A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH
BY DONNA EASTMAN,
RE/MAX REALTY GROUP
It could be one of Cape Coral’s best-kept secrets: the Cape
Royal golf community and the Royal Tee golf club. You’ll
find it where Veterans Parkway meets Pine Island Road –
not too far from the bridge to Matlacha. In recent months,
the community had to deal with a big issue, when the
golf course (which was independently operated) closed,
leaving the community homeowners without one of their
most prized amenities.
THE HISTORY
so they didn’t become an overgrown eyesore.
A few months later, the vote was put out to the homeowners:
should the HOA purchase the golf course? The answer
there was an overwhelming YES.
The HOA taking over the golf course did result in an
increase in HOA dues – from $775 to $850 per year, plus
an annual special assessment of $295. But even with the
price increase, Cape Royal is still one of the most affordable
gated golf communities in Southwest Florida.
In July 2016, the Royal Tee Golf Course shut down, leaving
the homeowners to put together a plan to revive the During the decision time, the property values remained
community golf course without involving a big builder and steady and the confidence was high that the community
would turn the golf course around in a positive way.
without raising the HOA fees to an astronomical rate.
During the transition time, the HOA decided to buy a The HOA is self-managed and volunteer residents sit on
mower and they kept the greens and the grounds groomed committees that oversee different areas such as vacant lot
20 RPCRA.ORG | JUL/AUG 2017