Mayor Vince Lago couldn’t help but get some digs in
The house was packed, standing-room only at the investiture ceremony for Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago, Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson and newly-elected Commissioner Richard Lara — Lago’s handpicked candidates to get back the majority vote — who won in this month’s biannual city election.
“It’s a great day in the city of Coral Gables,” Lago started, practically giddy. “Today, we bid farewell to the 2023-2025 city commission and welcome the 2025-2027 commissioners on board.”
The room erupted in applause when City Clerk Billy Urquia read the results of the election. He also said that the April 8 election was one of the highest in turnout and the runoff Tuesday was the highest ever in turnout in the city’s election history.
“That level of civic engagement does not happen by accident,” he said, thanking staff and the police department for helping to inform the public about the election and early voting. “I believe the turnout we saw was a direct result of their actions.”
Read related: Coral Gables electeds to be sworn in, will push for November elections
Before the electeds were sworn in, Father Richard Vigoa of St. Augustine, Lago’s own pastor, made the invocation, in which he repeatedly said the city needs to be a home for “the spirit of unity and collaboration.” In other words: reign in the toxicity.
“As a religious leader here in this community and someone who loves the community deeply I stand not only in prayer but in solidarity with Coral Gables to raise our voices in hope that respect, that decorum, integrity will define this dais,” Vigoa said. “This is the city beautiful. one of the most sought after places in the whole world to live and we are blessed to live in this city.
“That beauty is not only found in our Mediterranean architecture or our Banyan-lined streets. It’s found in the way we treat each other, in the tone of our civic dialogue and the character of those who are called to lead.”
Wonder if Father Vigoa knows about the anonymous trolls who post hate-filled comments and images on social media to defend his friend Vince. Someone should show him the save screens and tell him that Lago knows about then and tolerates or participates in it.
Among the well-wishers were a bunch of other electeds and former electeds, including Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Commissioners Raquel Regalado, Kionne McGhee and Roberto Gonzalez, former Coral Gables mayors Jim Cason, Don Slesnick, Dorothy Thomson and Raul Valdes-Fauli, former Gables commissioners Jorge Fors and Frank Quesada. Miami-Dade Elections Supervisor Alina Garcia and Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez were also there for a short spell.
They should also get pictures of the anonymous trolls’ posts.
Also there: Former City Manager Peter Iglesias, who the mayor had been telling everyone during the campaign the he would bring back.
Read related: Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago: All the wrong people in all the wrong places
But the event was also notable for others who weren’t there. No Manny Chamizo, a BFF who got a year’s probation for stalking a former client and sending horrible hateful texts messages? No Chelsea Granell, the mayor’s chief of staff of one, who wasn’t even thanked when Lago thanked a whole laundry list of people?
Maybe they went to the reception afterwards at Boucher.
At least former Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla, arrested in 2023 on charges of bribery and money laundering in Lago pay-for-play park giveaway, came to congratulate his friend. ADLP, who is also reportedly running for Miami mayor, was also there on both victory nights.
Lago was straight forward Friday and extremely transparent about how happy he was with the swearing-in of Lara, which he called “a moment I’ve been waiting for for two years.
“Two long years, I’ve been waiting for this moment,” he said again, for effect. It made his message of unity later sound hollow and fake.
Background: In 2023, Lago supported two commission candidates who lost to Commissioners Melissa Castro and Ariel Fernandez. Within months, and likely due to his bitter and aggressive attitude toward them, then-Commissioner and swing vote Commissioner Kirk Menendez — who later challenged Lago in the mayor race and lost in the first round — went from being a swing vote to voting consistently with Castro and Fernandez. That’s when Lago lost the majority — and his cool.
U.S. District Court Judge Federico Moreno administered the oath to Lara, who had not voted in a Coral Gables election since 1999, Moreno, a neighbor of Lara’s, said he was a great trial lawyer. “He persevered always with that perennial simile that he has all the time, win or lose,” Moreno said. Lara nervously stumbled through his oath, but did smile almost the whole time.
“This moment is not about one individual. It’s about a community ready for a new chapter,” Lara said later, after he took a seat o the dais. “I chose to run because I believe the city needed a course correction. We needed to find a way back to something deeper than policies and plans, back to fellowship, unity and respect.”
He sounded a little self-righteous.
“I know how special this place is. But somewhere along the way, we lost that shared spirit. Today, in the midst of our centennial year, we have a rare, powerful opportunity to turn the page and recommit ourselves to building community. My priority as your commissioner is simple — to lead and to listen. We are elected not to impose our will, but to carry out yours, to reflect your concerns, your hopes, your vision for the city. I’m here to represent every voice and to help restore the public’s trust in how decisions are made and why they matter.
Read related: Vince Lago scores with Richard Lara’s Coral Gables commission runoff win
“This is a new day in Coral Gables. let’s be clear. We’re going to move forward, not as factions, but as neighbors,” Lara said. “Let us celebrate what makes this city beautiful, let us never forget what makes it truly great. It is our shared belief in community.”
Let us also hold him to those words. It would really be great if Lara turned out to be an independent voice and not just another Lago puppet, like Anderson.

Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Barbara Areces swore Rhonda Anderson in, saying it was well deserved. “This victory is not just a reflection of votes, its a resounding affirmation of your unwavering dedication, your integrity and your deep, sincere interest in doing what is best for Coral Gables,” Aceres told Anderson.
Anderson said she was moved by the overwhelming,ing support. She won every precinct.
“It was a reaffirmation of shared values and common vision for the future of Coral Gables. Thank you for placing your trust in me once again,” she said, adding that she would start her second term with “gratitude and resolve” and the same energy for protecting green space, tree canopy and “our unique sense of scale
“Coral Gables is a city defined by its beauty, its history and its people. We are stewards of a legacy that demands that we balance progress with preservation, growth with greenery, and change with care.”
Ladra loves the alliteration.
“This election was not about promises. It was about priorities. And the message I heard loud and clear is that you want a city and government that listens and acts with transparency and that leads with integrity,” Anderson said, adding that she, too, wants to “work together” with the commission to take steps toward that. “Steps that include restoring public trust, respecting our residents’ voices and ensuring fiscal responsibility. Leadership is not just about making decisions, its about protecting our values.”
Maybe it’s just me, but that sounded like a dig.
But nobody grandstands better than L’Ego, who was also sworn in by Judge Moreno and then got up from his seat for a big bear hug with Lara before he sat down again. Is Lara the new Mike Mena?
First, he just had to read a letter he got from Sen. Ashley Moody, the former state attorney general, calling him a great leader and then he thanked his family, supporters and city employees, even the fire and police departments, whose unions supported Menendez. He also congratulated Anderson and Commissioner Lara, which he said, “has a very nice ring to it.”
Then he started going into a whiny tirade about how difficult this election was.
“This campaign was unlike any other I’ve ever experienced in my life,” said Lago, who is entering his third term as mayor and was a commissioner for two terms before that. “It was marked not just by challenges of communicating our message to all our residents across this great city, but by an unprecedented level of discord, personal attacks, falsehoods and intimidation orchestrated by my opponents and those [unintelligable] forces with whom they found common sense, or cause.”
Say, what? ¡Que descarado!
The negative personal attacks, falsehoods and intimidation came in texts were sent by his political action committee. The whisper campaigns and vulgar social media posts were orchestrated by his supporters. This is the kind of gaslighting that Lyin’ Lago is very good at. We’re going to see a lot more of it now that he has a majority vote on the commission.
“Yet, through this trying time,” he said again, as if it were another pandemic or something, “the spirit of our great city remained unbroken. the good people of Coral Gables, drawing upon that timeless wisdom that has guided Americans through every trial, distinguished truth from falsehood, and chose the path of progress over the political feud. In their wisdom they stood strong, saw through the noise and voted for a track record and vision rooted in civility, transparency and service. This victory, therefore, is not just mine. It belongs to each and every resident who believes in a respectful, fact-based discourse and a government that puts residents first, not just in words, but in actions.”
Wow. There he goes again. That’s a direct dig at the “residents first” motto used by Fernandez.
“While others continue to play politics, we have never stopped working for the people of Coral Gables,” Lago said. “And I won’t stop. This victory is not only a mandate — let me repeat that, a mandate — to continue the progress we’ve made, it is also a clear referendum on the last two years of disfunction, poor decisions and misplaced priorities by the commission majority.
Read related: Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago has a terrible track record with public safety
“The residents of Coral Gables have spoken with one clear voice. They want a return to transparency, stability and leadership the puts people before politics. With that in mind, I’m committed to working with my colleagues, old and new, to restore trust, focus on solutions and move our city forward.
“I look forward to our very next meting, where we will gather to begin this important work, not as factions divided by yesterday’s campaign, but as neighbors united in tomorrow’s purpose. So we go forward today as a community not divided by political gamesmanship but united by a shared commitment to progress.
“I extend my hand to all my colleagues on the commission and invite them, to join me in truly and faithfully putting residents first,” Lago said. Then he snubbed Fernandez and wouldn’t shake his hand. That’s how he extends his hand?
But first he told the audience about the special meeting he called on May 6 to move elections to November, put a referendum on the ballot for an inspector general and repeal the “unethical 101% salary increases and car allowances,” which was met by wild applause and whooping. “I call upon each of my colleagues to join in this necessary act of good governance, for unanimity will send a clear message through City Hall that this body serves not itself, but the noble citizens who have entrusted us with their hopes and hard earned dollars.
“The time has come to rededicate ourselves to the position that government exists to serve the people, not the other way around.”
Ouch. How’s that for extending his hand to his colleagues.
Fernandez congratulated the mayor and welcomed Lara, who he said he met at Le Parc Cafe and always found to have a smile and a positive attitude. “I think that what residents saw as you campaigned. You and your wife knocked on thousands of doors.
“I welcome your sentiments of trying to find common ground and unity toward working toward what the residents have asked for,” said Fernandez, who lasts week offered an “olive branch” by immediately moving to put the mayor’s big issues — raises, moving the election, selecting the city manager —  on the next ballot. But the mayor wants to beat him to it with the special meeting.
Commissioner Fernandez also downplayed the friction between them. “There’s been a lot of talk about division and things that we disagree on, but the fact is, almost 92% of the time we have voted unanimously as a body, and that will continue moving forward,” he said.
“I look forward to working with all of you on the issues we agree on and working through the ones we disagree on and finding common ground, consensus that will benefit the residents of our great city.”
In a fairly mushy farewell speech, Menendez thanked his family, supporters and the employees of the city.
“To the residents of Coral Gables, you inspire me to be a better person every day; you always have. And for that and so much more, I’m forever grateful.” Menendez said. “I have been blessed to live 62 years, my entire life, in this great City. It’s the city that supported my mother and me when my father passed away back in 1973. It’s the city that gave me the opportunity to be Coach Kirk to thousands of kids for more than 3 decades. It’s the city that embraced my wife Maria Teresa and me as we raised our children Lydia and Kirky in our City Beautiful. And it’s the city that welcomed me as Commissioner Menendez in 2021.
“I mention these things to highlight the essence of what it means to be a part of this amazing community. The heart and soul of our community goes beyond the architecture, it goes beyond the decisions made on this dais and it goes beyond the political cycles that come and go like ocean waves rolling upon our shores. The heart and soul of Coral Gables are the people who give of themselves to make the lives of others better.
Read related: Vince Lago, Rhonda Anderson handily coast to re-election in Coral Gables
“It’s the volunteers at places like thenMerrick House that do their best to make others feel welcomed. It’s the men and women of organizations like the Rotary Club and the Garden Club that find the time to give back to enrich our community. It’s the teachers and coaches who help establish a foundation of goodness and hope in the lives of our children. It’s the brave men and women who sacrifice their lives everyday to make sure our families are safe, always.”
Menendez mentioned the death of Pope Francis last week. “He often went against the grain to make sure that everyone was welcomed and everyone was served. He led with humility and he specifically sought out those voices that desperately cried out for support and compassion.
“As the city moves forward into its next 100 years, let’s promise each other that we will always be a city of compassion, a city for all of the people and a city that will never turn its back on the lives and voices of its residents no matter how quiet their whispers or how humble their hearts.”
He ended his speech with a call for the community to unite.
And he got just a smattering of applause.
So much for “unity.”
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Congresswoman Frederica Wilson took an hourlong tour Thursday of the Krome Detention Facility, where there have been reports of severe overcrowding, leading to unsanitary and dangerous conditions. But she certain she did not get to see the real thing.
“I am positive that they took people out today, so I wouldn’t see them,” Wilson said in an impromptu press conference outside the West Miami-Dade facility, which she said had been cleaned up for her visit. “It was like somebody went in there yesterday and put on a whole new coat of fresh paint. You could even smell the paint.
“That’s what they do.”
The other thing that caught her attention was a large tent. Not really a tent in the traditional sense. Wilson said it was a plexiglass structure that had been built in 14 days to house up to an additional 400 detainees. So, she knows the facility is more crowded than they let on, as indicated by video taken on cellphones inside and provided to NBC6. Otherwise, why build the outdoor housing?
“This is not my first rodeo,” Wilson said. “They take them on a field trip so you don’t see who is actually in there. But they did admit that they are actually building a tent city.
“Trust me, everybody is not home. Somebody was taken out of this prison today — in buses.”
Read related: Congresswoman Frederica Wilson will tour troubled Krome Detention Center
This is the first time Wilson has gone back to Krome — which has gotten some national attention because of the mass detentions and deportations under Donald Trump — in 43 years, when it was used to house female Haitian refugees. “This is an immigrant rich community. I represent Cubans, Venezuelans, Haitians, Bahamians, Jamaicans. Everybody is in this facility,” she said.
This time, Wilson went to Krome after getting calls from concerned constituents, including a woman whose husband was detained after going to a scheduled immigration hearing about two weeks ago. Married to a U.S. citizen with a child here, the man was taken away and moved three times. Thursday, Wilson said, his family reported he was in a prison in Texas. Another immigrant, a university student from the Congo, has been “moved from detention center to detention center.”
She says the transfers are intentionally designed. “I think that she they find out you have a strong attorney and people interested in you, they consider it a threat. So they move you and they keep moving you until nobody can keep up with it,” Wilson said.
She also said the detainees are not at all the criminals they are being cast as and implied that there are mentally disabled detainees in the general population.
“I wanted to see all these criminals, with their faces tattooed and with gold teeth. I wanted to see who were these dangerous people that they had picked up off the street and put in a detention center. I didn’t see that,” she said. “I saw hard-working men. Some more literate than others. I even saw some who are mentally disturbed and have mental issues. I saw some who have physical issues, who are sick.
“I saw some who weren’t quite sure what was going on,” she said. “In fact, most of the people who are there are not criminals. They’re calling being undocumented a crime.” Wilson said she had access to detainees who spoke freely and most were just family men who worked and paid taxes.
She also wanted to find out if they were building a tent city. “I asked if they were going to build a tent city, to house the overflow. And the answer is yes.” The government has already built a two-story structure of plexiglass or other material “with big pipes of air conditioning coming in” and a TV room.
Read related: Cuban American congress members stay silent on TPS, immigrant detention
Wilson said that since the Riley Act was passed in January, “people are going to be picked up on the street every day and sent here.”
The Laken Riley Act is named for a 22-year-old Augusta University nursing student who was killed while she was jogging at the University of Georgia by a 26-year-old Venezuelan man who had entered the country illegally. It requires the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to detain illegal immigrants admitting to, charged with, or convicted of theft-related crimes, assaulting a police officer, or a crime that results in death or serious bodily injury like drunk driving.
“I asked them, ‘Are you prepared to build or construct… more tents for people?’ And they said yes,” the congresswoman told a gathering of press outside the facility, which sits on and is named for Krome Avenue on the old edge of the Everglades.
“It’s going to get worse. Every time it gets overcrowded, they will build a new tent. Because it only takes 14 days. I was stunned.”
So is Ladra. If it’s that easy, why aren’t there temporary housing stations for the homeless? Oye, Ron Book? Are you paying attention?
Wilson said that she was concerned because there are no more ombudsmen to oversee the civil rights of immigrants in detention. “They were fired. Fired! So I’m going to serve a the overseer,” she said. “I’m going to come back as often as I can.” She is also going to encourage other members of Congress to visit. When she went to the immigration detention facility in Homestead years ago, when they were housing unaccompanied children, she took 10 members of Congress.
“I’m going to have to figure out a day I can come and not tell them I’m coming. And I have a right to be there.”
The post Frederica Wilson: ICE is building a tent city at Krome to house more detainees appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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The election in Coral Gables is over, but a new race has begun: Who can bring changes first?
In light of Tuesday’s runoff results, Commissioner Ariel Fernandez, sent an email Thursday that surprised everyone. He said he had asked the city clerk to put items on the agenda for the next scheduled meeting May 20 to do many of the things that his nemesis, Mayor Vince Lago,and Lago’s slate had campaigned on. Well, and a little more, also taking certain things to the voters.
“If this is what residents want, and I am the person saying I put residents first, then I need to react to this election and lead,” Fernandez told Ladra early Thursday.
But that was before Mayor Lago requested a special meeting for next week to discuss the three things that have been core to his campaign. He’ll be damned if Fernandez takes the wind out of his sails, aka credit for moving elections to November or for rolling back commission salaries. The other item is from his miserably failed petition (more on that later), which is to make any spending of the city’s reserve fund require a vote of the super majority.
Lago did not return a call and text to his phone. It’s standard. He just sent what looks like a form text telling me to contact him on his city cell phone, which he didn’t respond to either. But certainly Lago got Fernandez’s email, sent about 10 a.m. Thursday and titled “Your goals, our mission — let’s get it done together,” where Fernandez first commended the mayor, Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson and Commissioner Elect Richard Lara for their victories Tuesday.
Read related: Coral Gables electeds to be sworn in, will push for November elections
“I look forward to working with you over the next two years advancing the priorities set forth by our residents,” he said.
“Now that the election is over, it is time for us to work together on behalf of you, our residents, and put politics aside,” Fernandez wrote in the email. “You have sent us a clear message on several issues, and I HAVE HEARD YOU. Today, I renew my commitment to you to ensure your priorities are mine.”
Fernandez went further than the mayor did, asking for eight items to be put on the agenda for the next meeting, to:

Roll back the raises commissioners gave themselves in 2023
Create process for selection and dismissal of charter officers — the city manager, city attorney and city clerk — requiring a national search, requiring a 4/5th majority for hiring and firing of a charter officer and setting a formal timeline for the hiring process.
Prepare next year’s budget with options for the Commission that will allow for a reduction of the millage rate by 1% or 2%, before our Budget workshop in July, in order to lower taxes for our residents.
Put charter amendment to move elections to November on the ballot
Put a charter amendment to make future salary increases require a public vote
Put a charter amendment to put an Inspector General on the ballot
Send the municipal budget to the Florida State Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) to make recommendations on elimination of government waste.
Formulate a plan that to eliminate the $550 garbage fee.

“Over the coming weeks, I look forward to working with my colleagues on the issues that are important to you and building a Residents First government in our city,” Fernandez wrote in his email, inviting his colleagues to co-sponsor the items “in a show of unity to our residents.”
Apparently, Lago had a different idea.
Several sources at City Hall said Lago has called for a special meeting May 6 and he can do that without getting anyone else to sign on. Only the mayor and the city manager can do that. He may have seen Fernandez’s move on these items as a power grab or an attempt to change the narrative.
“Mayor Lago can take it as whatever,” Fernandez said. “This is an olive branch,”
Half of the items Fernandez asked the city clerk to put on the agenda are definitely taken from Lago’s playbook and seem to be an about-face for the commissioner.
Fernandez had approved and defended the commission salary raises — which had not increased in years and went from $36,488 a year to $65,000 — and voted against the tiny tax decrease that would have saved residents under $100 and given large property owners and developers tens of thousands in tax breaks.
“I did,” Fernandez told Political Cortadito. “And voters voted for the three candidates who said they would lower taxes.”
Read related: Kirk Menendez strikes back at Coral Gables Mayor ‘Lyin’ Vince Lago’
He said the last tax break was sprung on the city without much notice during the budget workshops. This would give the manager time to make the necessary adjustments, Fernandez said. “My goal is to make sure it doesn’t affect services.”
That’s also why he wants to enlist the state’s DOGE office to help identify efficiencies. “There may be things that we have not noticed,” Fernandez said.
He also led the on-the-spot hiring of Amos Rojas, without going through any search or process. He did it again when the commission appointed Alberto Parjus in January after Rojas resigned.
His change of thought comes from listening to the voters, Fernandez said. “Isn’t this the message people sent in the election? This is what the residents want. We have to deliver.”
Fernandez said he was always for taking the election change, the IG and other changes to the voters. “I was waiting for the charter review committee to make a recommendation,” he said Thursday. “We received a draft of their recommendation but they have not concluded their work.”
It was unknown Thursday if Lago intends to take these changes to the voters or implement them through a majority vote, which he has now thanks to the election of his handpicked candidate, Richard Lara.
Commissioner Fernandez said he hasn’t changed his mind on everything.
“I’m still going to stand my ground on development and the issues that residents care about,” Fernandez said. “I’m still going to push for sidewalk repairs, draining projects, infrastructure, historic preservation and City Hall restoration.”
Speaking of which, the special meeting next week might be at the old City Hall, which has been undergoing shoring and other construction work to make it more structurally sound. It’s almost like Lago doesn’t want anybody to be there.
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His grandchildren already call it “Abue’s Park.” Now, it’s official.
The Miami City Commission on Thursday renamed West End Park as Manolo Reyes Park to honor the popular and beloved District 4 commissioner — who his grandchildren called “Abue” for abuelo — who died earlier this month at the age of 80 after battling health issues.
They also gave Reyes — who had hoped to run for mayor — the honorary title of “mayor emeritus, posthumously, as a mark of deep respect and appreciation for his exceptional leadership, legacy and dedication to public service,” and voted to support a Florida Senate measure to co-designate 57th Avenue between 8th Street and Flagler as Manolo Reyes Boulevard.
The room, which was packed with department directors and city staff, erupted in applause.
Read related: Miami voters to fill Manolo Reyes’ District 4 seat with June special election
The late commissioner’s family joined the commissioners on the dais, and Manny Reyes, the namesake son, spoke on their behalf.
“We are overwhelmed with all the love that the city has poured out to us and to him,” Reyes said. “Dad was a very noble man. A man of service… He would probably be looking down and saying ‘I don’t deserve this. I was just doing what I knew was right to do.’”
Commission Chairwoman Christine King‘s voice broke as she said, “It’s an honor to do it.”

On the other side of her, Commissioner Joe Carollo kept his distance. He was the only member of the commission not greeted by Reyes’ widow or family. Probably because he’s been a bully to Reyes and then had his mayoral campaign kick-off on the same day the late commissioner was buried.
West End Park, now Manolo Reyes Park, is a 16.6 acre recreational space at 6030 Southwest 2nd Street in Flagami and the site of a $16.8 million renovation project the commissioner championed that started last year. The grand opening is expected within weeks and the park will feature:

A new swimming pool and pool building
A children’s splash pad with spray features
Artificial turf on multi-use sports field
A walking trail and outdoor exercise equipment
Two tennis courts
Two basketball courts
Two pickleball courts
A new paved plaza entry with service entrance
New landscaping and irrigation
A lightning warning system
Art in public places components

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It’s not scientific, or anything. But the results of a paper ballot survey of the Kendall and West Kendall residents who went to a town hall meeting Tuesday hosted by the Kendall Federation of Homeowners Associations was interesting nonetheless.
Not everybody answered every question, but the questions did get between 127 and 138 answers, that were later tallied up by KFHA President Michael Rosenberg.
Read related: Kendall residents take fight against 5G towers to Miami-Dade commissioners
Among the more interesting answers was whether or not Miami-Dade County should keep the fluoride in the water. The commission voted April 1 to stop adding fluoride to the water, but Mayor Daniella Levine Cava vetoed it. Contrary to the much more scientific poll done by La Alcadesa‘s political team — where more residents support keeping it the additive in the tap water than not — more people at the KFHA meeting said no, don’t keep it in the water. Not by much. They were pretty evenly split.
Still, this will likely be used as ammunition by Miami-Dade Commissioner Roberto Gonzalez, who sponsored the measure and is likely to lead an override attempt against the mayor’s veto May 6. He had a staffer in the audience.
Predictably, an overwhelming majority of those who filled out the ballot survey also felt that Miami-Dade should stop charging property taxes and that the county should find another way to dispose of trash without having to build an incinerator, which commissioners have stalled on but will discuss again in June. Or is it July?
And because the room was full of Kendall people, they were overwhelmingly in favor of having a park in the place of the closed and abandoned Calusa Golf Course instead of something like 540 homes. Yeah, ’cause that’s still going on (more on that later).
What Ladra did not expect was the result to the question, “Would you like to have a town hall meeting with Congressman Carlos Gimenez?” It got the second largest yes response, after the Calusa question, with 101 in favor.
Hear that Gimenez? They want to have a word. Time to connect with your constituents.
Ladra doubts the former county mayor is going to go anywhere near a town hall these days, judging how those are going for Republicans across the country in the wake of what many see as a constitutional crisis happening in real time. Two words: Not well.
Read related: Video blasts U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez for silence on ending TPS, deportations
People also seem in favor of getting some sort of property tax discount if they have 5G towers abutting their property, and bringing the value of it down. But they weren’t big on incorporating Kendall and West Kendall. They like their UMSA there.
The saddest answer was the one about whether or not people think that their county government listens to them. Almost 4 to 1, they said no. Ladra wants to talk to the 21 people who said yes and ask what their secret is.
Well, maybe 20, if one of the ballots was filled out by the District 11 employee.

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A united Kendall makes for a stronger Kendall
Opinion By Michael Rosenberg, President, Kendall Federation of Homeowner Associations
On the evening of April 22, 2025, almost 150 Kendall and West Kendall residents gathered at the “Little House” in Kendall, the meeting place of the Kendall Federation of Homeowner Associations, located in the Kendall Village Shopping Center.
It’s not easy to get people to leave their homes after work, doing everything that we do in the evenings, and then drive to a meeting for ninety minutes. But, on this night, the Community left their computers and social media at home and decided that getting together is what will make us stronger. In looking at these photos, can’t you feel the power of community?
Stop for a moment and really look at those pictures. This is us. All of us. It’s the Kendall Community coming together to discuss issues where we live and working together to find solutions. There were no famous people at this meeting. No elected officials. No big names. It was only you and me, the people that actually live here and often suffer the decisions of our elected officials. The house was full. Standing room only. Our community, wondering, “Do our elected officials listen to us?”
The topics of the evening were the proposed waste disposal station being considered for SW 127th Avenue and SW 136th street. You read that correctly. A garbage dump near the Three Lakes area! We also discussed 5G Cell Towers, the Calusa Golf Course and the soon-to-be 540 homes that will be built there. The floor was open for all concerns and we did talk … we did Kendall Talk!
Read related: KFHA forum for Miami-Dade sheriff candidates helps narrow down the field
The plan is to grow Kendall Talk! and get more and more people and homeowner associations involved. We need a lot of voices as our Community is far away from downtown and Government Center and, sometimes, it feels like our elected officials have forgotten about us, except when it comes to more and more development with no transit solutions for those people.
We hope Kendall Talk! will turn into Kendall Action. If you are an HOA/condo association, or any individual, please go to www.KFHA.org and contact us. Sign up to be part of this force. Or, call me at 305-439-3571.
Lastly, we handed a “ballot” to everyone that came to this meeting. Not everyone voted, but many did. Here are the questions and the results. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Michael Rosenberg is the longtime president of the Kendall Federation of Homeowner Associations, which represents tens of thousands of residents in Kendall and West Kendall and advocates on their behalf. He is also the co-founder of the Pets’ Trust initiative, a ballot measure that voters overwhelmingly supported to provide for low cost spay and neutering services, and whose primary mission was to stop the killing of our animals. He also was a candidate for Miami-Dade Commission District 7 in 2020.

The post Op Ed by KFHA’s Michael Rosenberg: ‘Kendall Talk!’ makes Kendall strong appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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