Time to move forward

Time to move forward Nov 12, 2026 3 min read To the editor: Time to put the trash talk and the anger down and actually live the Cape Coral we already have. The fights over collection contracts, assessments, growth, audits, and who said what in a meeting are real, and they matter. But they are not the whole story of this city. Cape Coral was built around a lifestyle most places only sell in brochures: more than 400 miles of canals, direct access to the Gulf, parks that feel like private clubs, and the kind of everyday waterfront living that still surprises people who move here. That lifestyle is already here. The sunsets over the canals do not pause for the next city council agenda. The morning boat ride, the walk through Festival Park or the Yacht Club, the evening on the lanai while the kids or grandkids jump in the water — these things keep happening whether the latest RFP is perfect or the latest ordinance is still being argued. The quality-of-life is not waiting on the next election or the next lawsuit; it is already in the water, the weather, and the people who chose to build a life around both. The anger has a purpose when it is aimed at fixing something specific and then steps aside. When it becomes the default setting-when every conversation turns into a score-settling exercise about who is right about trash, assessments, or development — it starts taxing the very thing people moved here to protect. Neighbors stop talking to neighbors. The city starts to feel smaller than its canals. That is the real cost of permanent trash talk: It shrinks the place you are trying to improve. A practical shift looks simple: • Keep pushing for accountability on the issues that actually affect daily life (collection reliability, infrastructure costs, growth that matches services). • Then deliberately close the laptop, leave the comment section, and use the canals, the parks, and the evenings. The quality of life is not theoretical. It is measurable in how many days you actually get on the water or sit outside without the argument running in the background. • Treat the political fights as maintenance work, not the main event. Maintenance is necessary; it is not the reason most people chose Cape Coral. Cape Coral still offers a version of Florida living that is hard to find elsewhere at this scale-water access for ordinary homeowners, space to breathe, and a community that can still decide to enjoy what it already built. The trash talk and the anger will still be there tomorrow if they are needed. They do not have to occupy tonight. The canals, the parks, and the evenings are ready whenever the anger is willing to take a shift off. Donald J. Apking Cape Coral