It’s not often we see residents beg their elected leaders not to cut taxes. But in Coral Gables this year, it’s a resounding cry. Nobody wants the city to increase taxes, but one after the other, residents who spoke at a town hall on Tuesday said they would rather keep the taxes the same than […]
The city of Coral Gables commission is playing chicken with the budget. At stake: Millions of taxpayer dollars. A standoff became clear during the second budget workshop Wednesday and it doesn’t look like it’s going to end well — with a potential $10 million cut in services (and taxes) if commissioners can’t make up their […]
It should have been a no-brainer. Coral Gables Commissioners on Tuesday approved giving $42,000 to the Actor’s Playhouse, which leases the historic Miracle Theater from the city, for a new wheelchair ramp that will accommodate newer, bigger wheelchairs for patrons who need to get to the second floor. It was a divided 3-2 vote — […]
Attorney Richard Lara, who announced his candidacy for Coral Gables commissioner in February during public comments at a commission meeting, used another commission meeting Tuesday to attack Commissioner Kirk Menendez, who he is presumably challenging next year at the behest of the mayor’s cadre of establishment supporters. Is this going to be a habit? This […]
And Vince Lago hasn’t raised any PAC money in a year The establishment candidate propped up against Coral Gables Commissioner Kirk Menendez by the mayor and his cronies has not raised an extraordinary amount of money. Not even close to what was expected. At least that we know of. According to his campaign finance report, […]
Sources say the mayor’s allies recruited the candidate Richard Lara, executive vice president and general counsel at Spanish Broadcasting Systems, chose the Coral Gables Commission’s public comments section Tuesday to announce that he was going to run against Commissioner Kirk Menendez in 2025. But first, he gave a traditional 305 stump speech introduction about his […]
The possibility that Miami-Dade Aviation Director Ralph Cutié would become the next city manager in Coral Gables was very short-lived. On Tuesday, Cutié — who oversees operations at the beleaguered Miami International Airport — was named as a potential (preferred?) replacement for City Manager Peter Iglesias, whose third vote for termination from Commissioner Kirk Menendez […]
‘Mafia-like thuggery’ is tied to vote on city manager The three Coral Gables commissioners who voted to fire City Manager Peter Iglesias on Tuesday said they had been threatened or followed in recent days and felt genuine concern not just for their safety but for the safety of their families. Threats reportedly made against Commissioners […]
Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago had another bad day at City Hall Tuesday. Not only did he lack the votes to reject the proposed salary increase for himself and vice mayor — a grandstanding move that would have locked in future mayors and vice mayors — and is apparently losing the effort to annex High […]
So, it was apparently Coral Gables Commissioner Kirk Menendez who came up with the plan to give himself and his colleagues some pretty big raises in salaries, more wiggle room in their expense accounts and brand new car allowances where there were none. Newly-elected Commissioners Melissa Castro and Ariel Fernandez apparently agreed, according to City […]