Candidate qualifications and election.
Cape Coral City Charter, art. IV, § 4.05
in effect§ 4.05. - Candidate qualifications and election.
(a) Any person eligible to hold the office of Mayor may have his or her name placed on the ballot as a candidate for Mayor of the City upon filing with the City Clerk the payment of a one hundred and fifty dollar ($150) filing fee and submission of the required proof of residency, pursuant to subsection (c)
(b) Any person eligible to hold the office of Council member may have his or her name placed on the ballot as a candidate for Council member for the Council district in which he or she resides upon filing with the City Clerk the payment of a one hundred dollar ($100) filing fee and submission of the required proof of residency, pursuant to subsection (c).
(c) Proof of residency shall be established by submission of the following:
(1) All candidates shall submit a sworn statement at the time of qualifying that sets forth their place of permanent legal residency and domicile, which must affirm that they have satisfied the residency requirements mandated in §4.02. The sworn statement shall be on a form provided by the City Clerk.
(2) In addition to filing the sworn statement, a candidate must submit proof of residency through the submission of at least two (2) of the following documents: voter's registration, driver's license or Florida identification card issued by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, property tax receipt, homestead exemption, utility bill, or lease agreement. The documentation must show the candidate has established permanent legal residency and domicile in the City, and in the District for which they are seeking office, pursuant to the residency requirements set forth in §4.02.
(d) Should there be more than two qualifying candidates for Mayor or for a given Council district their names will be placed on the primary ballot. The two primary candidates receiving the highest number of votes shall be the candidates in the City General Election. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes in the City General Election shall be declared elected to the office for which he or she was a candidate. In the event there are fewer than three qualifying candidates for Mayor or for a given Council district their names will not appear on the primary election ballot but they will appear on the City General Election ballot.
(e) If a vacancy in candidacy occurs caused by death, withdrawal, or removal from the ballot of a qualified candidate following the end of the qualifying period which leaves fewer than two candidates for an office, then the qualifying date shall be extended to the latest date for which the general election guidelines may be met. If the elections guidelines cannot be met then the remaining candidate shall be declared the winner.
(Ord. 125-02, 12-9-2002, Approved by referendum vote on April 8, 2003; Ord. 1-20, § 1, 2-3-2020; Ord. 14-26, § 3, 3-25-2026; Ord. 32-26, § 3, 6-3-2026)
Source: City of Cape Coral, Florida, Code of Ordinances, City Charter and Land Development Code (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/fl/cape_coral/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=CHTR_ARTIVGO_S4.05CAQUELFetched: 11/4/2026