Coral Gables: Melissa Castro shut down again on election change challenge

Coral Gables: Melissa Castro shut down again on election change challenge

On the heels of the court ruling last week that the Miami election year change was unconstitutional because, well they skipped the pesky part about asking voters, Coral Gables Commissioner Melissa Castro has doubled down on her push to revisit the city commission decision in May to move their municipal election date the same way. […]

Judge calls Miami election change unconstitutional; is Coral Gables next?

Judge calls Miami election change unconstitutional; is Coral Gables next?

Melissa Castro suggests ballot language for referendum The city of Miami’s court battle to move municipal elections from odd to even years — effectively cancelling this year’s mayoral and commission races and extending electeds’ terms by a year — may have reverberations in Coral Gables, where the commission voted to move the elections from April […]

Richard Lara sought repayment for gala ticket bought before Gables election

Richard Lara sought repayment for gala ticket bought before Gables election

Commissioner then mysteriously withdrew his request Coral Gables newly-elected Commissioner Richard Lara — who repealed the prior commission’s increased salaries and talks a lot about fiscal responsibility — tried to nickel and dime the city himself with a reimbursement request for a ticket he bought to the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce’s Centennial Gala. A ticket […]

Coral Gables: Developers, lobbyists lead, giving $753K to elect Richard Lara

Coral Gables: Developers, lobbyists lead, giving $753K to elect Richard Lara

The latest campaign finance reports for the Coral Gables election show that newly-elected Commissioner Richard Lara spent more than three quarters of a million dollars to win the race for Group 3, which went into a runoff in April against activist and attorney Tom Wells. Between his own campaign account and Coral Gables First, which […]

Coral Gables fire department flunks reaccreditation attempt — for now

Coral Gables fire department flunks reaccreditation attempt — for now

‘Conflicting data’ and lack of strategic plan cited The Coral Gables Fire Department has flunked a national assessment that evaluates the agency’s performance, response and delivery of fire emergency services to the community, resulting in the failure to get re-accreditation for the first time in decades. But the mayor and the fire chief say it’s […]

Judge in Vince Lago’s ‘defamation’ lawsuit suddenly recuses himself

Judge in Vince Lago’s ‘defamation’ lawsuit suddenly recuses himself

Out of nowhere, and more than a year after getting it, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Joseph Perkins last week recused himself from the defamation lawsuit brought by Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago against Actualidad Radio for a 2023 broadcast about an ethics investigation into his signing of an intentionally misleading affidavit, dramatically signed at a […]

Vince Lago revenge tour includes witch hunt for critics, confidential sources

Vince Lago revenge tour includes witch hunt for critics, confidential sources

In his recently-accelerated revenge tour, Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago is going after his perceived enemies. Like this was Cuba or Venezuela and he can just trample on everyone’s rights. His baseless defamation lawsuit against Actualidad Radio — for a February, 2023, broadcast about a complaint to the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust […]