Cape Coral development focused on veteran care scores $4M grant

Gov. Ron DeSantis is paving the way for a massive Cape Coral medical complex geared to veterans with a $4 million grant award.

Victory Park, a 140-acre life science campus in northeast Cape Coral, will include a main medical office complex, hundreds of housing units, and a hotel.

The more than $4 million came from the governor’s Florida Job Growth Grant Fund and will construct a public right-of-way to increase access to Victory Park.

The right-of-way will be constructed by the main road "Home Of The Brave Blvd," which will then turn over to the city once completed, according to the developer.

“I’m happy to continue delivering on that promise. By strengthening infrastructure in the City of Cape Coral, we are creating jobs and bringing new opportunities that will continue to revitalize and strengthen communities in Southwest Florida," said DeSantis in a recent press release.

"By increasing access to Victory Park’s healthcare and workforce services, this project will prepare the area for business development, support long-term job growth, and address the needs of the area’s growing veteran community," the press release said.

Blue Waters Development Group is in the permitting process as it waits to build a 126,000-square-foot medical office campus, 308 apartment units, 112 townhome units, and a 125-room Wyndham Garden hotel.

The proposed development includes 228,000 square feet of post-secondary education, 568,040 square feet of commercial and office use, 25,800 square feet of retail, and 264,000 square feet of light industrial use.

There's currently no timeline available for the project.

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According to his release, the project is expected to generate 1,100 jobs, 42% of which are projected to have a median wage of more than $80,000.

Councilmember Jessica Cosden, who represents the district where the development will be built, had this to say about the funding.

"The Victory Park project is a win for Cape Coral, and this grant will help build the infrastructure necessary to support such a large development," Cosden said. "Once the infrastructure element is complete, construction can begin. It will be great to get this development online, creating 1,100 new jobs and contributing to the Cape Coral economy."

Chris Spiro, president of Spiro & Associates, a marketing, advertising, public relations, and brand architecture firm representing Blue Waters, said the developer is moving forward toward a "concrete" timeline.

"So right now there's no date to give you but with this funding, and the right away and the infrastructure that needs to be put in place, you're going to find that things are going to move along a little quicker," Spiro said.

The property lot sold for $2.3 million in July 2019 and plans have been in development since 2021.

On Aug. 16., the city approved the establishment of the Victory Park Community Development District with proposed infrastructure and utilities improvements for the district estimated to cost more than $37 million.

The developer is also working with veteran service organizations to determine other medical needs in the region.

"What they've done is brought a lot of the different veteran organizations underneath one roof and talk to them about what the needs are for the veterans," Spiro said. "So as they recruit businesses to either start up or relocate or expand to Victory Park that the businesses that are coming out, there are going to be businesses that are going to help foster some of the needs of this community of our veterans."

Luis Zambrano is a Watchdog/Cape Coral reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. You can reach Luis at Lzambrano@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Lz2official.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Gov. Ron DeSantis Awards $4M to Cape Coral complex geared to veterans