Cape Coral city leaders discuss whether or not to remove the Chiquita lock

If you’re a boater in Cape Coral, you know the frustration of having to wait behind the Chiquita lock to get into the Gulf.

On Monday, city leaders will once again discuss removing the lock, but environmentalists say no way.

During the summer, getting through the lock may be easy, but the Chiquita lock is anything but that during season. Boat backups cause the area to get jammed up, leaving people frustrated.

On Monday, the city is yet again taking steps to get the piece of equipment out of there.

City leaders will be talking about securing the law firm who will work with the federal Department of Environmental Protection to issue a permit to get the lock removed.

Cape Coral Mayor Joe Coviello said he is for the lock removal, but environmentalists say removing the lock will harm the mangroves and the water quality.

Boaters who use the lock frequently spoke about the pros and cons of having it there or removing it.

“A pro is the boat traffic in the afternoon… so you won’t have to deal with that,” said Jeff Neail.

Another boater said removing the lock could make it more difficult for bigger boats to navigate through low tides.

“Well, I personally believe that people with larger boats up on that side of the lock are going to have problems getting their boats out. Especially on low tide situations,” said Mark Moeller.

The mayor said funding has already been set aside for the lock removal, but as of now, it’s unknown when that could happen.