Coral Gables may purchase Old Cutler home at $4 mil for new fire station

Coral Gables may purchase Old Cutler home at $4 mil for new fire station

The purchase of a home on Old Cutler Road, to convert it into a fire station outpost, and regulations for motorized scooters are among the agenda items at the Coral Gables commission meeting Tuesday, the first since City Manager Peter Iglesias was given the permanent job. Some people are unhappy about the way that Iglesias […]

Coral Gables manager Cathy Swanson-Rivenbark quits job in battle with chief

Coral Gables manager Cathy Swanson-Rivenbark quits job in battle with chief

After a series of major missteps, a protracted and seemingly personal battle with the popular police and several threats, both public and private, to quit her job, Coral Gables City Manager Cathy Swanson-Rivenbark resigned Monday after almost four years at the helm of the City Beautiful. Police Chief Ed Hudak wins. And it seems Commissioner Mike Mena is […]

Coral Gables residents get mail questioning their safety

Coral Gables residents get mail questioning their safety

Controversial use of security guards under fire The election is over, but Coral Gables residents still got a scary, campaign-style flyer in their mailboxes this week that questions the city’s decision to hire security guards to fill the gap of police shortages in the City Beautiful. “Public safety alert! Your families safety is at stake,” is […]

City uses legal muscle to gag Coral Gables activist

City uses legal muscle to gag Coral Gables activist

The city of Coral Gables wants to silence a North Gables activist who asks too many questions, so it sent him a threatening “cease and desist” letter from an attorney who used to be a county judge. Oh, and it cost taxpayers $5,000. Ariel Fernandez, a vocal North Gables resident who ran for office two […]

Don’t ask, don’t tell! Coral Gables policy is golden silence

Don’t ask, don’t tell! Coral Gables policy is golden silence

Shhhhh. The city of Coral Gables wants you to shut up. If you’re a pesky citizen who asks too many questions, like North Gables activist and onetime commission candidate Ariel Fernandez, you get a weak ‘cease and desist’ letter from a fancy outside attorney (more on that later). If you’re an employee of the City […]

Mike Mena (read: developers) win Gables race, as expected

Mike Mena (read: developers) win Gables race, as expected

In their first run-off ever, Coral Gables voters on last week picked Mike Mena, a land use attorney who has never served on any city board or committee, over longtime activist Marlin Ebbert, a retired schoolteacher who was backed by the a group of residents irate about recent development decisions. It was 54 to 46 percent. […]

Ebbert, Mena head for runoff in Gables commission race

Ebbert, Mena head for runoff in Gables commission race

The four-way Coral Gables commission race becomes a two-way race as longtime activist and everybody’s favorite tia abuela Marlin Ebbert heads into a runoff with land use attorney with hipster facial hair Mike Mena. And Mena heads into it stronger, having garnered 44.5% of the vote Tuesday to Ebbert’s 33%. Retired Gables Police Sgt. Randy Hoff […]

Pat Keon proves ‘Chip’ Withers can’t win on name alone

Pat Keon proves ‘Chip’ Withers can’t win on name alone

Former Coral Gables Commissioner Wayne “Chip” Withers lost his bid to come back to office by unseating an incumbent Tuesday. But did he really try? That’s questionable (read: not so much). Commissioner Pat Keon, who had five times as much more money as he did, won handily, 57 to 43 percent in one of the two […]

Raul Valdes-Fauli wins seat back in close Coral Gables race

Raul Valdes-Fauli wins seat back in close Coral Gables race

Former Coral Gables Mayor Raul Valdes Fauli will have that word “former” removed from his identification after he is sworn in as the new mayor again. Valdes-Fauli beat Commissioner Jeannett Slesnick in the mayoral race Tuesday, 51 to 49, after Mayor Jim Cason said he would not run for a fourth term. As expected, it […]

Coral Gables candidates will spend more than $1 million

Coral Gables candidates will spend more than $1 million

By the time the Coral Gables mayoral race is over on Tuesday evening, the two candidates will have spent at least a half a million dollars, maybe more. Ladra is not sure but is willing to bet that’s a record. The six candidates in the two commission seat races raised almost exactly the same amount […]