In what can arguably be seen as a referendum on Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago, voters in the City Beautiful clearly and soundly rejected the proposed annexation of Little Gables in a non-binding question on Tuesday’s ballot that is meant to take the citizens’ pulse on the issue.
And the citizens’ pulse indicates that the annexation issue is dead.
According to the election results made public by the Miami-Dade Elections Department, almost 63% of the voters in Coral Gables do not want the unincorporated Miami-Dade enclave that borders Southwest 8th Street to be annexed into the city’s limits. Only 37% said they supported the concept.
That’s nearly 2 to 1 — as Ladra predicted.
Read related: Coral Gables voters to weigh in on Little Gables annexation in ballot question
This is a loss for Lago, who has been pushing the annexation for years. He says it will make the northern edge of the city safer. Others say it’s because his brother represents the owner of the largest property in the unincorporated Miami-Dade neighborhood that borders Southwest 8th Street. Carlos Lago withdrew his lobbyist registration for Titan Development Group in March of last year, only after Political Cortadito and other journalists wrote about the obvious conflict of interests. But he could be consulting or rehired after the annexation happens.
Last year, Lago argued against having a public referendum to allow Gables residents to weigh in. It’s not part of the required process, which only provides for a vote of the Little Gables residents.
On Monday, Lago posted a message urging a yes vote on his socials. The image says it’s a paid advertisement from Friends of Little Gables, the political action committee that has reported spending only $117 as of the last report filed through Aug. 15. The PAC also reported raising $1,075 from nine contributors.
Lago also put a “Yes Little Gables Annexation” sign in the front yard of his house, but we don’t know yet who paid for them.
So, of course Mayor L’Ego is going to come up with excuses for this epic fail — the low turnout, the nefarious blogs (ahem). It’s a non-binding question, after all.
The reality is that Coral Gables taxpayers don’t want to be on the hook for the city’s costs, which were estimated at more than $23 million over just the next five years, or about $10 million if you subtract the property taxes gained. It’s still a deficit.
Read related: Vince Lago doesn’t want city residents to vote on Little Gables annexation
City Commissioner Ariel Fernandez is the one who initiated the public referendum on the issue. Commissioner Melissa Castro insisted that the language include “absorbing all associated annexation costs.”
The question read: “Would you support the City pursuing the annexation of Little Gables (the area generally bounded by SW 8th Street to the North, SW 16 Street to the South, Cortez Street to the West, and SW 40th Avenue to the East) into the City of Coral Gables via Miami-Dade County’s annexation process, and absorbing all associated annexation costs?”
Those were the key words for voters.
Fernandez seemed pleased with himself in a statement he posted late Tuesday, which basically said that the people have spoken.
“I want to thank the residents of our great City for their participation in today’s election. As I have made clear since my campaign, you, our residents, should always come first,” Fernandez said. “Although some mocked my motion to place this item on the ballot as a waste of time, today you have sent them a resounding message that you do not wish for the City to continue pursuing the annexation of Little Gables, which would have cost you tens of millions of dollars and strained our City’s resources.”
Read related: Judge dismisses Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago’s defamation lawsuit
Fernandez said he asked the city attorney to put an item on the agenda for the next commission meeting, which is next week, “ceasing all annexation efforts of Little Gables effective immediately.”
He also said that he will ask the city’s charter review committee to consider changing the city charter so that any future annexation efforts must first require a positive nod from Gables voters.
“I will continue to work to ensure a Residents First government and be your voice in our City Beautiful.”
Coral Gables reject annexation of Little Gables — and Mayor Vince Lago added by Ladra on
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