It’s good to have friends at City Hall. Just ask Chelsea Granell.
The longtime Coral Gables staffer — who was Mayor Vince Lago‘s chief of staff with no staff — quietly got another sweet little promotion in June. She’s now the director of Governmental Affairs  — basically the city’s chief lobbyist — leading legislative the municipality’s strategy at the local, state, and federal levels. The position gives her direct access to the movers and shakers in Tallahassee and D.C. She’ll be the city’s point person on legislative funding, preemption threats, and policy alignment.
The title bump comes with a pay bump of 10%. Granell, now makes $110,300 a year. She previously made $91,165 as chief of staff, a position that Lago invented just for her, because he really had no staff. One part-timer for a few months but that’s it.
Granell also had the inside track for the city lobbyist job. There was no job posting. No pool of candidates. City Manager Peter Iglesias — who was brought back to his position by Lago in May — just handed her the job. It was a direct appointment. Was he paying back the favor?
This move also puts her under the supervision of the city manager. So Lago is no longer her boss — directly. But he is Iglesias’ boss.
City spokeswoman Martha Pantin told the Coral Gables Gazette, which first broke the story, that this is “strictly a title change.” Yeah, a title change with a 10% raise. City Hall says the pay bump is “customary.” Tell that to the cops and firefighters. The guys who pick up the garbage and fill the potholes.
But even if it is some automatic HR policy, what might not be so customary is changing  the job description dramatically to make your preferred candidate eligible.
Because the old job description for the previous version of this job — Government Affairs Manager, back when it was held by Fernando Weiner and before him Naomi Levi Garcia — required a Juris Doctor from an ABA-accredited law school. In other words, a law degree. A requirement was that one had to be a lawyer.
But for Granell’s appointment? Poof. That requirement disappeared. Now all you need is a bachelor’s in poli sci or something “related.” How convenient.
Read related: Mayor Vince Lago brings Peter Iglesias back as Coral Gables city manager
Instead, Granell holds a real estate license. Maybe that swung in her favor?
Chelsea Granell and Vince Lago at the Alhambra Parc launch event earlier this year.
Remember, she was one of the real estate agents, with Lago, who hung their license at Rosa Commercial Real Estate, the brokerage firm owned by former Hialeah Councilman Oscar de la Rosa, stepson of Hialeah Mayor Esteban “Stevie” Bovo, and that got a $640,000 commission for the sale of a Ponce de Leon building to Location Ventures and developer Rishi Kapoor, who we was also paying Miami Mayor Francis Suarez at least $170,000 for “consulting” while seeking approvals for a development in Miami.
To be fair, Granell also has a Master of Public Administration from FIU. And she is no City Hall newbie. She’s been climbing the Gables ladder since 2014, from senior commission liaison to chief of community engagement (are those two jobs really different?) to her recent post managing the mayor, er, Ladra means his office. Before going to the Gables, according to her LinkedIn profile, Granell worked for a year as a special projects analyst at Miami-Dade County’s housing department.
According to the city’s website, she led Coral Gables’ participation in the Bloomberg Mayors Challenge in 2018, netting the city a $100,000 innovation grant. She’s also not new to the sausage-making machine in Tallahassee, and reportedly helped secure $2.5 million in state funding in 2022. So that’s what earned her this position? Something she did three years ago?
Maybe it’s because she was a judge in the Miss Miami Competition earlier this year?
Read related: Mayor Vince Lago’s personal affair with chief of staff becomes campaign fodder
None of that explains why the bar was quietly lowered — unless, of course, to make her eligible because they don’t want anyone else.
“Chelsea has been employed by the City since 2014 and has developed a deep institutional knowledge,” Iglesias wrote in a Human Resources form justifying the direct appointment. “She has gained policy expertise, legislative insight, and stakeholder-management skills that closely mirror those required for the Governmental Affairs Director position.”
In other words: “She’s one of ours.”
Granell’s closeness to Mayor Lago — and rampant rumors that she is more than just his staffer — might be a better explanation. Las malas lenguas are split on this: It’s either a reward for good behavior or a payment for silence and amnesia.
Meanwhile, Granell isn’t just climbing in the Gables. She also sits on the Florida League of Cities’ Municipal Operations Committee, the Miami-Dade Commission for Women (she was Kevin Cabrera‘s appointment and, perhaps, as another favor to Lago. and is a card-carrying member of the American Society for Public Administration. Her resume has all the right acronyms. Ladra suspects she may run for office.
And what about the role she left behind? According to the Gazette, Lago hired two new staffers to split Granell’s former duties — Lora Lastra as Chief of Community Outreach and Nicole Guevara as an administrative assistant — at a combined cost of $119,000.
But what’s got eyebrows raised — except Vince Lago’s perfectly coifed ones — it’s how quietly this was done, and why the legal requirement was changed without so much as a peep to the public. Key words: Personal palanca.
Because in Coral Gables, transparency is optional, loyalty is currency, and the mayor’s favorites get special treatment.
The post In Coral Gables, mayor Vince Lago’s chief of staff gets promotion, pay bump appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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Well, here we go again.
Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago has once more threatened to sue Ladra and Political Cortadito. This time, it’s over a post a few days ago that exposes his unprofessional relationship with his “Chief of Staff to None” Chelsea Granell and how that is not only evidence of Lago’s duplicity and hypocrisy, but also a liability for the city. Granell wants to sue also.
This is according to their respective attorneys, Mason Pertnoy — who also represents Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo — and David Rothstein, partner at the prestigious Dimond, Kaplan and Rothstein firm. Don’t worry, dear reader. Granell can afford it. She was promoted by Lago five whole pay grades at once, as chief of staff where there is no staff, and makes more than $90,000 a year. Their attorneys would have you believe that this is not relevant, nor connected to the personal, emotional relationship they have.
Ladra refuses to use the word romantic because, well, ew.
Mason Pertnoy
“We are aware of certain defamatory and libelous statements made by you and/or your agents on https://www.politicalcortadito.com/ (the “Website”) regarding an alleged affair between Mayor Lago and his Chief of Staff, Chelsea Granell (“Ms. Granell”),” Pertnoy’s letter, giving me five days to retract, starts. “Specifically, on March 27, 2025, you (writing through your admitted pseudonym “Landra”) falsely stated, inter alia, that Mayor Lago and Ms. Granell were engaged in an adulterous, emotional, and physical affair. The headline of the “article” itself (“Mayor Vince Lago’s personal affair with chief of staff becomes campaign fodder”) is false, libelous, and defamatory.”
This is an interesting paragraph for various reasons. First, agents? I have agents? This is news to me. Second, it’s not Landra, it’s Ladra. Sloppy work for a high-priced suit. Third, Ladra never used the word “adulterous,” because, again, ew.
And, also, we didn’t have to.
Read related: Mayor Vince Lago’s personal affair with chief of staff becomes campaign fodder
The letter puts the word “article” itself in quotations.
“The message in the article is clear. You allege Mayor Lago and Ms. Granell engaged in a ‘real affair’ and Mayor Lago abused his position of power by providing her with improper benefits and unearned compensation. These statements are patently false, and wholly unsupported by the referenced public records request from an unverified person with blatantly suspicious intentions.”
For the record, these statements are not false. She is the chief of staff of nobody. There was a part timer who lasted a couple of months before she left. The “referenced public records request” has been amended to request information about her exit from the mayor’s employ. Also, the statements don’t have to be supported by the public records request, they are supported by other sources, facts and simple observations. Like that Granell is chief of staff of a staff of none.
Also, for the record, the post in Political Cortadito specifically mentions the “suspicious intentions” of the public records request. It looks like a campaign tactic. But a public records request is a public record. And the documents and records sought — including texts messages and other communications — seemingly show an inside knowledge of events surrounding the, ahem, alleged affair.
Pertnoy is educational in his approach.
“As I am sure you know, Florida law provides an unusually high protection of personal reputation,” he wrote, citing a case that has to do with a surgeon at a hospital in Ft. Pierce. He gave me five days to retract the story or face possible litigation.
Thanks for the quick lesson, Mase.
Chelsea Granell, fourth from left, on what looks like Halloween, where she and Mayor Lago have matching pirate costumes.
And, as I am sure Mr. Pertnoy knows, courts don’s see politicians and surgeons in the same light and haven’t given the same unusually high protection for elected officials, who are public figures. With criticism from independent journalists, no less.
And, as I am sure Mr. Pertnoy knows, the threshold for libel in Florida is pretty high. There are three elements that have to be proven. First, he would have to prove that Ladra knew the information posted on Political Cortadito was false. It’s not. Ladra spoke with several sources, some very, very close to Granell, who provided context and details.
Secondly, they would have to prove malice. That means he has to prove that Ladra posted the information with evil intentions in mind. The only reason the exposé was posted was because there was a public records request that has apparently made the rounds — Ladra spoke with several people who had seen it and sent it to her — and because it is relevant as the mayor campaigns with attacks about a 101% raise that commissioners, including his opponent, gave themselves, which means they still make less than Granell.
The hypocrisy is relevant.
Read related: Kirk Menendez strikes back at Coral Gables Mayor ‘Lyin’ Vince Lago’
The last thing that has to be present for there to be libel is that the plaintiff’s reputation must be sullied. That’s hilarious. Not just because the people who read Political Cortadito mostly have their minds made up — there are the fans who hate L’Ego already and the haters who love him no matter what — but because Lago has done enough to hurt his own reputation. He needs no help there.
All three elements have to be present.
Ladra doesn’t blame Pertnoy — who also represents Lago in his equally baseless defamation lawsuit against Actualidad Radio — for taking this on, despite its obvious lack of merit. These are billable hours for him. It’s Lago that is to blame for trying to silence his critics. Granell is just being taken for a fool.
That post about the relationship has been met with some mixed reactions. Some, and not just Lago lackeys, think it crossed a line and is in bad taste. But it has also received praise from others who say Ladra exposed a situation that is not just inappropriate — and a real character trait of a mayoral candidate — but relevant. And it could pose a risk to the city. How do we know that he didn’t coerce this young woman into a relationship with a powerful man? How do we know she’s not going to claim sexual harassment later? What if someone with knowledge of the relationship used it to pressure (read: blackmail) the mayor into a vote?
Ladra hadn’t even thought of that last one until someone raised the concern in a comment.
This is not the first time that a personal out-of-office relationship between two city employees in the Gables becomes political fodder. There was once a city manager who was sued for sexual harassment by the secretary of the then-mayor, which was part of the reason that manager resigned.
So, the relationship is relevant. To say otherwise is like saying the relationship between Gary Hart and Donna Rice was not important. Just business as usual and not monkey business (sorry, I had to).
Needless to say, the deadline came and passed. The five days to respond were up on Wednesday, and crickets. This is an obvious bluff. I am anxiously awaiting the lawsuit so I can depose the mayor and Granell on a bunch of stuff.
Read related: Under fire, Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago sues Cuban radio station for libel
They already got my answer, though. A big fat no. I mean, through my attorney, a big fat no.
“In response to your request for a retraction, the answer is ‘no,’” wrote David Winker to Pertnoy. “My client rejects your assertion that this is a false statement. And she stands by the article as true and accurate in all respects.”
He also added something Ladra wishes she had thought of, and that’s why Winker is her attorney: “Please be sure to have your client, Vince Lago, save all relevant emails, texts, and ‘chats’ regarding his relationship with his Chief of Staff, Chelsea Granell.”
There has been no response to my his letter — nor any lawsuits filed.
Demand for Retraction from Mayor Vince Lago’s attorney to Elaine de Valle, award winning journalist at Poli… by Political Cortadito on Scribd

Letter from Chelsea Granell’s attorney demanding a retraction and threatening to sue by Political Cortadito on Scribd

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For years, the rumors have persisted about the emotional and physical affair between Mayor Vince Lago and his now Chief of Staff of One Chelsea Granell, who used to be Chelsea Granell Lindsey before her divorce.
Ladra has ignored these rumors despite the fact that Granell has seemingly benefitted from the relationship with promotions and significant raises, while the mayor attacks his opponent for having voted to increase commission salaries fo the first time in decades. But now it has become campaign fodder as a public records request for a slew of public documents referring to communications between Lago, Granell and Lago’s wife, Olga Lago — including text messages, call logs or “any reports referencing confrontations between them” — is making its rounds with City Hall insiders.
The request is also for any “official or unofficial records, security logs, visitor logs, or documentation indicating Chelsea Granell’s presence at Mayor Lago’s home, any city records or internal communications discussing or acknowledging Chelsea Granell visiting Mayor Lago’s home for personal reasons, including interactions with his wife,” and “any surveillance footage, security reports, or other documentation related to Chelsea Granell’s presence at locations associated with Mayor Lago outside of normal work-related duties.”
Also requested are any emails or texts messages between Olga Lago and city staff regarding the alleged relationship, any Human Resources complaints or reports or documentation related to their alleged relationship, and any records of media inquiries or photographs, video recordings or phone records that reflect the relationship.
Read related: Kirk Menendez strikes back at Coral Gables Mayor ‘Lyin’ Vince Lago’
The requests sound like “Mike Fernandez” has first hand knowledge or knows someone with first hand knowledge of details.
This might sound like a well-timed, politically-motivated fishing expedition but it’s really a map of sorts to a real affair that may have caused the mayor to abuse his power and position. Ladra has spoken to several City Hall insiders, past and present, as well as two people close to the husband, David Lindsey, who used to work in the city’s public works department (his departure was for a better opportunity before he learned of the affair, sources say). They all say the affair was real and was what led to the divorce. It may have ended at one point and Granell tried to make amends with her estrange husband. That may have been around the same time of an alleged confrontation between her and the mayor’s wife and also her promotion to “chief of staff” — although there is no actual staff — which resulted in about a 10% raise.
Chelsea Granell and Vince Lago at the Alhambra Parc launch event earlier this year.
In fact, since she started working for Lago, Granell’s pay increases through promotion, merit, cost of living or special compensation for her work as a “legislative manager advisor” (even though the city pays a professional lobbyist), has gone up several pay grades, which is what the mayor keeps hammering his opponent, Commissioner Kirk Menendez, for, after the latter voted with the majority in 2023 to increase their salaries from a laughable $36,488, which hadn’t increased in decades, to a less laughable but still funny $65,000.
Granell’s salary was $91,165 last year.
She also was one of the real estate agents, with Lago, who hung their license at Rosa Commercial Real Estate, the brokerage firm owned by former Hialeah Councilman Oscar de la Rosa, stepson of Hialeah Mayor Esteban “Stevie” Bovo, and that got a $640,000 commission for the sale of a Ponce de Leon building to Location Ventures and developer Rishi Kapoor, who we have since learned was paying Miami Mayor Francis Suarez at least $170,000 for “consulting” while seeking approvals for a development in Miami.
Read related: Brokerage firm cleans house after corruption arrests, drops Vince Lago
The sources closest to Granell also say that, as a real estate agent, she sold the house on Aledo street to Lago’s fundraiser, Brian Goldmeier — the one where he nailed the orchid to the tree — and that she has done freelance work for the company owned by Jesse Manzano, who is running Lago’s campaign and is heavily invested in his political future.
Lago never calls Ladra back or responds to texts. Granell got immediately defensive and dramatic after the first courtesy phone call to provide her the opportunity to comment. She said she knew nothing about the public records request — which would make her one of the last at City Hall to hear about it — and threatened to sue Ladra for defamation. After the call was disconnected and Ladra tried again, she said she was driving to the new public service building to file a police report about my “harassment.”
Goldmeier did not return a call. A recording on a call made to Jesse Manzano said Ladra’s number was blocked, but that I could leave a message anyway, so I did.
Ladra hears the mayor is reeling from this public records request and has lashed out for the first time against fat chance opponent Michael Anthony Abbott, who, las malas lenguas say, is the one that made the request. Lago had been ignoring him before.

Abbott denies having made the public records request. “I haven’t made any public records requests about Lago,” Abbott, who is embroiled in a lawsuit against the city, told Political Cortadito. And it is very possible he is being scapegoated because he didn’t even know who Granell is. “Who?” he asked.
He also said the information on the text is from sealed records and would forward it to his attorney for a response.
The attack text is paid for by Miami-Dade Residents First, which, according to public records with the Florida Division of Elections, was created last September and has raised $230,000 — including $78K from Mayor Francis Suarez‘s Miami For Everyone PAC, and, through another PAC, at least $5,000 from attorney Ben Alvarez, who Lago was going to appoint to the code enforcement board and then backed off after complaints about his checkered past.
Most of that was spent through the last report through December, some of it to one of the campaign consultants working for Lago. We may not know how much was spent this first quarter of 2025 until the April 8 election is over.
The post Mayor Vince Lago’s personal affair with chief of staff becomes campaign fodder appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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