a 36-year Southwest Cape Coral resident and 26-year local business owner of Valor Real Estate Services, Inc.

She moved to the city as a child and never left.

She describes herself as a “fighter” who is passionate about her community and home.

Who is Erickson?

Erickson, 63, has lived in the area since 1977, moving to Cape Coral in 1989.

He is retired after 32 years in the military as a Green Beret, Ranger, and Sergeant Major.

He is the recipient of a Purple Heart and engaged in overseas contract work involving emergency medicine, search and rescue, and dignitary protection after retiring in 2015.

Why is Cohen-Adkinson running?

“I saw who was on the ballot, and I was like no, I can do better,” Cohen-Adkinson said. “I understand the issues that are going on here in the city.”

She added that after 15 years of speaking out at city council meetings, she thinks joining the dais would let her work for what she calls positive change, specifically on development, infrastructure costs, and preserving Cape Coral’s character.

Cohen-Adkinson’s concerns

Cohen-Adkinson said her primary issue is that resident voices are not being heard by the city council. She adds that the council is pushing decisions too quickly.

“They are operating at warp speed right now to get as much through as possible,” Cohen-Adkinson said.

She said one issue is rapid development.

“The changing factor was obvious,” Cohen-Adkinson said. “It was Hurricane Ian. That was a big catalyst. They had lifted building moratoriums, and I knew Cape Coral was getting a facelift. I did not expect to see the development that we saw over these last five years.”

She worries that high-rises and other developments are changing the character of the city.

“You get to a place where there’s no sunshine on the parkway (Cape Coral Parkway),” Cohen-Adkinson said. “The buildings are so tall they cast a shadow now, and it’s the most heartbreaking part of my commute every single day.”

One project she said will do this is the Bimini Basin East mixed-use redevelopment project. The $500 billion project was approved Oct. 21 at a meeting by a 6-1 vote. The plan includes up to 900 residential units, 250 hotel rooms, a marina with 50 boat slips, restaurants, retail spaces, and medical offices.

Cohen-Adkinson said that aside from blocking more sunlight, it will also change the character of the city’s first park.

“They’re going to let us keep a third of it (the park), and it’s going to be two tennis courts and a playground,” Cohen-Adkinson said. “We’re not going to have trees. It’s not going to look anything like it does today.”
She said this is the last amenity in the city to reflect original Cape Coral and that if it’s altered, the city will lose more of the charm that made people move to it.

“I own a property management company,” Cohen-Adkinson said. “And they love to call me a developer, and it’s just the biggest joke that ever was because no one has spoken up more about the development in the city than I have.”

Cohen-Adkinson said it’s not that she doesn’t support development. She said she supports responsible development, and the council needs to shift its priorities.

“Where we need development is in the North Cape,” Cohen-Adkinson said. “They need development, right? So, they’re begging, they’re pleading for development out there. Stop with the high rises down here. I want to see the North Cape get what they need.”

While she acknowledges the need for development in the north, she said residents shouldn’t go bankrupt or lose their homes to pay for it. She links rising project costs to the possibility of families losing their homes, drawing on a memory from the 2007-2008 foreclosure crisis.

“It will affect the entire city, and I do not want to see that happen to my community,” Cohen-Adkinson said. “I’ve already been through that.”
One of those efforts is the Utility Expansion Projects (UEPs) and their increasing costs. She filed a lawsuit against the city, using personal funds, alleging the North UEP assessment structure does not adequately demonstrate that about $330 million in levies was fairly distributed among property owners.

Cohen-Adkinson said that if the city moves away from contracting outside services to perform tasks like UEPs, costs are bound to decrease.

“We have past projects that we have done right here in the Cape where certain things have been able to be handled in-house by our city staff,” Cohen-Adkinson said.

One project she references is the Bella Vida project in 2013, in which city staff successfully completed the water and irrigation connections to more than 400 homes.

On her campaign website, it states, “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.”

Overall, Cohen-Adkinson’s main concerns are increasing bills, citizen representation, and how city funds are spent.

Cohen-Adkinson’s promise

To address these concerns, Cohen-Adkinson said she would “open the books,” meaning plain budget language and an explanation of every fee before it’s on your bill, public forums and a resident vote before the city accumulates more debt, and putting residents first.

More information on Cohen-Adkinson’s promises and plans is available on her website.

“Well, I’m a fighter,” Cohen-Adkinson said. “There’s no doubt about it. Sometimes I got a little extra fire on me, a little extra spice, but really, it’s because I care. I love my community.”

Why is Erickson running?

Erickson, 63, has lived in the area since 1977, moving to Cape Coral in 1989.

He is retired after 32 years in the military as a Green Beret, Ranger, and Sergeant Major.

He is the recipient of a Purple Heart and engaged in overseas contract work involving emergency medicine, search and rescue, and dignitary protection after retiring in 2015.

He said he’s been all over the world to different countries and war-torn areas that needed infrastructure repair, or some that had no infrastructure, and worked on constructing or repairing police stations, hospitals, and other services while also training their police and military to defend what they had built.

Erickson is running for Cape Coral mayor because it’s his community, where he and his family live, and he believes it needs leadership and a clearer way forward.

After retiring, he decided to devote his time and experience to helping his community.

“I know I could take 32 years of my experience all over the world working with dignitaries, even warlords and community elders, just to figure out ways to make the community better, and I can do that here,” Erickson said. “I know as a mayor, I’ll bring my leadership and my skills.”

Erickson’s concerns

He said his ultimate concerns are transparency and that the council does not listen to citizens and their input on major initiatives.

“We want to bring back the voice to City Hall because a lot of times, they (residents) would want to speak and what would happen was they’d vote first and then ask them their opinion,” Erickson said. “It’s kind of crazy.”

He said the dais is supposed to have transparency and listen to residents’ opinions before they vote.

He also said rising prices associated with UEPs are a major concern, citing how he paid between $18,000 and $20,000 for his property to be attached to the city’s sewer system.

Other subjects include infrastructure, and he said that roads and traffic systems have not kept pace with population growth, raising concerns about turning lanes, traffic lights, and sidewalks near schools.

“We need to make room for something to do with this traffic and the lights and the turn lanes and the sidewalks for the school kids,” Erickson said. “I mean, it’s dangerous.”

He also linked canal sediment buildup to drainage problems and called for dredging.

“After Hurricane Ian, the canals got flooded and all the sediment washed back in,” Erickson said. “We got to dredge those. Once those things are backed up, the drainage is backed up as well.”

Erickson expressed frustration about unfinished projects, such as the Cape Coral Yacht Club, which was decimated during Hurricane Ian in 2022.

“We got to finish the stuff we started,” Erickson said. “There’s stuff out there that’s not finished yet.”

He raised concerns over environmental health, specifically citing canal health.

“When I first came down there, I think there was billions of fish all over the place,” Erickson said. “You don’t see that anymore.”

Erickson supports development but worries it will encroach on green space and animals.

“We can’t look like Miami or anywhere else where it’s all concrete,” Erickson said. “You don’t have any green spaces which people can go to parks and actually enjoy their time. We have turtles, we have owls and we have a lot of animals here. Where are they going to go?”

He also said rapid development could drown out decade-old small businesses.

“Let’s get some businesses (in) there, though let’s take care of the small business owners,” Erickson said. “If the big business come in, what happens to small businesses? They were here first. The mom-and-pop businesses are probably better because they actually care about the community. They’re not just here to make money and leave.”

He also questioned the number of car washes and storage units and said these properties could be used for other services while acknowledging property rights.

“We can’t tell people what to do on their property. It goes through planning. They pay all the permits. We can’t stop it unless they (the city) put a freeze on it.”

Erickson said the veterans’ clinic is not equipped to provide the level of hospital care some veterans need and must be transported north to Tampa or south to Miami. He advocates for making it a full-time veterans’ hospital, adding it could serve as another medical center during times of disaster.

Erickson’s promise

To help solve the UEP price increases, Erickson said he would seek state or federal grants, or even “some sort of emergency funding,” and involve more community members in writing grant applications.

To address transparency, Erickson proposes removing the three-minute limit on public comments, positioning cameras so viewers can see both the person speaking and the council, including whether council members are paying attention, and listening to residents before votes are made.

For more information on Erickson’s promises and plans, visit his website.

“When I get in office, I’m not doing this for campaigning,” Erickson said. “I’m doing this because that’s how I am—I can live off of my retirement, but I can’t sit back and watch this community need help and not get the proper leadership.”

Both candidates encourage every resident to vote in any way they choose so their voice is heard.

“I’m very passionate about my home,” Cohen-Adkinson said. “It’s not just my home; it’s my children’s home and if you want to see a different side of a woman, bring her kids into it. The claws come out and I will fight for them.”

“Everything we do is for your (the new generation’s) future,” Erickson said. “I’m doing this to help you and your future, my kids’ and their kids’ future. You got to vote. People fought and died so you can vote.”
The general election is slated for Nov. 3, and early voting ends Oct. 31.
More information can be found at lee.vote.

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