Cape Coral Looks To Raise Rental Fee From $35 to $600 per Year

Officials might soon boost rental registration costs in Cape Coral from $35 to $600 per year. This change would affect up to 10,000 units across the city — a 1,700% rise from what owners pay now.

The new fees could add $6 million to city funds yearly. Most of this money — about 80% — would support tourist spots and events. The rest would cover costs to enforce the rules. 

At a recent meeting, Kevin Besserer of the Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association spoke to Fox 4 News: "A lot of our homeowners are renting long term, not just short term, and they're renting to people who are working class families, and who are already struggling to make ends meet in these troubling times in our economy."

Small rental buildings with four units or fewer would need to follow these rules. The city wants to stop run-down rentals from hurting local streets. 

Housing experts warn that this might cut down the places to live that people can afford. Besserer pointed out a tough truth: "Prices in Florida are going up, and our members are seeing that, and it's hard to make home ownership affordable."

At public talks, landlords didn't all agree. One local told the Cape Coral Breeze: "I think a big mistake today is, you're trying to charge $600 to annual owners, annual rentals, that's not the case. You need to be hitting these Airbnbs. They're the ones that need to pay the tax."

The City Council met on May 28, 2025, to discuss this plan.