The city of Coral Gables is about to honor it’s founder, George Merrick, by naming June 3 Founder’s Day. This item on Tuesday’s commission agenda is for a new yearly designation for a day that will likely be marked in the future by events and exhibits or essay contests.
But, as in other celebrations of the City Beautiful’s father, there’s no plan to include any mention of his segregationist past, a documented fact that caused the University of Miami to remove his name from a parking garage last year.
The graduate students and faculty members who requested that removal say it’s not enough. They researched Merrick in the wake of the George Floyd murder and subsequent protests and asked the UM leadership to wipe his name from the campus completely. A petition to remove Merrick’s name from all UM structures has 6,722 signatures. Some people even want to remove the statue of Merrick at City Hall — like the controversial statues of confederate generals throughout the American South.
City officials don’t want to touch the subject.
Read related: Vince Lago is the new Coral Gables mayor in heated and divisive election
Mayor Vince Lago told Ladra Monday that this was “an old story” and that the anti-Merrick angle was something that former Commissioner Pat Keon and her supporters funded last year during the mayoral race to hurt him.
But the race has been over for more than a year and still nothing has been done. And Lago defends that.
“This has been discussed ad nauseum,” he said. “Just like a lot of things he’s done are good, some were bad. At the end of the day, we all have a past. You, me, we all have a history.”
Lago’s own history includes a vote against changing the name of U.S. 1 to Harriet Tubman last year. When he did, he noted that he was concerned about the ripple effect it could have on the name Merrick. He was also one of the parents who signed a sorta racist letter to his daughter’s private school, basically saying that diversity was anti-Catholic indoctrination.
No, really.
It’s true that Merrick’s past has been talked about a lot since a group of UM students graduate students conducted “an independent study of the university’s historical figures with a specific focus on the founder of Coral Gables, George Merrick, to determine their roles in the creation and perpetuation of discriminatory policies.”
Read related: New Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago has ‘friends’ in all the wrong places
Among their findings was the fact that Merrick, as the head of the Miami-Dade Planning Board in the 1930s, advocated for all Black families to be pushed out of Miami’s city limits into “negro towns” in West Miami-Dade. It was called the Negro Resettlement Plan.
“In a speech to the Miami Realty Board in May of 1937 Merrick proposed a ‘complete slum clearance… effectively removing every negro family from the present city limits.’ This black removal, Merrick asserted, was a ‘most essential and fundamental’ for the achievement of Miami’s ambitious planning goals,” the students’ report says.
The Miami Herald editorial board wrote about it last year, urging the city to acknowledge the history not “whitewash” it.
“Faced with a national debate on what to do with such historic figures, the city’s administration whitewashed Merrick’s actions,” the editorial reads. “It is the city of Coral Gables’ responsibility to acknowledge Merrick not just for his vision but for all his actions.”
But has there been any action taken by the city to do that? Lago wouldn’t answer the question (read: no). Instead he went on a tirade and accused award-winning documentary filmmaker Billy Corben of being paid by Keon and Steve Bittel and the Democrat Party to tweet about him. He sounded a lot like Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo.
“You can destroy me all you want. Join the Miami Herald and the Billy Corbens of the world,” he said, sounding as paranoid as Crazy Joe.
He spoke over Ladra and wouldn’t answer the question, deflecting to other more “positive” things going on in Coral Gables. “After a year of work, I am acquiring a nice park entrance feature for the city on 37th Avenue, the most northern property in the Gables.”
Asked repeatedly to let the world know what the city had done or planned to do to recognize its founder’s whole history — because Ladra really thought that, at this point, there would be something — Lago eventually said he had to go and teach his daughter to ride a bike. At 8 p.m.
This, despite the fact that the phone call lasted 12 minutes and he had plenty of time to answer the question. Instead, he said “I love you” six times and hung up the phone.
Read related: Despite one stupid, preachy letter, Vince Lago deserves to be Coral Gables mayor
No, Vinnie. This was not Corbin’s idea or Pat Keon’s or Fidel Castro’s. This came from the university community. People like Miles Pendleton, president of the UM chapter of the NAACP, United Black Students President Landon Coles, Professor Roxane Pickens, director of American Studies Program and director of UM Libraries Learning Commons and Professor William Pestle, director of graduate students for the Department of Anthropology.
Are they all targeting you, Mayor Lago? How about the 6,700 plus people who signed the petition?
Ladra has nothing against Lago and, in fact, endorsed him in last year’s election. Though maybe that’s because the alternative was worse. But it’s an entirely legitimate question to ask if the city is going to do anything to acknowledge the racism in Merrick’s past. And it was wholly unnerving to hear the extreme paranoia and defensive deflecting from Lago.
Maybe someone can ask him at the meeting Tuesday?
The city commission meeting — where they will also discuss the dog park planned for the Salvadore Tennis Center and the new budget for Burger Bob’s remodel (it went down from almost $1 million to $550,000) — starts at 9 a.m. at City Hall, 405 Biltmore Way, and can be watched on the city’s website.
Coral Gables continues to ignore city founder George Merrick’s racist history added by Ladra on
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Reading this in 2026,band besides revulsion for the slobnobbing revionist gaslighting by the unknowable, ill-informed, or illicitly bigoted balderdash of Boomers remains as vile a rhetoric to smear across a page with little more than a fecal stench that will constipate the comments til the glorious inevitably that these sacks of shite will one day soon face a shallow grave and a shovel, buried alongside the remnants of cruelty, soon to become (like themselves) charred briquettes, burning bright, fueled by the bigoted bullshit that consumed their bodies.
If we can celebrate Haiti’s independence with Haitian Flag Day after the Haitians committed genocide against the White people in Haiti, what’s wrong with celebrating the founder of Coral Gables?
It’s a crazy mixed up world!
I’m sorry, Ladra, but this was a huge miss. I enjoy your blog (even if I rarely agree with your politics) as you often advance an interesting point of view with a vital tinge of unabashed honesty. But this post was so weakly argued and so clearly incendiary that it comes off as clickbait at best, and a hit piece at worst.
Also, you’re clearly very bright and good at tracking down information; you shouldn’t have needed Karelia’s help to locate the very powerful contra position here.
It’s your blog so obviously you can do what you want, but if it were me, I’d forgo this kind of material from now on. You have thoughtful readers beyond your comment-section fans who have little remaining patience for this brand of commentary.
I support our Mayor
I support George Merrick
And I will certainly support the Founders Day Celebrations next month.
Dear Ladra, I value your dedication. Thank you for your appreciation and acknowledgement of the full context. And yes I will continue to share with the community. The original petition was created by people with the sole purpose of advancing a certain narrative. Their “research” included information so egregiously false and doctored that it put the university’s academic integrity in question. Thank you again for allowing me to correct the record. Best, K
Dear Ms. Martinez Carbonell. Thank you. Finally! Some context. Now, was that so hard?
Just because something is an old discussion — and is it really ‘old’ if it’s from last year? — doesn’t mean it is a resolved discussion. Aren’t bike lanes an old discussion? Development? Historic preservation, even?
And the suggestion that it is “recycled when convenient” is not only ridiculous, it is downright offensive. The reason it came to my attention was because there was an item on the agenda to create an annual celebration for the city’s founder, who is celebrated as a “modern man” without any context about his segregationist past. Whether it was because of the times he was in or not, it seems to have been whitewashed from Coral Gables history. As someone so dedicated to and passionate about history, I am surprised that you would defend such selective representation.
The truth is that Ladra expected Mayor Lago to say the city HAD done something. That it had added a plaque or window box or something to provide context at the museum or Merrick House or that it had published something new about the man’s full history at the museum or city website. But no. Instead, I get accusations.
Convenient to who? Is the inference that it is convenient for me or for whoever is “influencing” me or paying me? THAT is the false narrative recycled when convenient. And the fact that it is what the mayor clings to and shoots back when asked a legitimate question that he doesn’t want to answer should concern you far more than any perceived convenience. Also, you sure don’t question my convenience or motivation when I write about the issues you DO care about.
Again, thanks for the context. Perhaps you should consider putting it on the website or in the museum in some way. That would be honest and true historic preservation.
Love, Ladra
This is an old false narrative that gets recycled when convenient. The false narrative has been academically debunked. The article should have embarked in deeper research and discovered the corrected narrative. See article link: https://gablesinsider.com/opinion-george-merrick-was-grounded-in-progressive-values-and-humanitarian-principles
The petition to remove Merrick’s name from the university uses references taken out of context. The petitioners removed words and inserted others to fit them and their objective. The advertisements sourced as examples were from the 1950s NOT the 1930s. This is blatant injustice.
The truth is that Merrick’s proposal sought to eliminate the “slums” as per President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1933 study conference on housing which tackled the issue of “slum clearance.” Merrick’s proposal to clear the slums was not only in line with the President’s mandate, but it also went beyond it. He proposed creating a model town with the best tropical living conditions with large plots of land, tropical fruit trees, and houses “suitable” “attractive” and “above everything else, it is what [this]…self-respecting community” wants. Merrick was addressing the overcrowded and unsafe living conditions that the Black community faced in the “slums.” See the full proposal in its original context [p. 11] of George Merrick’s 1937 address to the Miami Realty Board as chairman of the Miami Dade County Planning Board.
Merrick advocated for the improvement of the living conditions of Miami’s Black community. He also advocated for their fair treatment; for their access to clean water; for their access to larger plots of land; for their right to not just have functional homes, but to have artistically beautiful homes. Another excerpt [p. 10] from Merrick’s 1937 address to the Miami Realty Board, states: “Sadly …today this third of our present citizenry are effectively denied water access and water use. Now collectively, as well as individually, we cannot receive fairness, unless we give fairness. It is proposed—for Miami at least, that this unfair condition be remedied.”
In fact, Merrick wrote in his personal notes that “when our true pioneers are fittingly monumented, there must surely be an inspiring one for our Black Bahamians.”
Finally, Coral Gables and the University of Miami solely exists because of George E. Merrick. He not only donated land to build schools, churches, and planned communities, he also committed to a $5 million personal donation to build the University of Miami. Others pledged but only Merrick made good on his promise. George Merrick served as Regent and Trustee of the University from its beginning to the time of his death in 1942.
Kudos to you Ladra on addressing this poignant issue.
Not only have you aptly framed a continuing selective denialism and moral deficiency on this offensive history – notably – some posted replies thus far beg questioning the degree to which leadership in the City of Coral Gables reflect shared mindset, morality, sentiments and values across the community.
Sadly, it is disturbing seeing the large prevalence of apologists, ignorance and insensitivity to such past treachery abound in 2022 – more so since they echo the longstanding arguments and mindsets circa America’s latter 19th century and the onset of Jim Crow and the imposed cruelty, humiliation, marginalization, racism and vile which continue harming and injuring too large swaths of American society – and with destructive and grave consequences for everyone.
Thank you and keep speaking truth to power – it lends to creating a better, equitable, fairer, just and virtuous society.
It seems like the mayor was doing a bit of Mansplaining to you, Ladra. Something he does quite often to lots of women.
We agree that a main purpose of a university is the enhancement of knowledge of its students , at all levels of study . We have an example of bias, when we’re see that sixty million dollars have been committed by the University to bring back an alumn to coach football, while unionized faculty members are required to weather cuts in-remuneration , and reduction of positions. 1937 was close to the end of George. Merrick’s life, which must have included its share of sacrifice, in view of his achievements
Lesson. Don’t lie to Ladra. 8pm is not a good time for a bike riding lesson. An elementary school is not a good place for a Wawa. And acting like a Miami city commissioner is not a good look for Coral Gables.
Mayor Ego is a joke. He’s a not ready for prime time player. He is a Francis Suarez wanna-be. Always has been always will be. It kills him that his light doesn’t shine as bright as Baby X’s.
What about Thomas Jefferson? Has anyone suggested demolishing the Jefferson Memorial? History can’t be erased; we should learn from it and view it at the time it happened, not with today’s expectations. During the Roman Empire slavery was a reality, there are lots of historical events that today would be considered wrong! Most of our country’s founders had slaves and yet we still honor them. What about Presidents Day, etc, etc? Please!!! Find some valid issues to discuss.
The issue has been addressed, discussed and aired in public. It was a mistake to suggest relocating people based on ethnicity, and so was the well-documented ban on certain religious groups and minorities. It was a shameful aspect of the times and those that preached otherwise were roundly and publicly ostracized. It was also a time of pioneer spirit, artful design, bold thinking, audacious enterprise, rugged individualism.
Racist proclivities were widely held and the opposite was rare and notable. If we ostracized every person with similar views, the list would be long and nearly all-inclusive. Kudos to those brave souls free from such thought and deed. Meanwhile, a notable community was born and developed that leaves a fine legacy to endure, protect and continue. We are inspired by the virtue of such ideals.
In the balance, none are perfect or free from some flaws of nature and their times. You can choose to cast our ancestors in a dark cloak of shame, or relish their positive contributions — perhaps accept their flaws and talents as a people of their time.
First it was renaming everything called Washington, Lincoln or Jefferson. Now, it’s Merrick. Another woke attempt to re-write history. Can’t wait for November 8. The shellacking will be epic.