A tradition at Fritz & Franz Bierhaus could be over
Apparently, Coral Gables is ready for the FIFA World Cup. Just not the people who actually gather to watch it together.
On Tuesday, Mayor Vince Lago, Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson and Commissioner Richard Lara once again kicked the can (the ball?) down the road on the now-infamous Fritz and Franz Bierhaus World Cup watch party proposal, delaying a vote until June 2 — roughly one week before the start of the tournament.
Cutting it a little close for a global sporting event that has only been coming for, oh, four years.
Read related: Coral Gables could cut FIFA World Cup watch parties at Fritz & Franz Bierhaus
The stated reasons remain the same: safety concerns, staffing issues, traffic worries, noise complaints, Fourth of July complications, planetary alignment, Mercury in retrograde — whatever excuse is needed this week to avoid saying what this increasingly looks like to residents: another stop on Lago’s revenge tour through Coral Gables.
Because nobody seriously believes City Hall just discovered the World Cup was coming.
This is not some surprise backyard quinceañera that suddenly ballooned out of control. FIFA announced Miami as a host city in 
2022. Where were Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and former Miami Mayor Francis Suarez when the news was announced? At Fritz & Franz, of course.
Then, Coral Gables proudly became home to FIFA’s North America headquarters in 2024. And the city unanimously approved a giant decorative FIFA soccer ball installation Tuesday morning with all the enthusiasm of a tourism commercial.
They want the branding. They want the prestige. They want the selfies with the giant Trionda ball. They want to market themselves as the sophisticated international center of World Cup activity.
But the actual fans gathering outdoors to watch games at the same place they’ve gathered for six World Cups already? Suddenly that’s treated like a potential homeland security incident.
¡Por favor!
Police Chief Ed Hudak warned that officers will be “taxed to the max” during the tournament, which is fair enough. The World Cup will stretch law enforcement across the county.
But critics point out that Fritz & Franz is not proposing some brand-new unknown mega-event. These gatherings have existed for 24 years. The city knows exactly what they look like. Staff has worked them before. Police has worked them before. The restaurant has worked them before.
What changed isn’t the World Cup. What changed is the political climate inside Coral Gables City Hall.
Read related: Fritz & Franz Bierhaus wins three-week reprieve from Coral Gables commission
And residents are starting to notice a pattern: If you are perceived as not aligned with the Lago political orbit — Fritz & Franz is 
where anti-Lago commission candidate Tom Wells had his watch party — suddenly every permit becomes a crisis, every request becomes “complicated,” overtime police costs go up and every issue gets buried under layers of procedural paralysis until people either give up or run out of time.
Which may be exactly the point here.
Because every delay hurts Fritz & Franz owner Harald Neuweg’s ability to prepare, hire staff, coordinate security, arrange vendors and organize logistics for an event that draws international crowds. Delaying the vote until June 2 keeps the restaurant twisting in uncertainty while the city keeps publicly insisting it’s merely being “careful.”
Convenient.
Especially after attorney Amanda Quirke Hand practically begged commissioners Tuesday to approve the proposal conditionally so preparations could move forward while details were finalized. She even offered flexibility on scheduling and police coordination.
Still no deal.
Read related: Coral Gables Manager Peter Iglesias resigns abruptly, exits after Oct. 2
And perhaps the biggest tell of all came when commissioners suddenly clutched their pearls over “last minute” additions to the proposal involving U.S. and Germany matches — as though anyone familiar with Fritz & Franz could not have predicted those games would be central to the entire event.
At this point, the issue no longer feels administrative. It feels personal.
The venue, in the downtown Gables for 24 years, used to host the Coral Gables Bluesfest for 20 years and the Coral Gables. Neuweg says the city is trying to run him out of town.
“Now [they’re] trying to kill the best World Cup, Euro and Copa America Watch Party in South Florida,” he posted on Facebook Tuesday night after the meeting. “They are taking all my energy, my money and that little fun I have in this f……g business away 
from me! Maybe it’s time to fold!”
The comments were pretty much all the same: The city is nuts and “please move Fritz & Frantz” somewhere else.
This is the same thing that happened to Bar77, a sports bar on Giralda that closed after Lago refused to allow them to have TV screens for their outdoor patrons. The reason was only because the owner had sought help through Commissioner Castro instead of Mayor L’Ego. The mayor said it himself.
Read related: Political retaliation in Coral Gables as Mayor Vince Lago loses his cool again
Neuweg was explicit in his post: “Mayor Vince Largo, Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson and this guy Lara! I am not your Slave! I am not your puppet! I am not going on my knees! I am not kissing your Ring!
“You want to put YOUR Fancy, Classy, FIFA VIP Public viewing Party somewhere else in this city, be my guest! You did not bring FIFA into Coral Gables! It was FRITZ & FRANZ BIERHAUS!”
The irony, of course, is that whether the commission approves the permit or not, people are still going to show up at Fritz & Franz to watch the games. As Hand bluntly noted, the crowds are coming regardless.
So the city now risks creating the exact scenario it claims to fear: massive gatherings without a fully approved operational plan already in place.
Brilliant governance.
But hey, at least there will be a giant decorative soccer ball downtown.
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Wow! Is this the Mayor that continuously worries about how downtown looks, the one that sends concerns lists to the Deputy City Manager about code violations that he wants Code Enforcement to deal with or as he calls it, to keep up the standards?The one that talks about à world class city, restaurants, parks, etc? How is he planning to fix this awful public disaster? Is he going to pay Coral Gables magazine, Aesop to publish his smoke and mirrors creative answers?
Isn’t it time for our residents to say enough is enough??
Amen to all of the prior comments!
Squandering the opportunity to have soccer fans enjoying World Cup games while bringing needed business to the city, is absolutely insane. The fact that Fritz and Franz has been hosting World Cup games for 24 years, very successfully, is even more insane when listening to the reasons given by Lago, Anderson and Lara for putting roadblocks in their path. Putting up these roadblocks does exactly the same to the residents of Coral Gables who eagerly anticipated watching games surrounded by other enthusiastic soccer fans, in a safe, family-friendly, fun environment.
Now, not only has Lago’s vengeance tour prevented that simple pleasure, but Harald has had enough of the targeting tactics, and no longer wants to deal with the city, “not so beautiful.”
Can’t blame Harald, but it’s a huge loss for the city and the residents who have truly enjoyed Fritz and Franz all these many years. Harald, please reconsider leaving! Lagos come and Lagos go, just not soon enough.
Hopefully November will bring a brighter day for the Gables, and a swing back to the Gables we loved before Lago’s reign of terror.
Police officers parked around the city, while sipping coffee that they paid for (I have seen it) are more than welcome to park anytime for as long as they want in Salamanca Avenue, where I own and live in a fourplex. Their presence is a deterrent to crime and delinquent activity. They are most welcome and may stay as long as they want.
Chief Edward James Hudak, Jr., is a great asset to this city and has genuine concerns. However, those concerns can be addressed and remedied without the drama. Fritz & Franz is a private business that brings money to the city and the county. The Cup is a big deal. We should support this as a great event that will never come again. A safe gathering place to watch the Cup like Fritz & Franz is exactly what is needed. Not much different than Calle 8 in the mile.
Truly, it’s a shame coral gables residents don’t care enough to make their voices heard, at the polls in particular. Clearly they’ve elected and continue to support a loser not unlike that clown ex baby mayor in the city, if they’re not careful soon the gables will also suffer from that all too common affliction the city is now trying to remedy, we all know what it is, just look at places like minnesota, ny, california, virginia, seattle and many more, it’s an affliction of the soul that spreads into everything it infects. As for officers being taxed to the max, all they have to do is get the ones that kept harassing and antagonizing me while I played at Granada or everywhere I went really, and put them to do actual work… maybe these days they’re busy at a pool party with their boss? Or perhaps at the first tee time in biltmore on Saturday… Just ask key biscayne residents what happens to the quality of life when they don’t care enough to resist the overt discrimination from a skewed politician as the ex baby mayor and his cohorts repeatedly exhibited, yeah blame the rich, that’s it, all while they make a statement to the press and turns out they read a letter word for word from a billionaire from ny or chitown that just arrived, lying to constituents and fellow residents they grew up with for what…money money money. Frankly I don’t find it surprising the “success” that seems to follow those “public servants,” no not at all…it’s the stench that bothers me and boy oh boy do they have it, and yet they always try to pin it on someone else, go figure, pathetic…Atanasio
What is happening in the City Beautiful?
As a longtime Coral Gables resident, businessman, and someone who believes deeply in the principles of economic freedom and limited government, I find this situation deeply troubling.
You have a local mayor who proudly identifies himself as a Republican, yet residents are witnessing actions that appear completely inconsistent with one of the Republican Party’s most fundamental principles: government should not unnecessarily interfere with or limit private enterprise.
First it was Sports Bar 77, a local business that ultimately closed after disputes with the city over outdoor televisions and operational restrictions. Now many residents fear Fritz & Franz Bierhaus — a Coral Gables institution and internationally recognized soccer venue — is facing similar treatment through delays, excessive regulation, escalating costs, and bureaucratic obstruction.
At some point, we have to ask whether this is truly about public safety and procedure, or whether politics and personal grievances are driving decision-making at City Hall.
Coral Gables should be encouraging successful local businesses, not creating environments where entrepreneurs feel targeted, punished, or politically pressured. Cities thrive when government acts as a fair and predictable partner — not as an adversary.
The irony here is impossible to ignore. Coral Gables wants the prestige, branding, and economic benefits that come with being associated with the FIFA World Cup, but appears unwilling to support the very local business that helped build South Florida’s soccer culture over the last two decades.
Mayor Lago should reconsider this approach, move beyond the pettiness and personal politics, and recommit himself to the longstanding principles Republicans have historically championed: support for small business, restraint in government, fairness in regulation, and respect for private enterprise.
Because right now, many residents are looking at City Hall and asking a very simple question:
What is happening in the City Beautiful?”
Great point Ladra about the irony, yes so many of us are going to show up at Fritz & Franz whether or not there’s an official permit or not. And I totally agree with Tom and Saul’s comments!
It is very sad when Mayor Lago’s petty personal retribution prevents our community coming together (as done for the past 24 years) peacefully and enthusiastically enjoying the World Cup in a safe environment. Lago’s action blocks much-needed revenue in the Coral Gables Central Business District (“CBD”) during slow summer months that this event brings to many small businesses. And Lago is breaking his sales pitch to FIFA which affects the next major business considering relocating in Coral Gables. Lago, Anderson and Lara’s job is to VOTE on issues – not to defer voting so that they can stop an event without ever voting against it. This is like Lago’s repeated recusal from voting as to his money-laundering tenant, Rishi Kapoor. Lago’s job is to protect and enhance the quality of life in the City – not to take laundered rent money from a tenant who never occupied the space but received significant upzoning benefits for a major real estate development in downtown Coral Gables or prevent an historic community event like World Cup watch parties at Fritz & Franz and then tell voters that he never voted for or against such projects. The City makes a fee from a special events permit. It needs all the money it can get with the additional $1M annual maintenance cost for the Underline located in Coral Gables. Hopefully, this new Underline maintenance cost will cause the City to stop litigating against residents living near the Youth Center over building and maintaining another unused dog park or trying to eliminate the Youth Center’s reverter clause that courts have already held was valid and enforceable. Lago – act like a mayor.
As to police being “taxed to the max,” maybe Ed should monitor his officers more closely and put an end to them parking on sidewalks and in no parking zones while sipping free lattes at Starbucks, Pasion del Cielo, and elsewhere throughout the city. Your officers should not be parked on medians, lounging about. Where is it written that once you have a badge you can park wherever the fuck you want? Patrol the North Gables, Ed. We haven’t seen a cop between Alhambra and 8th Street for months. Don’t we matter?
To the powers that be, let us have our fun. Consider it a little gift to those of us spinning the never-ending hamster wheel of work-consume-work-consume. Give us our fun and quit being dicks. It is awesome that we have a place like Fritz & Franz to enjoy something with the rest of the world. It is relatively inexpensive for all concerned, so quit being assholes and let us enjoy the crumbs that FIFA deigns to toss our way. You’ve already given FIFA the keys to the castle and multiple blank checks, likely lining your pockets along the way. If you can’t give us this one thing, fucking resign so folks with a soul can do a better job running things.