In his recently-accelerated revenge tour, Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago is going after his perceived enemies. Like this was Cuba or Venezuela and he can just trample on everyone’s rights.
His baseless defamation lawsuit against Actualidad Radio — for a February, 2023, broadcast about a complaint to the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust — is just a witch hunt to find and harass as many of his critics as he can.
Lago says he wants to know just who complained about his lack of truthfulness to the ethics commission, which then launched an investigation into his possible violation of the truth in government provision because he signed an affidavit swearing nobody in his immediate family had financial interests in the Little Gables annexation into the City Beautiful, which was a lie because his brother was, at the time, listed as the lobbyist for the largest property owner in the unincorporated Miami-Dade enclave, which is the trailer park.
The mayor  just conveniently left the word “siblings” out of the affidavit. That’s not a coincidence. So the investigation sorta bloomed into that: Whether or not there was really a conflict of interest in his desperate push to annex Little Gables.
The complaint was technically a “matter under initial review,” but that’s an investigation, just using other words. This is the crux of Lago’s defamation lawsuit against Actualidad, filed in late 2023, ten months after the broadcast. Lago and his attorneys say it wasn’t technically an investigation and want to know who leaked the investigation, which wasn’t  an investigation, to the radio host, Roberto Rodriguez-Tejera, who then talked about it on his morning radio show.
Lago’s attorneys filed a motion to compel Ethics Commission Investigator Karl Ross to divulge the names of the “three concerned citizens” that made the complaint about the fake affidavit. They already very obviously have their suspicions. In the March deposition taken of Ross, Lago’s attorney asks him if he knows three people, and only these three people: Miami-Dade Firefighters Local 1403 President William “Billy” McAllister, Coral Gables firefighters union president David Perez, y esta que está aquí. But they spelled my name wrong. Phonetically, I guess.
Read related: Judge dismisses Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago’s defamation lawsuit
McAllister was subpoenaed and is scheduled to give his deposition July 2. Ladra, who has also been subpoenaed, can’t wait to read that one.
This is just a fishing expedition. Take note of the long list of perceived enemies on the subpoena to McClatchy. Lago’s attorneys want the publisher of the Miami Herald to produce any documents and communications involving ethics commission proceedings from January 2016 to December 2024 (that’s eight years!) that were copied to:

Democratic political consultant Christian Ulvert
Former or current staff members of the Miami-Dade County Mayor’s office
Former or current officials of AFSCME Local for City and County Employees
Former or current chairpersons of a political party
Former and/or current members of the Miami-Dade Commission, City of Miami Commission, and/or former and/or staff and/or personnel of those members
Former and/or current state prosecutors
Members and/or representatives of the Miami-Dade Fire Union
Members and/or representatives of the Coral Gables Fire Union
William “Billy” McAllister IV
David Perez
Former Miami Herald Writer Sarah Blaskey
Miami Herald super writer Jay Weaver

Furthermore, for the last three years, they want all documents and communications, including text messages and emails sent to or received by the Miami Herald that “discuss, refer to, insinuate, report, and/or allege that Vince Lago was engaged in a bad act, abuse of power, and/or ethical impropriety.” They are listed:

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Out of nowhere, and more than a year after getting it, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Joseph Perkins last week recused himself from the defamation lawsuit brought by Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago against Actualidad Radio for a 2023 broadcast about an ethics investigation into his signing of an intentionally misleading affidavit, dramatically signed at a public commission meeting, denying his brothers documented business ties with the largest property owner in Little Gables.
Perkins didn’t give a reason for his sudden self recusal on May 19 in what looks like a form letter. “The undersigned Circuit Court Judge hereby recuses himself/herself from further consideration of this case,” it says. “This case shall be reassigned to another section of the Circuit Civil Division in accordance with established procedures.”
No reason. No details. Not even any certainty about how Perkins identifies. This is nearly 18 months after Perkins first got the case, which was filed in December of 2023.
Read related: Vince Lago revenge tour includes witch hunt for critics, confidential sources
There have already been depositions taken and rulings made. There have been case management hearings, motions on discovery. There are 132 dockets on file with the Miami-Dade Clerk’s office (enter “Lago, Vince,” and check the “I am not a robot” box).
This is weird.
Perkins was elected to the 11th Circuit Court in 2020. He mostly self funded his campaign with at least $100,000 in “loans” and another $93,000 or more in “in-kind” contributions, according to his campaign report filed with the Florida Division of Elections. He’s up for re-election next year and filed on April 25, almost a month before he recused himself from this Lago case.
Many political observers wonder if someone threatened to run a candidate against Perkins. A Hispanic candidate. This is not so shocking to anybody who knows anything about the history of judicial races in Miami-Dade. Las malas lenguas say old school political consultant Armando Gutierrez would threaten to run a candidate against you if you didn’t hire him to run your campaign.
This is the same thing: A threat against justice. In this case, it wouldn’t be about using political influence to affect an election. It would be about using political influence to affect a particular civil case.
Read related: Judge dismisses Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago’s defamation lawsuit
Perkins wasn’t necessarily a friendly judge to Lago. He already dismissed the case last August, finding that Lago’s claims were “legally insufficient.” Duh. A public figure cannot bring a defamation case against a journalist or radio station for discussion a very real and pertinent investigation about a statement made at a public meeting, no matter what the mayor wants to call it. The ruling was a response to Actualidad’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit based on the anti-SLAPP provision, which “prohibits lawsuits brought against individuals for exercising their right of free speech in connection with a public issue,” according to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
Lago’s attorneys baselessly claim that Actualidad’s 4-minute broadcast in February of 2023 was orchestrated by Coral Gables Commissioner Ariel Fernandez and former morning show host Roberto Rodriguez-Tejera to damage his reputation. Tellingly, neither of the two are named in the lawsuit. Because it’s simply an attempt to silence his critics, which include the presidents of the firefighters unions, the publisher of the Miami Herald and Ladra herself, all of whom have been subpoenaed to tell his attorneys who told us about the investigation.
Good luck with that.
There is no case because Lago is a public figure who answers to a constituency and, more importantly, there was, indeed, an investigation, or inquiry, or review into whether or not he knowingly misled the public when he dramatically signed an affidavit at a public meeting swearing that none of his immediate family had any personal or financial interests in Little Gables, which was being considered for annexation, by intentionally leaving “siblings” out of the definition of family. His brother, attorney Carlos Lago, was registered as a lobbyist at the time for the owner of the largest property in Little Gables, which is the trailer park.
The Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust did get a complaint and did conduct an investigation, which they call a “matter under initial review,” but is handled the same way, according to the testimony of investigator Karl Ross, whose deposition was taken in March. The investigation basically ended after they found that Lago may have thought that he used the current definition, because it was changed at some point.
Read related: Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago may have conflict of interest in Little Gables
Whatever. If he used the definition of the time, then he took advantage of it because he never had to sign an affidavit in the first place. It was like he was protesting too much.
But when Perkins dismissed the case in August, he left room for Lago’s attorneys to amend the complaint, which they did. And so the lawsuit rages on. But the judge’s sudden exit may lead to some questions of concern. And maybe some opportunity for the Actualidad Radio attorneys.
The new judge who has been assigned the case is Circuit Court Judge Javier Enriquez, who once ran for State Rep. against Jose Javier Rodriguez, and lost, just like Alex Diaz de la Portilla did. He was appointed in 2023 by Gov. Ron DeSantis and sits on the family court bench in the domestic violence division. One can’t help but wonder if he’s been politically influenced.
At the very least, it’s going to take him some time to get up to speed on the case. As stated, there have been a lot of filings already. But there are subpoenas being served all the time now and the next deposition is scheduled for July. So Enriquez better bone up.
The post Judge in Vince Lago’s ‘defamation’ lawsuit suddenly recuses himself appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo stood Ladra up Wednesday. Or, rather, set me up.
It was awfully suspicious that Carollo would agree to grant Political Cortadito an interview after the hostilities he’s expressed, the names he’s called me, even saying from the dais that Ladra was paid to attack him. For the record, I do it for free because it’s so easy and fun and important.
But if one is a serious political blogger, one cannot turn down an opportunity to interview Carollo face to face. There were so many questions to ask that I made a list. The easy, “friendly,” questions would come first, and get increasingly — er, pointe? Difficult? Hostile? — before he would toss me out. That’s how I envisioned it. Was Ladra nervous? Yes. But I was more excited.
And, apparently, naive.
Ladra should have known it was a ruse, but it wasn’t Carollo himself who invited Political Cortadito to his district office Wednesday. It was his communications director, Karen Caballero, who I thought was a respected journalist herself at one point. Ladra found out about the commissioner’s Monday press conference too late to attend. So, I called and texted Caballero to get the documents he had distributed to the press. She didn’t answer. I texted again on Tuesday, after someone spotted her sitting next to Carollo in the audience in commission chambers during Commissioner Miguel Gabela‘s emergency Bayfront Park Management Trust meeting.
A few hours later, she texted back.
“Good afternoon Ms. de Valle. I hope this message finds you well,” she wrote. “The commissioner mentioned that he will make time to meet with you at the district office. Please let me know if you are available to come by today or tomorrow. Thank you.”
Could this really be serious? Ladra thought to herself.
We arranged for a time and Caballero gave me the address. And Ladra nearly jumped out of her gaming chair (which is the best desk chair I’ve ever had; try it!)
Read related: Miami Commission clash: Miguel Gabela vs Joe Carollo war heats up
On Wednesday, an hour before the fake meeting, as I prepared to get into the car and make my way from Kendall to Little Havana , I called Caballero and spoke to her on the phone. To confirm the meeting was still going to happen. She said the meeting was still on, but she would not be there. The commissioner will be there? Yes, she said. I imagined with other staffers, not alone.
When I arrived at the district office, which used to be the Little Havana Neighborhood Enhancement Team branch, it was locked. Am I the only one who thinks it’s strange to have a public building locked on a weekday afternoon? I rang the bell and announced myself. I sure did have an appointment!
Then this guy comes from around the corner, asking who I was. He looked familiar and carried some papers in his hand. Immediately, I knew. I was duped. Carollo wasn’t going to meet with me. This was the purpose of the “meeting” all along.
The process server’s name is Jose Mejia and he was awfully nice. (You can watch our interaction on Political Cortadito’s new TikTok platform.) They all have been, really. He said they had been trying to serve me but couldn’t. That is weird since I’ve been served at my home, twice in recent months. We gave the last guy a cold can of Coke. So, I thought, finally, Carollo is serving me with some cease and desist or defamation motion.
Read related: Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo served with court summons in meeting
It happens. Corrupt politicians don’t like to be called out and try to silence their critics using the courts. It never sticks.
Anyway, guess what? It wasn’t Carollo’s subpoena. It was one from Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago, calling me as a witness  in his lawsuit against Actualidad, in which he is trying to go after all his critics (more on that later). Basically, he wants all my communications with anyone regarding the story in Political Cortadito about his false affidavit on not having any family members involved in the Little Gables annexation interests.
But what’s really important here isn’t that Ladra got tricked into going to a meeting that was a ruse all along by an elected official and one of his public payroll staffers. While that is sorta rude, my readers will understand that I had no choice and are likely to find it funny. I did.
No, the important thing is that Carollo and a staffer, his press secretary, knowingly lured a journalist to a public building, which belongs to the taxpayers Ladra informs, in order to dramatically serve a subpoena — they could have come to my home — from a mayor in a neighboring city. How is that ethical?
What kind of deal did Carollo — who was at Lago’s election night victory party at Wolfe’s Wine Shoppe on Miracle Mile last month — make to be the lead in this con? What has Lago promised in return?
They do share an attorney. Mason Portnoy, who is former Miami Commissioner Marc Sarnoff‘s litigation lapdog (Marc can’t litigate but he can get business, because he knows a lot of shady people; Mason can’t get business but he can litigate), represents Carollo in some matters and was at Tuesday’s Bayfront Trust meeting to try to stop it from happening (more on that later). Maybe Caballero showed him my texts and the scheme was born. Portnoy also represents Lago in the threatened lawsuit against Ladra that never materialized after I refused to take down to post or write a retraction.
Read related: Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago and chief of staff threaten to sue Ladra
Ladra has called both Carollo and Caballero five or six times each since Wednesday. I’ve left specific messages asking them what happened. I texted Caballero specifically asking her about her role in the whole scam. There has been no answer. Silence.
First, they stood me up. Now they are ghosting me. Typical Miami relationship.
The post Joe Carollo and staff set Ladra up to serve Vince Lago’s newest subpoena appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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The political battle between Miami commissioners Joe Carollo and Miguel Gabela — which began in earnest after Gabela took the chairmanship of the Bayfront Park Management Trust from Crazy Joe — erupted into a full blown war this week with several bombs launched. It culminated Thursday at a city commission meeting where Gabela’s wife accused Carollo of, basically, stalking them, and, after which, Chairwoman Christine King, like a frustrated parent with unruly kids, stopped the meeting abruptly.
Like a cease fire.
Nothing from the agenda — aside from the presentations and accolades — got done. Nothing.
And poor Loco Pollo Carollo — smiling and satisfied like the cat that ate the canary — had only just gotten there, after leaving his chair empty throughout the entire public comments period, during which Mariela Gabela said he and his staff were harassing her. Yes, that’s Mrs. Gabela, the commissioner’s wife.
Read related: Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo loses Bayfront Park Trust to Miguel Gabela
“He’s messing with my livelihood. He’s been messing with my livelihood since 2023,” Mariela Gabela said, coming to tears and pointing at the empty seat where Carollo should have been. “He has a person outside my house watching me night and day. He has the sergeant of arms over here taking photos of me and watching me day and night. I’m the wife of an elected official, and that guy over there is always watching me and his employees are always taking photos of me.
“This is not a communist country!”

This all actually started on Monday, when Carollo hastily called a press conference to make shit up about both Jose Regalado — the former assistant building director who is running for District 4 commissioner against his puppet candidate (more on that later) — and Gabela, who was made the chairman of the Bayfront Park Management Trust after Crazy Joe was accused of misspending the agency’s budget like a slush fund and was stripped of the title.
The press conference was really a pre-emption of Tuesday’s announced “emergency” meeting of the Bayfront Trust, which Carollo just knew was going to be all about his malfeasance, which it was.
Carollo, who has been known to have people followed and surveilled, distributed satellite photos of Gabela’s house with cars parked on the property and boats in the Miami River behind it. The accusations of code enforcement violations didn’t get much press traction, so he had his Chief of Staff William “Billy” Ortiz send an official complaint to the city manager, which Gabela mentioned on Thursday.
So, Carollo’s press conference was nothing more than trying to set the narrative before Gabela was able to blast his actions on the Trust. Because on Tuesday, two bombs dropped: Gabela had both Cristina Palomo, the former Bayfront Trust board member who resigned because of the Dogs and Cats giveaway, and former Bayfront Trust Executive Director Jose Suarez, who has accused Carollo of misspending hundreds of thousands of dollars — maybe millions — and is suing him and the city for pressuring him to resign.
The meeting was an indictment of Carollo, who was there and tried in vain to defend himself (more on that later). And there is now an ongoing forensic audit and investigation into the use of the Trust funds for Carollo’s personal gain, Gabela said.
Read related: Commissioner Miguel Gabela set to expose more Bayfront Park Trust issues
This alone, is enough of a story to set alarms on fire. There should already have been an investigation.
Then, at Thursday’s meeting, Gabela had a discussion item on the agenda to prohibit electeds from weaponizing any city department — akin to the resolution that Carollo passed that does not allow the city’s police department to investigate them. But when King announced that she would be leaving early, Gabela wanted to take it out of order. She said she would go in order.
“No, no, no. I need your vote. We need to do this because I’ve been targeted by the City of Miami code enforcement department through the city manager because of doing my job on the Bayfront Trust and Commissioner Carollo is harassing me,” Gabela said, while King, who has increasingly been seen as Carollo’s protector, kept interrupting him. She wouldn’t have it.

“He wants my house to be investigated when I have done noth… No, ma’am. No, ma’am. I know what’s going on here. I’ll tell you what. If we don’t do this, I’m leaving right now.”
King called a recess that ended up being permanent. Hopefully, things will get done at the next meeting. Because there is a lot to get done.
Gabela was unapologetic when he spoke to Ladra on Friday.
Read related: Joe Carollo wants to abolish Miami’s Bayfront Park Management Trust
“We’ve had people following us since 2023,” Gabela said, referring to his campaign before he was even elected. Back then, however, we thought it was former Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla who was behind it. He was running against Gabela after being suspended by the governor after his arrest on public corruption charges, including bribery and money laundering, that were later dropped. But Gabela says it’s part of the same cabal.
He also knows that Carollo is trying to derail the results of the Bayfront Trust investigation and change the narrative, which is not going to be good for him.
“This is his way to intimidate people. This is his way of coming after me,” Gabela told Ladra. “He is freaked out. He is scared. We hit a couple of bombs but haven’t hit the nuclear bomb yet.”
But we all know it’s there, don’t we? Where’s the fallout shelter?
The cease fire was also short-lived. There will be a Sunshine meeting in commission chambers on May 30 on “the weaponization of city government.” That’s going to be another indictment on Carollo.
The post Miami Commission clash: Miguel Gabela vs Joe Carollo war heats up appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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On the airwaves and in the mailboxes of Miami voters, Jose Regalado, a candidate in the June 3 special election to replace the late Commissioner Manolo Reyes in District 4, is striking back against the lies and attacks coming from Ralph Rosado, the other candidate, and his benefactor, Commissioner Joe Carollo — who may spend up to half a million dollars to get Rosado elected.
In his own voice, Regalado has a 60-second spot running on Spanish-language radio that tells voters how desperate Carollo is to have Rosado sit next to him. Most political radio ads are 30 seconds. But Jose Francisco Regalado has a lot to say.
“This election should be about the real problems that affect the quality of life in our city. But it has been converted in a campaign of lies and attacks against me and my family,” Regalado says. “Joe Carollo is spending millions on radio, TV and mail to impose his candidate, Ralph Rosado. If he wins, Carollo will control the commission of Miami.
“Manolo Reyes did not allow that and neither will I,” Regalado goes on. “I am not afraid of Carollo or his lies. Rosado is afraid and has accepted being his puppet.
Read related: Manolo Reyes’ widow comes out strong for Jose Regalado in D4 special election
“Carollo is the king of conflict and chusmeria,” he says, using a a word that google translates to gossip but really loosely means trashy or having no class. “He doesn’t want you to come out and vote,” Regalado adds, because negative ads like this are really a form of voter suppression when they are so frequent.
“I was born here and have grown up here. I’ve worked all my life for this community. My commitment is to continue the legacy of Manolo Reyes, and use your money to fix the streets and add more police. Not to pay for attorneys that defend Carollo.”
Ouch. That, no doubt, refers to the millions of dollars that the city has spent in taxpayer funds defending Carollo from multiple lawsuits, including a federal First Amendment suit brought against him by two Little Havana businessmen
Regalado’s campaign also sent a mailer last week with a long introduction on his history in the city, which includes his role in the creation of the Miami Forever Bond Initiative to invest $400 million to address the city’s most pressing needs — sea-level rise and flood prevention, roadways, parks and cultural facilities, public safety and affordable housing — and delivering aid and resources to residents and businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. But the purpose was also to set the record straight and let people know that Carollo is behind the attacks on him.
“I was honored when Commissioner Reyes’ family asked me to consider running to continue his residents-first legacy. But this race has taken a disappointing turn,” Regalado writes. “Instead of focusing on the issues, like flooding, housing and public safety, it has become a proxy battle driven by Commissioner Joe Carollo.”
“He is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars attacking me on television, on the radio, and in your mailbox, because he knows he cannot control me,” Regalado says. “We have seen this before. In his own district, Commissioner Carollo used city departments to target businesses he opposed, leaving Miami with millions in legal costs, a damaged reputation and a culture of fear among employees.
“I have no personal quarrel with my opponent,” he adds, referring to Rosado. “But many residents are asking the same question. Why is a commissioner from another district so involved in this race? And why would any candidate allow himself to be used by someone whose actions have cost Miami so much?”
Read related: Miami’s District 4 candidate Ralph Rosado is backed, helped by Joe Carollo
Let Ladra attempt to answer that. First, Carollo is so heavily involved, using his political action committee to send daily mailers and directing Rosado’s TV commercial, because he needs that third pocket vote to get a majority. That way he can move his agenda along, destroy the city agencies he wants to nix to retaliate against his new enemies, Commissioners Miguel Gabela and Damian Pardo, and stop any attempts at reform that they may be working on.
And second, Rosado is a two-time loser — he ran for state rep before losing his first commission race against Reyes in 2017 — who doesn’t think he can win without Carollo’s considerable, but waning, influence. It’s a shame. He may not be such a terrible guy, even though he apparently was a terrible city manager (more on that later). He has some education and experience as an urban planner. But this association with Carollo, who is a thug, is something he’ll never shake off.
On the back side of the mailer to voters, Regalado’s campaign prints images of emails he got from Ralph Rosado and his chiefs of staff seeking his help with policy matters or legislation when Jose Regalado was assistant building director and Rosado was city manager at North Bay Village

“I’m reaching out on Ralph’s behalf to inquire if the city of Miami’s private provider program guidelines have been updated with the changes made in new statutes passed by the state,” wrote Leonardo Cosio in 2023. “Kindly send us whatever you may have so we can reference it as we develop our own policies.”
As recently as last year, Rosado sought Regalado’s assistance with things like the tree ordinance, the demolition bond ordinance and unsafe structures. If Regalado was so unqualified, as Carollo has said on his radio show and in his PAC ads, then why did Rosado seek his advice?
Rosado, who has been caught in a few lies by Ladra — he has not lived all his life in District 4, like he has said — does not return calls and texts from Ladra. Carollo also chose not to return calls and texts.
The post In Miami D4 race, Jose Regalado strikes back at Ralph Rosado’s lies on air, mail appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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As expected and predicted in this very space, Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago has brought back former City Manager Peter Iglesias — who was fired last year by the old commission majority — to the top administrative job in the City Beautiful.
Lago, who was re-elected last month, campaigned on bringing Iglesias back and presented a resolution to name Iglesias manager at Tuesday’s commission meeting. Everyone knew this was coming after his remarks about the longtime public servant and engineer at the swearing-in ceremony where it seemed he was going to cry when he told Iglesias to stand and be recognized.
It was also expected to be a 3-2 vote with the new majority, all of whom won the April elections, voting in favor at Tuesday’s long commission meeting. So far, newly-elected Commissioner Richard Lara — who made a big deal about being independent and not a handpicked Lago lackey pocket vote — has voted lockstep with the mayor and the vice mayor. It’s an echo chamber with the three repeating each other’s remarks in mutual admiration.
Iglesias, who wasn’t there at City Hall but was on Zoom during the meeting, will start Friday and make $295,000 a year. He will work for 20 months, which is right after the next election, which the commission also moved Tuesday to November 2026 (more on that later).
Read related: Coral Gables Vince Lago may move to bring back City Manager Peter Iglesias
Lago — who is having trouble turning the page, as he said he would when sworn in — showed how butt hurt he still is about the firing of Iglesias after he lost the majority and the hiring of former City Manager Amos Rojas on the spot at a commission meeting. Kinda like what happened Tuesday. “The manner in which this was done was shameful,” Lago said, adding that lifeguards get more vetting than the manager got and that the decision “deeply demoralized our staff.”

But he also revealed the real reason he didn’t like it. “As a mayor, I wasn’t even granted the courtesy of getting his resumé,” L’Ego said. So, again, it seems that it was because it wasn’t his idea. He even mocked Commissioner Melissa Castro‘s comments at the time about Rojas’ LinkedIn profile, which was all she had to go on. Like googling him was a bad idea.
“I am in complete disgust with the hypocrisy of this body right now,” Castro said, and one doesn’t know if she is referring to the promises to go to a national search or the complaints about appointing a city manager as a surprise at a live meeting. Or both.
Castro said Iglesias might be a good guy and have achieved some things in the city, but after the election in 2023 — which she and Commissioner Ariel Fernandez against Lago’s wishes and well-funded handpicked candidates — the manager kept her in the dark. “He was favoring certain individuals on this commission and one of them was not me,” Castro said. She also said Iglesias had once told her “employees are lazy and don’t want to work,” when she would suggest ideas to streamline services.
“Employees do not like Peter,” Castro said. “You know who likes Peter? Department directors.”
Read related: Coral Gables skips search, hires new city manager Amos Rojas on the spot
Fernandez was the one who last year spearheaded the firing of Iglesias, who he said did not respond to residents and was insubordinate to him for 10 months after the was elected. But he really started trying to fire him the month after he was elected. He said Iglesias “was actively keeping us in the dark. To what end? Nobody knows.”
Iglesias had his own agenda, Fernandez said. That included the mobility hub that Lago was pushing and developing a city parking lot. “Those were his priorities while City hall feel apart and the gondola building collapsed.” He also blamed him for the delays in reopening what used to be Burger Bob’s.

“We need to have someone who respects our staff, works with all the commissioners,” Fernandez added. “Peter Iglesias is not a unifying voice.”
Lago, Anderson and Lara — who have replaced Castro, Fernandez and former Commissioner Kirk Menendez as the majority — said that Iglesias would bring stability back to City Hall at a time when it would be crucial to have his experience and leadership skills at the helm. The budget process is about to begin and the renovations of City Hall are ongoing.
Read related: Vince Lago scores with Richard Lara’s Coral Gables commission runoff win
Lara further said that it was something he campaigned on, as well, although he advocated for a national search, and that he first decided to run for office after the “unceremonious firing.” He also lashed out at Castro and said Iglesias may have been fired because “one commissioner didn’t feel she was getting enough attention.” He called the firing “improper” and “illicit.
“Simply because something can be done, doesn’t mean it is the right thing to do,” Lara said.
But Anderson wasn’t listening. Later, when she voted for the mayor’s move to rescind a pilot permit expediting program that Castro had worked on for months to give residents and business owners the option to speed up their permitting process for a premium, she said basically the opposite. “The rules do allow the new board to undo an old board’s motion,” the vice mayor said.
To quote Lara: Simply because something can be done, doesn’t mean it is the right thing to do.
The post Mayor Vince Lago brings Peter Iglesias back as Coral Gables city manager appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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