Cape Coral, FL Privacy & Surveillance: Recording & Consent Laws (2026)

Cape Coral Code of Ordinances § 12-143(a)(15), part of the Facility Rules adopted by Ord. No. 3-25 on February 5, 2025, prohibits audio and video recording anywhere inside city buildings except during duly noticed public meetings or as otherwise approved by the City Manager or their designee, and even then restricts unapproved recording to the City Council Chambers and any room or office specifically authorized for it by law. Anyone recording under this rule must stop immediately if a visitor, city employee, or city official says they do not want to be recorded, and the rule does not reach law enforcement officers on duty or the building's own security cameras.

A companion rule in § 12-142(e) separately makes it unlawful, outside of a noticed public meeting, to record video or audio anywhere on city-owned, controlled, or leased property without the consent of everyone whose voice or image is captured. Anyone who keeps recording after being told the activity is prohibited is treated as disrupting city business and is deemed no longer present on legitimate public business; the City Manager or a designee may then order that person to leave, and refusal to depart makes the person a trespasser enforceable under Fla. 09, including arrest or a written trespass warning valid for one year.