September 2013   

Cape Coral News Letter MastHead
Cape Coral Rated Safest City-Again
SL Sunset  
 

The latest crime statistics released by the FBI show that Cape Coral remains one of Florida's safest cities. 

In fact, the report ranks Cape Coral as the No. 1 safest city for violent crime, meaning that people are least likely to fall victim to a crime of violence in Cape Coral than any other large city in the state.


For cities with more than 150,000 residents, Cape Coral was ranked overall the second safest. The Cape was also the second safest for property crime. 
 
 

(Source: The News-Press)
New Cape Coral Businesses   
Business Card top  
136 new businesses registered for Cape Coral Tax Receipts
(Business Licenses)
in August, 2013.

Visit the EDO website's

Download Center  

for listings of all new  

Cape Coral business license registrations in the last six months.

 

Ford's Garage

Cape Coral

Ford's Garage is coming to Cape Coral  

Since opening in early July, Ford's Garage in Cape Coral has been packing people in.  It all started with their hiring process, which garnered  more than 1,000 applications for 70-90 jobs, a sign of both their popularity and the sluggish economy.  The owners of Ford's Garage have worked hard to forge their entry into our City, including aggressive marketing and special events aimed at getting patrons into their new location on Cape Coral Parkway in the CRA.  (And if you friend them on FaceBook, you're privy to all of their specials and events!)
 
This type of restaurant is indicative of the type of destination-oriented location we seek to develop in the CRA.  The more clustering we have of these types of gathering places, the more people we bring into our downtown area and expose them to the assets located there now and in the years to come.  These types of successful ventures also make it easier to recruit new businesses to the South Cape.
 
In addition to this location, the owners of Ford's Garage have also been selected to develop and manage a new restaurant at the Yacht Club.  This location will be known as Ford's Boathouse. Given their successes to date, we can expect some interesting opportunities coming our way for that location as well.

Renewal Reminders

 Cape Coral Mid Cape Corporate Center       

The City of Cape Coral Department of Community Development, Licensing Division has mailed out renewal notices year for Fiscal Year 2014.  Your Business Tax Receipt and/or Contractor Competency License expires on Sept. 30, 2013,  , and must be paid by that date.  As of Oct. 1, penalty fees will be assessed, so be sure to get yours in on time.

 

You can make your payment at our office, online, by phone (with a major credit card or debit card) or by mail.

State license information and insurances must be updated in our office, by faxing to 239-574-0432 or mailing to the address listed below along with your payment. If you have questions, please call us at 239-574-0430. 

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Cape Coral Economic Development Office

Dana Brunett 
Audie Lewis
Karen Ramos

 

 Email
[email protected]

 

Phone

(239) 574-0444

 
Website   
www.bizcapecoral.com

 

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Economic Development News

Message From Your EDO Director

 

WorkforceOops, We Did it Again!

 

This week, the Cape Coral-Fort Myers area was identified as the second best market in the country for new job growth in the fall by Forbes magazine.  This is the second time this year that we've received this designation, which only emphasizes what those of us in Southwest Florida already knew.  We're coming back in a big way from the grips of the economic downturn.

 

We can see signs of recovery everywhere.  New model homes are being built, new homes are under construction, foreclosure rates are declining and new retail ventures are underway or on their way to Cape Coral.  As we see the likes of Sam's Club, Wawa, Culver's, Jimmy John's and Starbucks looking to locate in Cape Coral, it's easy to see that we are a city on the rise. We have a long way to go, but getting our commercial development underway again will bring additional development.  This usually comes in the form of larger office, medical or light assembly operations which provide more desirable wages and benefits. 
 

The Cape Coral community is also holding out hope for a positive announcement from Hertz that could bring 250 new jobs to the Cape.  Those of us at City Hall very much want Hertz to locate here and City Council unanimously approved an incentive package to encourage them to do so.  We also hope that these types of opportunities will be more commonplace here in our near future.  Keep up the positive thoughts and remember, BE AN AMBASSADOR FOR CAPE CORAL!
 

 

Sincerely,

 

Dana Brunett

 

City of Cape Coral

Economic Development Director

EDO Attends ICSC Regional Conference

ICSC LogoCape Coral's Economic Development Director and Business Recruitment Specialist attended  the annual regional International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) retail conference in Orlando recently and secured another round of strong commitments to grow the business base in the City.
The EDO Director was primarily focused on CRA-related business recruitment goals to reinforce the City's efforts to revitalize the downtown area.  Likewise, the City's Business Recruiter targeted specific types of retail and commercial enterprises needed in other areas of the City's growing commerce districts.


These efforts proved very fruitful as Cape Coral is becoming more and more recognized as a hot-bed of development regionally and nationally.  One of the key new messages that was shared with visitors at this year's conference was the fast-growing climate of Fortune 100 and 500 companies that are quickly migrating to the area.  Many commercial businesses track the movements and interests of these fast-paced companies and follow their lead with future developments as well.


This was also a good message for the strong group of investors and developers that attended this year's ICSC event.  Attendance at the show was up by 18% over last year's event and many of the new attendees were from the investment/development side of the marketplace.  The financial markets are improving and as they improve, these businesses need to find good markets for their development and investment dollars.  The EDO team would like to insure that much of this spending is done locally. 


There are many new construction projects starting all over Cape Coral and this pace is likely to continue to increase as the market improves and targeted recruitment continues to help diversify the business and commercial tax base.  Construction also breeds a stronger job base, which is critical to the future of this great City.  


Airports Now Promoting Cape Coral
 

International Airport Digital DisplayThis image now greets passengers arriving at the Southwest Florida International Airport-promoting the benefits of Cape Coral on  11 LCD screens in baggage claim for both domestic and international flights.  Talk about a captive audience!  This airport averages 215 daily flights and 20,000 daily passengers, so the EDO Team is excited at this opportunity to get the Cape Coral name in front of so many potential residents and business owners.  Did you know that the Southwest Florida International Airport is one of the top 50 U.S. airports for passenger traffic?  The campaign invites businesses to relocate to Cape Coral, where we offer incredible waterfront living, investment zones and customized incentives.
Punta Gorda Airport DisplayThat's not all.  The EDO has two digital images welcoming arriving and departing passengers at the Punta Gorda Airport as well.  This airport averaged over 27,000 passengers each month so far this year, with high expectations of a big leap in traffic coming soon.  That's because new flights are being added starting in October and November.  Punta Gorda Airport officials anticipate over 500,000 passengers in 2014.   Both airports are an easy drive to Cape Coral. 

  

Spring?

 

America's SBDCBy: Russ Winstead, Certified Business Analyst, SBDC

 

Spring?  Well, sort of, for Southwest Florida. It's a bit early, but come October, we need to be ready for the new season, so we need to "spring" into action now to be ready for the season ahead.

I know the temperatures are still hitting the 90's and the nights are still a bit warm, but you can feel the change coming and our northern friends are starting to plan for their trek back to Paradise.

So the question is, "Are you ready? Make a list now of the things that need to be done before season starts. Most economic reports indicate that this season will continue the trend of being stronger, year over year.

First, inventory. Do you know what you need? Is it on hand? How long will it take if you need to order more?

Are you a service business? Are you planning for your staffing needs? With more business and an improved economy, you may need more people and they may be harder to find than the past few years. Plan and prepare early.  


These and many other factors need to be planned for depending on your business. It's better to make and run through your list now-before the season starts-and be prepared to prosper. 

If you would like consultation regarding these issues or guidance in growing your business, please feel free to contact me directly or attend our FREE Fourth Wednesday Business Chats, held at City Hall in Conference Room 220A every 4th Wednesday of the month, starting at 11:30 a.m.  I can also be reached at 239-573-2737. 



Watch Out Naples...

Cape Coral is Getting a Culver's Too!

 

Culver'sRecent news of the grand opening of Culver's in Naples may have made for some jealous citizens, but they need not worry about our sister city's luck in getting one of the hottest and trendiest restaurants around because one is coming to Cape Coral, too.
The Economic Development Office is proud to announce that a new Culver's restaurant is going to be built in the CRA on the corner of Cape Coral Parkway and Del Prado Boulevard and should be open next summer.  If you are new to Culver's, we can tell  you that it specializes in combining homemade-style hamburgers and fresh, frozen custard for a business model that has been hard to beat within the franchise marketplace.
Since the company's inception in 1984 as a family-owned restaurant, it has grown into a national presence with more than 500 specialty sites in signature locations with high growth potential.  Cape Coral is now part of that hot market.
Jeff Liegel, the franchise owner of Cape Coral's future Culver's restaurant, was excited to share the timeline and plans for developing locally.  His team is planning on constructing a 4,000-plus square foot restaurant after tearing down the two buildings currently on the site.  This will help to renew the corner and put an inviting storefront at one of the city's most prestigious locations, our entryway into the city.   This is just another great example of the changing climate for business growth in one of America's fastest-growing cities! Learn more by visiting their website at www.culvers.com.

Greening Your Bottom Line  
Green Business 

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is planning its 2nd Green Expo & Conference-a two-day event packed with speakers knowledgeable about using green products to help save operating costs.
 
The lineup of speakers includes representatives from Hertz, Arthrex, FPL, TECO, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, FGCU, USF and many more. 
 
To view the event flyer, click here.

 

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