Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago is pushing annexation like never before.
The city sent petition ballot cards to property owners in the Little Gables and High Pines/Ponce Davis area. Two town hall meetings were scheduled to talk to residents and hear their questions. And Lago has declared himself the lead negotiator with the county on the annexations.
But of course. His brother stands to gain a giant windfall. Lobbyist Carlos Lago has not only represented the largest property owner in Little Gables, Titan Development, the trailer park that the owner wants to turn into a real estate boondoggle. Carlos Lago and his wife also own a home in High Pines/Ponce Davis.
Read related: Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago may have conflict of interest in Little Gables
Carlos Lago and his wife bought the 5 bedroom, 4 bath home for $1.13 million in 2019. It’s already valued at $2.73 million. And the market value — which went from $1.7 to $4.6 in just the last few years, according to the Miami-Dade property appraiser’s office — is expected to rise even more when the address says Coral Gables.
Is this why the city seems to be pushing the annexations. A new web page on the city’s site makes it seem like such a good idea. There are no cons.
But not everybody in High Pines/Ponce Davis wants to be annexed, however. Several homeowners spoke against it at their town hall meeting last week. Some are so against it that the neighborhood has formed an anti-annexation committee.
“Foremost among our concerns is the anticipated increase in taxes for the residents of High Pines, compounded by the augmented bureaucracy of joining a larger city jurisdiction,” says Liz Stack, who has lived in High Pines for 32 years.
Read related: Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago, con ganas, pushes annexations on fast track
“We do not wish to be subject to strict regulations and requirements for permits that have not been required previously,” Stack says. “Specifically, we do not wish to obtain a permit each time we paint our homes or to have to conform to a color palette chosen by the building department; we do not wish to obtain a permit each time we landscape our properties; we don’t wish to be told what types of vehicles can park in our driveways; we don’t want to be fined for not having our dogs on a leash as we take an afternoon stroll on our street; we do not want garbage pits on our streets like those currently in the Gables, and we do not want City employees walking up to and behind our homes to collect our garbage bins — we are quite capable of getting them to the curb ourselves.”
Many Coral Gables residents are also concerned about the strain on the city’s resources and the fact that they don’t really get a vote. Coral Gables could have put a non-binding question on the Nov. 7 ballot. It’s too late now. The deadline for municipalities to put a question on the ballot was Sept. 8.
But maybe for the next ballot? Coral Gables residents deserve a voice on these very important — and beneficial for some — decisions.
Vince Lago has conflict of interest with High Pines, Little Gables annexations added by Ladra on
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