CAPE CORAL, Fla. — It's been a busy week in Cape Coral, and Fox 4 is breaking down a few of the top stories.
CAPE CORAL YACHT CLUB
On Wednesday, Cape Coral City Council pushed forward with the yacht club demolition. They're looking to spend no more than $1 million on a company to tear it all down — that includes the ballroom, Tony Rotino Center and courts.
Councilman Tom Hayden said because of FEMA's 50% rule, it has to be demolished or brought back up to code. He wanted it to be renovated.
"I knew how much it meant to people, how they grew up there," Hayden explained. "It was the only activity, the only place to go for those that grew up here in the 60s and 70s."
On Wednesday, he was outvoted by the rest of council to move forward with finding a company to tear it down.
Hayden believes the renovations would cost less than tearing it down.
"I have to move forward and make sure some part of that history and the yacht club is incorporated with the design of the building," he said.
A stakeholders group, made up of community members, will take a tour of the area next Wednesday to see what they would like to keep for the new design.
Hayden said demolition should be done by January or February.
CAPE CORAL PARKWAY FLOODING
City Council is also looking for a way to make Cape Coral Parkway more resilient to flooding from hurricanes and thunderstorms. Council is moving forward with a grant application to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The grant will allow a study to look at the city's vulnerabilities such as infrastructure, power grids and water supply.
Brittany Sims lives off of Cape Coral Parkway and got a firsthand look at Ian flooding.
"There was a roaring river going down the road here and it was chaos pretty much," she said. "Pretty scary honestly."
Water came into her home about thigh deep. She's lived here all her life and said she never sees the water get over Cape Coral Parkway.
"Sometimes in the back roads there's a little bit of flooding, but nothing that the little retention ponds can't handle.
She says she's unsure if the study would potentially help her protect her home from flooding again.
"Every end street there's a canal. I mean, how are they really going to protect us from the water coming in that way," Sims said. "Maybe put a higher seawall up or better drainage."
The grant application shows the study will help Cape Coral officials understand the risks and prioritize resiliency efforts. It's not known how long the study will take or when those efforts would start.
BACONFEST 2023
Get ready for a whole lot of bacon. The city's 9th annual BaconFest is happening on Aug. 19 from 7 to 11 p.m. in downtown Cape Coral.
For $30, you can hop on a trolley and visit 11 different restaurants serving one drink and one bacon appetizer. After visiting them, you decide who wins.
You can buy tickets here or learn more about the event.
