Just one day after taking the oath of office and saying that he was ready to extend his hand to his colleagues and work together “not as factions divided by yesterday’s campaign, but as neighbors united in tomorrow’s purpose,” re-elected Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago lashed out at Commissioner Melissa Castro at the Carnaval de Barranquilla event in downtown Coral Gables.
He called her a “venomous snake” in front of several dignitaries and city staffers, refused to take a photograph with her and told others present that she was “bad news,” Castro told Political Cortadito late Saturday.
Read related: Coral Gables electeds sworn in; pledge unity, stability after bitter divisions
“He said he was going to ruin my life, that he was going to make sure I’m not elected in two years, that he’s going to get me out,” a shaken Castro said, shortly after she posted this video on her Instagram story.
“I am walking out of the Carnaval de Barranquilla festivities, where they called me to say a few words because I am the first Colombian commissioner in the last 100 years, and I am in disbelief right now at the disrespect and humiliation that Vince Lago 
has done to me in front of my child, right next to my child.” Castro says breathlessly, as she walks away from the event at Ponce Circle Park.
Her son, wearing a team shirt from La Seleccion Colombia, goes on the camera and testifies that Lago called Castro a snake.
“Actually, a venomous snake,” the 8-year-old corrects himself. “He wouldn’t take a picture with you and he pushed you aside,” he told his mother.
Nice, Vinnie. Looks like you’re learning how to treat women from your friend, former Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla.
“It is not possible that he would treat a woman who has done nothing to him, and since Day One, he has attacked me,” Castro said in her Instagram post, visibly shaken and fighting off tears.
Castro told Ladra that the Colombian consular officials were shocked and didn’t know what to do. They asked her to please go on stage separately from him, to appease the mayor.
Lago did not return calls and texts to his phone. As usual. But sources who were there confirmed what happened, and one told Ladra the mayor has never before been to the event, now in it’s fourth year. So, it looks like he wanted to stir things up. The organizers will be lucky if he doesn’t take away the city’s sponsorship because organizers invited Castro to speak.
This is not the first time that Lago takes digs at Castro and Ladra has wondered if he maybe has a secret crush on her.
Read related: In Coral Gables, Melissa Castro calls out Vince Lago for his rudeness, disrespect
In 2023, five months after she was elected, she called him out for his disrespectful actions, which include not referring to them at events and cutting them out of photos he posts on social media. Saturday’s actions are much worse. It seems things are escalating.
One might think that winning his election and getting his slate elected, which gives Lago back the majority on the commission, would soften him up some. Turns out he’s just as much a sore winner as he is a sore loser. What’s Lago still so angry about?
And what can Castro do? People just re-elected this bully with 55% approval. The police chief is on his side. The city manager is on his side, having sent an email to residents five days before the election to say how great the city was doing.
She was so hopeful at the swearing-in ceremony, too.
“These past two years have been rocky, but I’m pretty sure that moving forward we will find civility, peace, harmony,” Castro said Friday, one day before she was “disrespected and humiliated” at Ponce Circle Park.
“If it was up to me, this would be a beautiful, united commission. I’m looking forward to great days again.”
Yeah, Ladra is pretty sure that she doesn’t feel that way now.
In an email late Saturday to Police Chief Ed Hudak, Castro said “his behavior was not only abusive but also a blatant attempt intimidate me into quitting. Despite my telling him that my child was present, he persisted.”
She seems to ask Hudak for police protection and makes a chilling statement: “Let me know how to document this please, and if anything happens to me after this email… let it be known that he is to blame.
“I am a woman and a harmless public servant who deserves respect and a safe environment. This tarnishes the image of Coral Gables and creates a hostile environment for public officials,” Castro wrote. “There were numerous witnesses to this outburst and his behavior demonstrates a pater of bullying and vindictiveness. The mayor’s vindictive actions, including his threats to ruin my life and remove me from my position over the next two years, are unacceptable.”
She said that Economic Development Director Belkis Perez and International Business Development Coordinator Leticia Perez witnessed the confrontation, “though they might be too intimidated to speak up given the mayor’s known vindictive nature.
“What’s most alarming is that the mayor felt emboldened to humiliate and disrespect me in front of numerous people, including my child. Crossing that line shows he has no scruples and is unhinged. I fear for my safety and what he might do next,” Castro wrote, requesting “immediate measures to ensure my safety at future public events and that the mayor be held accountable for his actions. This kind of behavior cannot continue.”
Unfortunately, Ladra is afraid that this type of behavior is just getting started.
Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago lashes out at Commissioner Melissa Castro added by Ladra on
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[…] Read related: Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago lashes out at Commissioner Melissa Castro […]
[…] and again — they can’t miss an opportunity to try to embarrass or shame her. Remember Lago’s behavior at Carnaval de Barranquilla in April? That’s just one of the times that he has publicly belittled and bullied […]
[…] Read related: Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago lashes out at Commissioner Melissa Castro […]
[…] Read related: Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago lashes out at Commissioner Melissa Castro […]
saw, It is not the people. Most people who live in Coral Gables are respectful and civil. I think you are talking about Vince Lago’s “friends”, cronies, “business partners”, etc. They are all over social media attacking anyone who is not afraid of the Mayor. They cross every possible line, including attacking family members! Their comments and posts are mean, disgusting and crude. What would you expect from convicted criminals, people who benefit from his actions?And…..the Mayor usually follows them and even LIKES them!
I feel like people have been horribly cruel to Castro from the beginning. First it was her weight, now we are ridiculing her for possible “ozempic”, like it’s any of our business. She’s not allowed to be angry, she’s not allowed to cry. There was a terribly mean blog comparing her to the sinister murderer Dorian Gray when it was like her first few weeks on the job. As the great Taylor Swift explained when talking of how past critics hurt her, “I decided I would be what they said I couldn’t be. I didn’t know then that soon enough people would decide on something else I wasn’t quite doing right, and then the circle would keep going on and on and rolling along and I would keep accommodating, over-correcting, in an effort to appease my critics…n the last 10 years I have watched as women in this industry are criticized and measured up to each other and picked at for their bodies, their romantic lives, their fashion, or have you ever heard someone say about a male artist, I really like his songs but I don’t know what it is, there’s just something about him I don’t like? No! That criticism is reserved for us!” Hold strong Commissioner Castro. Keep your head high, don’t let the weasels get you down.
Once again Lladra’s reporting reveals Lago is still an asshole, Castro is a still snowflake and Fernandez is still two-faced. We should all be waiting for shoes to drop on Anderson and Lara (just elected and dealing with this crap).
Brian Maloney’s got it right: our city is a hot mess. The children are running the classroom. Voters need to stop teaming up against each other and start teaming up against the commission. This is bad for all of us.
Towns a red-hot mess! No salvation.
Totally agree with Stephanie! But don’t you mean “snake” tears? 😉
[…] Story continues […]
It’s amazing how many misogynistic people show up for Lago. The thing about bullies is that they are cowards inside. Lago still has that little fat kid that others made fun of and girls rejected, so he picks on who he thinks is the weakest person – a young woman. As for Castro, she may show emotions but she’s much stronger than our gym rat Mayor.
Dear dirangment:
First, it is spelled derangement. Secondly, nobody pays me to write anything. But anyone can support what Ladra does with a donation here. https://politicalcortadito.com/support-us/
Thanks for reminding me to remind folks.
Lastly, but probably most importantly, what “list”? Sounds ominous.
Love, Ladra
More for Dear Stephanie…
Ladra is 100% correct. Our tax break for a 5 bedroom/3 bath home on a 100’x100’ lot would have been approximately $30!!!
A whole $30!
It was presented by the mayor and vice mayor as something nice to help the residents, because “we deserve it.”
What it would have helped was the huge developments with huge tax breaks, and those companies aren’t even located in Coral Gables.
They don’t care if our city services are cut (because the loss of those taxes has to be offset somewhere). It would make Lago and Anderson look like benevolent “leaders”…and the loss of our services would have been swept under the rug!
It’s all a smokescreen to make them look like they actually care about the residents.
Our sidewalks are a disaster, our streets have potholes, and the trees in our swales need trimming…and that’s without the millage rate decrease…I can only imagine the impact on our services if/when they push it through.
As far as our millage rate being impossibly high, you need to check your facts and compare our millage rate with the surrounding municipalities…it is one of the lowest.
Ladra needs to go beg the Ozempic Colombiana for some more “cash for columns” to make up for the Kirk dollars!- I agree that Lago shouldn’t lash out at The Conflicted Coral Gables permit side stepper Castro. He won by a landslide proving that the truth will prevail. He shouldn’t be a sore winner. But, Ladra should be nervous she is next on the list.
KFC lost and so did LADRA!! Why keep up the discourse against Lago? Civility begins on both sides and LADRA & others commenting here are NOT practicing it!
Reality is that Castro does NOT belong on the Commission as she is NOT a property owner in Coral Gables. Yes, any resident of CG should have right to vote as a US citizen always does, BUT she has NO skin in the game! She can ruin our community and when her lease is up move to Hialieah/Sweetwater!!
No one would own shares in a company where Board members do not have skin in the game[own shares]! To be a Commissioner you must be a property owner!!
Also, dear Stephanie, don’t believe the hype.
The tiny tax break that Commissioner Castro was against would have saved the average homeowner less than $100, but would have provided the big developers and property owners a tax break in the tens of thousands, at least. It was designed for them, of course.
Meanwhile, residents would be the ones who would get service cuts to make up for the millions in lost city revenue. It was really a con.
Sorry you fell for it.
Love, Ladra
Dear Stephanie, I have two questions:
You’re really “offended” by Commissioner Castro’s emotional and physical immediate reaction to the mayor being a total bully and asshole, demeaning and insulting her in front of city staff, consular officials, her child and anyone else within earshot? And despite his pledge to work together for the future just a day earlier?
As a woman, don’t you find Lago’s actions offensive at all?
Okay, sorry, that’s three questions.
Love, Ladra
Lago continues to demonstrate what a low class scum bag he is. He’s obviously insecure. He was trying to make Melissa look bad, but instead made himself like a complete childish fool in public and gave a very unprofessional image to the City of Coral Gables! The organizers of Carnaval de Barranquilla worked so hard to organize this positive annual cultural event, so what a shame that L’Ego had to step in and try to ruin it! Keep up your excellent work Melissa!! Excellent coverage, Ladra!
As a woman, I’m so offended that Castro would resort to good ol’ fashion crying to get sympathy 😂 This is beyond ridiculous. You know who has been crying the past two years because of the incompetence of Castro, Ariel and Kirk? Us residents. You know who cried because our mileage rate was impossibly high and you refused to help us? We did. So no, your crocodile tears are not gonna work.
I think this emotionally weak chap just have a crush on this beautiful young lady, and knows this is only a thought.
Lago is not just a bully. His behavior is dangerous, reprehensible, and an embarrassment to the residents of this city. His mental state bears examination. Mentally healthy people don’t act like this.