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Slipaway Food Truck Park and Marina Cape Coral Florida

Slipaway Food Truck Park and Marina Cape Coral Florida

CAPE CORAL POLITICS FLORIDA PALM TREESSlipaway is a food truck park and marina with live music in Cape Coral Florida

Slipaway Food Truck Park & Marina is a waterfront boating and restaurant attraction located at 1811 Cape Coral Parkway East, Cape Coral, Florida. Slipaway is situated on the Caloosahatchee River, it offers food trucks, a full-service bar, and boat slips. It opened in July 2025 and is accessible by both car and boat. 

Food and drink

The park features 10 permanent food trucks with diverse options and a full-service bar called The Helm Bar. Ordering can be done directly from the trucks or via QR code with table delivery. The food trucks offer a variety of cuisines, including Southern-style fried chicken, creative sandwiches, ice cream and pastries, burgers and grilled cheese, Greek food, seafood, Mexican-Peruvian fusion, Philly cheesesteaks, barbecue, and Cuban cuisine. 

CAPE CORAL POLITICS FLORIDA PALM TREESAmenities and Features

  • Boating access: The marina has 30 boat slips for vessels up to 40 feet and a fuel dock.
  • Waterfront seating: Various shaded pavilions and a large open-air bar area provide seating. Misting fans are available.
  • Events and entertainment: It is a family-friendly and pet-friendly venue hosting live music, festivals, and community events.
  • Ship store: A convenience store offers snacks, drinks, and essentials.
  • Parking: Free parking is available for cars, with valet service on Friday nights and weekends. 

CAPE CORAL POLITICS FLORIDA PALM TREESSLIPAWAY CONTROVERSY

A key connection exists between Slipaway Food Truck Park and Marina developer Gary Aubuchon and the Cape Coral City Council, with multiple council members, acting as the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) board, having to recuse themselves from votes on public funding for the project due to stated business relationships. The council, with recusals, ultimately approved nearly $1 million in grants for the development in July 2025. 

Business and political connections

  • Gary Aubuchon: As an owner of the Slipaway development, Gary Aubuchon is a prominent figure in Southwest Florida real estate, heading the Aubuchon Team of Companies. He is also a former State Representative and was previously awarded “Citizen of the Year” in Cape Coral.
  • Recusals from the vote: Several city council members—sitting as the CRA board—recused themselves from voting on funding for Slipaway due to conflicts of interest from personal business ties with the owners.
    • Bill Steinke, Keith Long, and Rachel Kaduk all recused themselves from the grant votes.
  • Approval of grants: Despite the recusals, the remaining council members on the CRA board approved $976,561 in grants for the project in July 2025.
    • The vote approved a $250,000 Business Infrastructure Grant unanimously.
    • A second vote on $726,561 in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) passed by a 3-2 margin.
    • Council members Jennifer Nelson-Lastra and Laurie Lehmann voted against the TIF funding, arguing it should have been requested before construction began.
  • City officials at the ribbon-cutting: Mayor John Gunter, council members Bill Steinke and Joe Kilraine, and City Manager Michael Ilczyszyn all attended the official ribbon-cutting for Slipaway in September 2025. 

CAPE CORAL POLITICS FLORIDA PALM TREESPublic Controversy

The financial support provided to Slipaway has attracted criticism and accusations of cronyism and favoritism, though no official findings of corruption have been reported. 

  • “Doesn’t pass the sniff test”: On social media, residents criticized the city’s involvement with Aubuchon, with one commenter stating the connection “doesn’t pass the sniff test”.
  • Questioning the timing: The approval of grants after construction was largely completed drew specific criticism, with some arguing the developers should have applied earlier.
  • Developer cited unexpected costs: Slipaway’s developers explained they sought the funding due to unexpected costs from factors like a lack of utilities and coordination issues with Lee County on the Cape Coral Bridge project. 

During the July 2025 vote on public funding for Slipaway Food Truck Park, Cape Coral City Council members Bill Steinke and Keith Long recused themselves due to business relationships with minority owners of the park. 

Cape Coral City Council member recusals

  • Bill Steinke: As the chair of the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), Steinke recused himself due to a “potential conflict of interest” related to two of Slipaway’s minority owners.
  • Keith Long: Long also filed a Form 8B memorandum of voting conflict and recused himself for similar reasons. 

Reasons for the recusals

  • The specific nature of the ties that led to the recusal of Bill Steinke and Keith Long was a potential conflict of interest from their business relationships with two minority owners of Slipaway.
  • A third council member, Rachel Kaduk, was not present at the May CRA meeting where the votes were first scheduled and was listed as a recusal for the July meeting. However, a specific reason for her recusal was not explicitly documented in the available records. 

Context of the vote for Funding

  • The Cape Coral City Council acts as the board for the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency.
  • Despite the recusals, the remaining council members approved grants for the Slipaway project, including a $250,000 Business Infrastructure Grant and $726,561 in Tax Increment Financing.
  • The recusals and the decision to award public funding drew criticism from some residents, who raised concerns about favoritism. 

CAPE CORAL POLITICS FLORIDA PALM TREESThe business ties that caused Cape Coral City Council members to recuse themselves from the Slipaway Food Truck Park funding vote are as follows: 

  • Councilmember Bill Steinke is the Director of Sales and Business Development for Aubuchon Homes. The Aubuchon Team of Companies is owned by Gary Aubuchon, a lead investor in the Slipaway development. Steinke filed a memorandum of voting conflict due to his potential conflict of interest with two of Slipaway’s minority owners.
  • Councilmember Keith Long is a lawyer who specializes in zoning and aiding businesses with alcohol permits. He filed a similar memorandum of voting conflict related to his business relationships with two of the minority owners.
  • Councilmember Rachel Kaduk is a loan officer at Sanibel Captiva Community Bank and also owns VIP Marketing & Events. Although she was not present at the initial May meeting, she was listed as recused for the July vote due to potential conflicts. 

While the exact nature of the relationship was not specified in the public record beyond “personal business ties,” the recusals from Steinke and Long were specifically attributed to their relationships with two of the minority owners of Slipaway. The full list of minority owners includes Jeff Miloff, Scott Fischer, Sandra Dean, John Kulhavi, Chuck McGuirk, and Rick McGuirk. 

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