John Gunter recall, Cape Coral, Florida (2025)
| John Gunter recall |
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| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2025 Recalls in Florida Florida recall laws Mayoral recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Mayor John Gunter did not go to a vote in Cape Coral, Florida. Recall organizers were unable to collect enough signatures to move the recall forward.[1]
Recall supporters
The recall effort was organized by Kyle L’Hommedieu. Petitions listed the following as grounds for recalling Gunter:[2]
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Recall opponents
Gunter issued a statement in response to the recall effort:[4]
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In the petition, the pensioners stated that I violated Florida Statute 112.311(6). Our decisions are made by the majority of the City Council as a whole, with the Mayor having one vote. Just because some individuals do not like the outcome of a vote, it does not mean I, or any other Councilmember, violated this statute. Additionally, their claim that I violated Florida Statute 286.011 is unwarranted. These meetings were between our State Legislators, our lobbyist, and some members of our City Council, who would discuss topics that our State Legislators would be voting on, not the City Council. Unfortunately, Councilmember Kaduk wanted to bring three unannounced guests, which was inappropriate given the meetings' structure, and I made a statement that this was not allowed and would not continue. Their assertion in this petition will not meet the legal requirements needed in both allegations; therefore, it will not rise to the standard required for ‘misfeasance’ or ‘Malfeasance’. I voted in support of all three of these Agenda Items. Again, the City Council makes all decisions by a majority vote of the Council. The votes in the Jaycee Park were 8-0, the Yellow Fever Creek were 6-2, and the original Stipend was 8-0. If a Councilmember votes in a way that some residents may disagree with, that does not mean that they have violated any ethical regulation or Florida Statute. Unfortunately, a small group of individuals who disagree with some of the decisions made by our City Council are exposing our city in a negative light, and I apologize to most of our community for that. For some reason, they feel the need to single me out on decisions that we make collectively as a Council. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but the allegations articulated in the petition do not meet the legal threshold required for any of these allegations. I have always and will continue to make decisions based on what I believe is in the best interest of our community, encompassing all 225,000 residents, not just a select few.[3] |
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Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Florida
Florida allows the following grounds for recall: malfeasance, misfeasance, neglect of duty, drunkenness, incompetence, permanent inability to perform official duties, and conviction of a felony involving moral turpitude.[5]
From the time that the recall petition is approved for circulation, signatures must be collected within 30 days. The number of signatures required depends on the number of registered voters in the jurisdiction. A minimum of 50 signatures are required in jurisdictions with fewer than 500 registered voters. In jurisdictions with 500 to 24,999 registered voters, a minimum of 100 to 1,000 signatures are required, or 10% of registered voters, whichever is higher. In jurisdictions with 25,000 or more registered voters, the number of signatures required is 1,000 or 5% of registered voters, whichever is higher.[6] The officeholder then has a chance to file a defensive statement. In the second round of signature collection, organizers have 60 days to collect signatures equal to 15% of registered voters from the officeholder's district.[6]
Recall context
- See also: Ballotpedia's Recall Report
Ballotpedia covers recall efforts across the country for all state and local elected offices. A recall effort is considered official if the petitioning party has filed an official form, such as a notice of intent to recall, with the relevant election agency.
The chart below shows how many officials were included in recall efforts from 2012 to 2024 as well as how many of them defeated recall elections to stay in office and how many were removed from office in recall elections.
See also
- Ballotpedia's Recall Report
- Recall campaigns in Florida
- Political recall efforts, 2025
- Mayoral recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Cape Coral Breeze, "Petition organizers fail to collect enough signatures in Gunter recall effort," June 20, 2025
- ↑ Cape Coral Breeze, "Cape mayor subject of recall petition," June 5, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ News-Press, "Cape Coral group launches recall effort against Mayor John Gunter," May 31, 2025
- ↑ The 2023 Florida Statutes, "100.361 Municipal recall." accessed October 16, 2023
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The 2020 Florida Statutes, "Fla. Stat. Ann §100.361," accessed August 24, 2021
