About Vince Cautero

Vincent (Vince) Cautero's career has included work in both the private and public sectors as he served as Community Development Director for five local governments, and as Vice President of Planning Services for three consulting firms, all in the State of Florida. His areas of expertise include land use, comprehensive planning, zoning analysis, code drafting, policy analysis, and community development. 

Most recently, prior to joining Barraco and Associates, Mr. Cautero was the Community Development Director for the City of Cape Coral, Florida, from 2013 - 2023. His responsibilities included administrative oversight over five divisions (Building, Code Compliance, Permitting Services, CityPlanning, and Land Development) and 184 full-time employees, as well as the preparation and monitoring of the annual Department budget ofover $23 million.

Mr. Cautero's responsibilities include project coordination in the preparation and presentation of rezonings and Comprehensive Plan Amendments. Serving as an expert in zoning and land use planning, Mr. Cautero has provided testimony on hundreds of cases through public hearing processes in five Florida local governments: the counties of Citrus, Collier, and Hendry, and the cities of Cape Coral and Marco Island. Additionally, Mr. Cautero represented Hendry County in a Comprehensive Plan lawsuit in 2013, Collier County in an eminent domain case in 2005,and Lee County in an eminent domain case in 2025.

Notable clients with whom Mr. Cautero has worked with include:

  • Gates-McVey
  • Habitat for Humanity of Collier County
  • City of Okeechobee, Florida
  • Hendry, Lee and Collier Counties
  • Collier Enterprises
  • Advanced Housing Corporation
  • Six L Farms
  • Williams Farms
  • Fort Myers 21, LLC
  • Southern Gulf Construction

Curriculum Vitae

Vincent (Vince) Cautero 

EDUCATION

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Master of Urban Planning, 1982 

Buffalo State College Bachelor of Science, Urban & Regional Analysis and Planning 1980 (Cum Laude)

American Planning Association

PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION 

American Institute of Certified Planners -1997

AICP

AFFILIATIONS  

American Institute of Certified Planners 

American Planning Assn.-Chair, Promised Lands Section-FL Chapter, 2005-2007 

Leadership Collier-Graduate 2001; Vice Chair, 2003; Chair, 2004 

Award of Excellence-FL Chapter, American Planning Assn. (1992, 1997, 2001) 

Award of Merit-FL Chap., American Planning Assn. (2000) 

Public Official of the Year-Collier Co. Chapter, American Subcontractors Association, 1996 

Planning Innovation Award-Florida Planning & Zoning Assn., 2010 

Rotary International-President, Rotary Club of Naples, 2003-04; Governor, District 6960, 2009-10 

Roland Eastwood Planner of the Year, Promised Lands Section, FAPA, 2010 

Leadership Cape Coral, Graduate, 2015 

Advanced Leadership Cape Coral, 2021 

Alumni Strategy Council-Dept. of Urban and Regional Planning-Univ. of Illinois at Urban-Champaign, 2021-present 

Entrada Community Assn.-President 2023-2025