A political action committee collecting signatures to get three referendums on the ballot in Coral Gables submitted the first batch of petitions Friday for two of the measures. Gables City Clerk Billy Urquia said he received 2,078 signed petitions for a charter amendment to require a voter referendum approval before elected officials can raise their […]
Mayor uses advisory council to push personal agenda Coral Gables commissioners recently got two different versions of Mayor Vince Lago‘s 2023-2025 “strategic priorities plan” within weeks of each other, with one glaring difference: The second one did not have changing the date of the city’s elections from April to November, something that has already been […]
The first Coral Gables commission meeting Tuesday after the required recall petitions for Mayor Vince Lago were submitted last week was long and a bit awkward for everybody. Ladra cringed a few times. Lago said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement was investigating the recall effort and accused the new three amigos — Commissioners Melissa […]
Union releases web video critical of administration The Coral Gables Police Department is supposed to be a force 204 strong. But there are currently 37 vacancies as dozens of officers scatter to other departments for better wages and working conditions — creating a 20% shortage. In just the patrol division, the number shortage is 40%, […]
Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago may say he’s not worried about the recall effort mounted against him. He may say it’s just gadfly Maria Cruz and activist attorney David Winker with a grudge against him. But don’t believe him. He is sweating it. That’s why Lago has an anonymous, cowardly blogger trashing Cruz and Winker […]
After two cancellations, a town hall meeting to discuss potential changes to the Coral Gables city charter has been scheduled for Thursday evening. Created last September with legislation sponsored by Commissioner Ariel Fernandez, the charter review committee’s first meeting in December was cancelled due to a scheduling conflict with one of the board members, said […]
A downsized version of the Ponce Park Residences, an Allen Morris project that’s been pitched to the city of Coral Gables at least four times in the last three years, will be considered Tuesday by the city commission. This time, the proposal is for a 9-story building — down from an original 16 — with […]
3 commissioners say public corruption is the reason UPDATED: The Coral Gables city commission on Tuesday decided to skip the national search for a new city manager and instead hired Amos Rojas, Jr., a former U.S Marshal and special agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement who can “clean up” City Hall — and […]
The possibility that Miami-Dade Aviation Director Ralph Cutié would become the next city manager in Coral Gables was very short-lived. On Tuesday, Cutié — who oversees operations at the beleaguered Miami International Airport — was named as a potential (preferred?) replacement for City Manager Peter Iglesias, whose third vote for termination from Commissioner Kirk Menendez […]
‘Mafia-like thuggery’ is tied to vote on city manager The three Coral Gables commissioners who voted to fire City Manager Peter Iglesias on Tuesday said they had been threatened or followed in recent days and felt genuine concern not just for their safety but for the safety of their families. Threats reportedly made against Commissioners […]