Cape Coral’s Seven Islands project faces scrutiny after mangrove removal

Work has been halted and a restoration plan is under review after protected mangroves were removed without the required authorization at Cape Coral’s Seven Islands project, also known as Gulf Gateway Resort & Marina.

The project site is along Old Burnt Store Road near the North Spreader. The South Florida Water Management District issued a notice of violation, directed that the work stop and is reviewing restoration measures submitted for the affected shoreline.

State and federal reviews are separate

The water district’s action is separate from the federal permitting process. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had not authorized the mangrove removal. In a July 6 communication cited by local reporting, the Corps said it was preparing its own notice of violation. That federal notice should not be treated as already issued unless the agency separately confirms it.

The distinction matters because different agencies oversee different parts of the project. Cape Coral issued a June 9 clearing permit, but city officials said the permit covered nuisance or invasive vegetation and did not authorize the removal of protected mangroves or shoreline work. The city also said mangrove regulation along the shoreline falls outside its jurisdiction.

Developer says removal was inadvertent

Gulf Gateway’s developer said the contractor was supposed to remove non-native invasive species. In a statement published by the Cape Coral Breeze, the developer described the mangrove removal as inadvertent and said restoration planning was underway.

The developer also said it was pursuing measures to control sediment and turbidity, including silt screens and turbidity curtains. Those steps remain part of a plan under review; they do not represent completed restoration.

For nearby residents and property owners, the unresolved questions include how much shoreline will need to be restored, who will perform and pay for the work, how long the review will take and whether state or federal penalties will follow.

Project approvals continue while environmental questions remain

The environmental dispute is unfolding alongside a broader development process. A City of Cape Coral Economic & Business Development Office report describes the Seven Islands proposal as a 47-acre project with residences, hotel and resort uses, commercial space, public amenities and a marina. State and federal permit applications remain part of the project timeline.

A July 15 report also said developers were proposing a community development district for Seven Islands. That proposal and related city approval steps show that local project activity continued while the restoration review remained unresolved. A proposed district is not the same as final authorization to build all of the project’s planned uses.

What happens next

The next milestones are approval or revision of the restoration measures, any state or federal enforcement action, the status of federal permits and additional city approvals. The final scope, timing and cost of restoration have not been settled in the available reports.

Until those issues are resolved, the Seven Islands project remains in a mixed status: its broader local approval process is moving forward, but the shoreline work has been stopped and key environmental and permitting questions remain open.

Key sources

• Cape Coral Breeze: Mangrove removal results in notice of violation
• Gulf Coast News/WBBH: Restoration plan under review