Remember how Ladra told you earlier this month that Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago may have an ulterior motive to push for the annexation of Little Gables, and how the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust got a complaint about his brother’s connection to the trailer park owner?
Well, that may have pushed Lago to put the annexation on a fast track.
On Tuesday, the mayor will bring a resolution to the city commission that says, outright, and before all the data is in, that the annexation is beneficial to the city, and tells the city manager to keep taking the necessary steps to make it happen.
Read related: Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago may have conflict of interest in Little Gables
City commissioners initially directed the city manager and city attorney in August to “reinitiate the annexation process” for the Little Gables area abutting North Gables. In January, they added the High Pines/Ponce Davis area adjacent to South Miami to the city’s annexation efforts.
“The specific steps included taking action to retain professional consulting services to assist City staff with the annexation process, meet with the Board of County Commissioners following the November 2022 election to ascertain support for the annexation, analyze the additional City resources necessary to support Little Gables and High Pines/Ponce Davis if annexed, analyze a sample of one hundred (100) recent home sales within Little Gables and within High Pines/Ponce Davis, and report findings to the City Commission at an appropriate time to determine next steps.”
Apparently, the first steps have already been very encouraging, according to Lago’s agenda item. Ladra can’t help but wonder which commissioners they met with and if they registered as lobbyists.
“The analyses conducted thus far indicate there are long-term benefits to annexation that will accrue to the City as well as the areas of both Little Gables and High Pines/Ponce Davis,” the resolution says, and Ladra, for one, can’t wait to see these analyses conducted thus far.
“And the City Commission wishes to direct the City Manager and the City Attorney to take the next steps in furtherance of the annexation process.”
They need to hear it again? It’s like the mayor is saying, “C’mon, get a move on.” This is obviously a priority for him. Tiene tremendas ganas que pase.
Could it be because his brother, Carlos Lago, is the lobbyist on record for the largest property owner in Little Gables, the trailer park that the city wants to boot 200 people from and build high-density (and high-priced) residences? Ladra has seen drawings — that were allegedly also turned over to the ethics commission — for a “Moorish Village” of townhomes, apartments and retail to be built on that land.
Can you imagine how much it would go up in value?
And yes, there’s a conflict of interest. And Lago knows it. That is why he left the words “siblings, half-siblings and step-siblings” off the bogus affidavit he signed publicly to say he had no conflict of interest in the Little Gables annexation. Some naive people might think he just missed those words. But Ladra doesn’t buy that. He left those words out on purpose. Because he knows it’s a huge conflict.
By the way, lobbyist brother Carlos Lago lives in the High Pines/Ponce Davis area.
Read related: Little Gables annexation dreams dashed by staged ‘grassroots’ effort
Tuesday’s resolution directs the city manager and city attorney to “take the next steps in furtherance of annexation efforts.” But it apparently includes a lot more than just having community meetings about it. The city administration is expected to prepare and send “petitions to ascertain support for annexation,” and schedule a public hearing to authorize the “submittal of annexation petitions.”
That’s a lot of involvement. Certainly more effort than the city has exerted in the 30 or so years Little Gables homeowners have asked for annexation. Why so much interest now?
At the very least, Mayor Lago should recuse himself from any vote or discussion on the annexation of Little Gables, which could make his brother’s client rich. Instead, he’s sponsoring the resolution?
Hope the Ethics Commission is taking note.
The meeting begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 405 Biltmore Way. It can also be watched online on the city’s website.
Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago, con ganas, pushes annexations on fast track added by Ladra on
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My name is Doug Mayer and you interviewed me for your article on Little Gables.
[email protected] 305-761-8030
What is your email address? I have some information on a new group opposing the annexation of Little Gables “Neighbors for the Preservation of Little Gables”.
[…] Read related: Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago, con ganas, pushes annexations on fast track […]
NO to annexation for folks living in HIgh Pines. We have voted AGAINST THIS on more than one occasion. If we wanted Coral Gable’s higher taxes, we would have moved there instead of High Pines!
When will there be an official vote (again)? It cannot be legal to shove this down our throats.
I live in High Pines and I’m completely against the Coral Gables annexation, I rather keep things the way they are or join South Miami if I had to choose. I hope there is something we can do to stop this guy. Any lawyers that would like to take this and sue this shady character?
My son was ill. We needed rescue asap. They could not decide who to send to help. Coral Gables PD arrived immediately, informed us their hands were tied. Had to wait for Metro Dade. (We live on Cortez) Metro Dade had no idea who to send. We are invisible. After 50 minutes and many conversations with many operators they called metro. Took 50 minutes to get to my home. They had to follow me to Doctors Hospital. They didn’t know how to get there. A complete nightmare.
The reality is that all the surveys and straw polls have shown that the great majority of Little Gables residents are in favor of annexation.
For us here in the Little Gables (apart from the expected bump in valuation), the most important reasons are related to being a complete enclave (an unincorporated area surrounded on three sides by the Gables and one side by the City of Miami), so that police and fire rescue take thirty minutes to arrive for an emergency. Shameful!
Additionally, the services in the Gables are much better and are well worth the relatively minor increase in the taxation millage rate.
People complain about Gables taxes but most don’t realize it’s not the millage rate, it’s that properties have higher valuations in the Gables.
Our family is ready to join the Gables for all these reasons and more!
Annexation should be left to the voters of Coral Gables AND the areas sought for annexation AFTER a comprehensive review with public report of all aspects of annexation. Coral Gables voters should vote. Annexation neighborhoods should vote. Only if both groups after independent vote agree to annexation shoudl it proceed. There’s an election in Coral Gables right now – if you feel strongly about this issue, bring it to ballot box!! Perhaps it is this election that is prompting Lago to fast track the annexation issue as there is a candidate on the ballot that wishes to involved residents/property owners in the discussion.
Why does Vince Lago’s face look like The Godfather? He is a tyrant and a dictator, that’s why. And he is using his position to make the most of it FOR HIMSELF.
I don’t trust him for a minute.
If he’s pushing this, I would be careful to look for the reason(s) behind the move….and who are the “real” benefactors and what are they getting…?
Very bad idea these annexed areas has been going on for years and years and let’s just keep it the way it would be a mistake to annex these areas
Ask Coral Gables residents what they want. Sure little gables and high pines have to vote and there’s good reason for them to want to be part of coral gables. whats in it for current residents? we already have service issues and crime. we want more areas of responsibility? Kiss your chances of lower taxes goodbye. Little gables will drain resources. High pines will be forced to hire off duty police .
The mayor’s own the affidavit, “under penalty of perjury”, states clearly what the offense for lying is. Changing the text of the code does not relieve him of culpability, since he cites the code number. I hope the COE and City attorney take a stand on this.
LG- he does not represent Little Gables. He represents Coral Gables. He should recuse himself from anything where his family has personal gain. He made a spectacle of having no personal interests when he does.
Even city employees have to follow rules where they can not use their position for personal gain-as it should be.
Please. The annexation of little Gables has been around long before mayor Lago was in the picture. It will be good for coral gables to be in control of an area that has no code enfircement of any kind. Thank mayor Lago for. Your wisdom. Go for it.
Read the Commission meeting verbatim transcript for June 8, 2021.
“Mayor Lago: G-4 is a discussion of High Pines and Ponce Davis. I wanted to talk to my colleagues and have a brief discussion about their appetite to have staff commence moving forward in a bifurcated approach. We are not currently discussing Little Gables; we are discussing High Pines and Ponce Davis. I’ve been speaking to a lot of residents and new residents of that area that have called me or that I have run into, one of them being my brother and I want to put on the record, he just recently moved to Ponce Davis, who has asked me if they would be interested in potentially having the City of Coral Gables consider annexation of this area.”
The entire transcript can be found here:file:///C:/Users/jkell/Downloads/Verbatim%20Transcript%20-%20CCMtg%20June%208%202021%20-%20Agenda%20Item%20G-4%20-%20Annexation%20discussion%20of%20High%20Pines%20and%20Ponce%20Davis.pdf
Has it occurred to you that Little Gables residents want this? It would be nice to get the whole story. Annexation has been talked about for decades and if Vince can see it to the finish line, there is nothing wrong with that. And his brother represents many developers all over Miami Dade County, so what? This is just another client. And what if the developer has a plan to provide some affordable housing. Let’s take a look at the big picture instead of pointing fingers.
I’m going to start thinking this guy is a crook thru and thru… Shame on us the residents who voted him and his cronies in.
Ladra : What GOOD is The (COE) Ethics ? They are a WORTHLESS Board as The (OIG) Inspector General They are Both Paper 4 # 2 ?