For 100 years, the elections in Coral Gables have been in April. It is so written in the city’s charter, which is being celebrated this year for the City Beautiful’s centennial. But that history was erased this month.
The new city commission majority, formed in last month’s elections, voted last week to change the biannual election date from April to November on even years, to coincide with state and national elections. The change, which has been a priority of Mayor Vince Lago‘s for the last two years, is made by ordinance — the first reading was at a special commission meeting May 6.
The move also shortens all electeds’ terms by four months, and an argument could be made about disenfrachising voters, who are apparently not going to get an opportunity to weigh in on this.
At the first reading, the deputy city attorney said there would be a public vote, anyway, “for affirmation,” at a special election to be determined at a later date. There is a whereas clause in the ordinance that calls for a future vote on the matter:

“WHEREAS, should this Ordinance be adopted by the City Commission, the City also wishes to send a question to the electors of the City for affirmation of this change during a special election to be held at a later date as determined by the City Commission;”

So, why wasn’t the motion to take it to the voters in the first place?
Read related: Coral Gables electeds to be sworn in, will push for November elections
And what happens if the voters decide at some future election, not to affirm any change of election date to November?
Coral Gables City Attorney Cristina Suarez
Ladra has asked these questions multiple times of City Attorney Cristina Suarez, Assistant City Attorney Stephanie Throckmorton and city spokeswoman Martha Pantin. The week after the special commission meeting, Suarez responded via email to say that the city has the right to make the change.
“The City Commission is authorized, under state law, to change the date of the election by ordinance, without a vote of the electors. The timing and language of a ballot question regarding the election date would have to be determined by the City Commission,” Suarez wrote on May 14.
But that really didn’t answer the questions, did it? So, Ladra asked again. And Pantin came back with some crazy story about the question in the whereas clause being about future elections.
“The question being put to voters is about future changes to elections. They are not being asked about changing the election. They are being asked if in the future should a City Commission want to move the election date, would they have to put the question to the voters ,” Pantin wrote in an email Tuesday. “If they vote yes, future Commissions will need to send the question to the voters. If they vote no, future Commissions could change by ordinance.”
When was that discussed? Because it is not what it says in the whereas clause. It is “for affirmation of this change.” This change.
If this is true, it seems more like an attempt to make it impossible for a future commission to change elections back to April.
And, also, Suarez said at the May 20 commission meeting that the question about putting future changes to voters was on another agenda item, not this one.
But further attempts to get clarification from the city attorney or any city official were completely unsuccessful. “Elections are changed to November, and this applies to future changes,” Pantin wrote in her last email Thursday. “Regarding what if scenarios, I am not going to speculate as to what the city commission might do should that occur.”
Commissioners Melissa Castro and Ariel Fernandez, who said it should go to voters, voted against it.
“The people who have reached out to me, and I have the emails, are the people asking me, do not change our elections, leave our election in April,” Castro said. “This is really not about saving 200K this is really about drowning the voices of the people. this is about only letting well-funded candidates run city government.
“That’s very dishonest.”
Read related: Post-election Vince Lago revenge tour in Coral Gables = political retaliation
Activist Maria Cruz, who had led a petition drive to recall Lago 2024, questioned why the mayor and his allies bothered to petition for the change via referendum last year — a petition that failed miserably when more than 70% of the signatures were deemed invalid (more on that later) — if they could just do it at a commission meeting. According to a status report from the Miami-Dade Elections Department, the Lago group submitted 4,983 petitions on changing the election from April to November. Of those, 1,461 were valid and 3,522 were not valid.
“Here we are, trying to do what the residents, what the taxpayers, did not choose do to,” Cruz said at the first reading. “It is what I, the emperor wants, not necessarily what the people want.”
Claudia Miro, who lost the commission race in Group 3 in the first round and then endorsed Commissioner Richard Lara, spoke several times during the meeting — always in support of Lago’s arguments — and said that this was probably going to be decided by Tallahassee, anyway. It didn’t happen this year, but it will eventually, she said.
“I don’t think this is an issue we should continue to discuss and fight over at the city level because it is being addressed at the state level,” Miro said. “There are good arguments to be made on both sides of this issue, but right now there is a movement in Tallahassee. This is an area where the state can come and tell us how they want things done.”
Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson said that this was a direction the district’s state representative also wanted to go in, aside from being one of her platform issues during this last campaign. “I think the voters have spoken by choosing the individuals that they have reelected and elected in Commissoner Lara into his seat, as this is a consistent issue among all three of us,” said Anderson, who has advocated for consensus among the members at the Florida League of Cities.
“Burt not all cities are the same. This is a large city,” Anderson said. “We’re not a snowbird city anymore.”
Ladra didn’t know that the Gables was ever a “snowbird city,” per se. And why was it so hard then to get the required signatures to put the question on the ballot.

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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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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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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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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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Coral Gables City Manager Alberto Parjus, whose career spans 35 years at Miami-Dade County and three years as assistant city manager in the city of Miami, resigned Tuesday on the spot at a special city commission meeting where he was likely going to get fired.
Parjus was only on the job for three months, starting after former manager Amos Rojas resigned in February. Parjus had been the deputy city manager since 2022, when he left the Miami-Dade Department of Transportation and Public Works as deputy director. Rojas was hired in February 2024, after former manager Peter Iglesias was unceremoniously fired by the old majority. Las malas lenguas say that Mayor Vince Lago, who was re-elected with 55% of the vote, wants to bring Iglesias back.
Lago and his supported candidates, Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson and newly-elected Commissioner Richard Lara, campaigned on the revolving door at the city manager’s office, saying that three city managers in just one year was a sign of dysfunction.
Read related: Coral Gables names Alberto Parjus as new city manager in divided 3-2 vote
Now we have four city managers in four city managers in 15 months, as Deputy City Manager Joe Gomez will be interim city manager until a permanent decision is made. Then it will be five city managers in less than five years.
The effective date of Parjus’ resignation is May 22, but he is on leave until then. Ladra was unable to get his “cooperation and severance agreement” from the city clerk Tuesday or early Wednesday morning, even though it was distributed to the commission at the meeting. But a City Hall source told Ladra it included 20 weeks of Parjus’ salary and all his accrued, untaken sick and vacation time, which would be payable 10 days after the agreement is signed. Parjus’ salary is more than $230,000 a year.
Commissioner Melissa Castro was absent from the meeting as she was undergoing surgery.
“Serving this community, the City Beautiful, has been among the greatest experiences of my professional life,” Parjus said from the dais. Yeah, and the most rewarding, financially.
He thanked his “talented, dedicated” staff and listing the milestones reached, not jut in three months at the top job, but in three years that he has been in the city manager’s office.
“During this time, I am proud of the progress we made together to improve the quality of life for our residents and make our government service efficient,” Parjus said. “We advanced operational transparency, implemented modern project benefit systems and introduced performance indicators and evidenced evaluation tools to support better decision-making.
“We enhanced financial and budget reports to make them  clear and more accessible, and launched a city asset review program to ensure the responsible stewardship of city-owned  property,” Parjus said, and Ladra can’t help but wonder if that happened after the neglect at City Hall was discovered.
“I am proud of the significant investment made in community assets and services. This includes improvements to the Coral Gables Golf and Country Club, the ongoing restoration at the  Venetian Pool, enhanced code enforcement efforts, the installation of temporary speed tables to increase safety, and several projects to elevate the city’s safety aesthetic and public spaces.”
Under his tenure, the city also changed the building and zoning permitting process “to include customer feedback,” Parjus said.
Read related: Coral Gables City Manager Amos Rojas resigns, leaves next month after one year
“This decision was not made lightly,” Parjus told the audience and the commission. “I am confident the city is well positioned for continued success thanks to its leadership and the commitment of its workforce. I leave with immense gratitude for the opportunity serve this remarkable city and the trust you placed in me.
“Thank you for allowing me to contribute to the legacy and future of Coral Gables.
Lago thanked him for his professionalism and “most importantly, being a gentleman,” he said. “You leave here with your head
The Coral Gales Echo Chamber: Rhonda Anderson, Vince Lago, Richard Lara
held high and you served this community and we’re grateful for your hard work and your integrity.”
Head held high means that he didn’t fight to stay because Lago was going to fire him or force him to resign. That’s defacto what happened. Parjus didn’t resign because he doesn’t like his job anymore. He resigned because Lago was going to fire him.
Or because he couldn’t work with the man.
Anderson said “I will echo the mayor’s comments,” which is what she does now. And immediately moved the item. Like she didn’t want anyone else to do it first. Commissioner Lara, who was sworn in April 25 and hasn’t had a chance to work with Parjus, said the manager’s reputation preceded him and that he also would “echo the mayor’s sentiments” about his head being held high.
Read related: Coral Gables Vince Lago may move to bring back City Manager Peter Iglesias
So, this is what we’re going to get now: an echo chamber.
Commissioner Ariel Fernandez, who wanted Parjus for city manager from the get-go, was the only one who didn’t seem secretly happy, or at least relieved, about the resignation.
“You have served this city with distinction. You have elevated our budget process…where we now can understand better what has been spent in the past in certain areas and what is being spent now,” Fernandez said, adding that the quarterly reports are easier to understand and that the weekly data reports on different activities in all city departments keep them up to date.
“The moment you were appointed city manager, I had former city managers of other municipalities and folks you worked with at the county call to say what a great choice you were to lead our city. I appreciate what you have done for us. And don’t be a stranger,” he said, seconding the item “reluctantly.”
There was no discussion, as there has been in the past, about hiring a headhunter and doing a national search.
Commissioner Melissa Castro was not in attendance, as she had previously scheduled surgery on Tuesday. Castro asked for the meeting date to be changed, but Lago refused.
“I made a formal request to postpone this meeting by just a few days, enough time to recover and attend in person,” Castro said in a statement read by City Clerk Billy Urquia. “That request was denied by the mayor, even though this meeting is not part of our originally scheduled calendar and there’s no real urgency that justified moving forward without full commission participation.
She said that her health came first. “But it is equally important that the residents who elected me have a voice at the table. By proceeding today, this body is depriving Coral Gables of a complete discussion and the balanced deliberation our constituents deserve.
“Every decision I make is guided by what is in the city’s best interest. Preventing an elected official from attending does the opposite. Mayor Lago, I hope this statement serves as a reminder that transparency, respect and inclusion are not optional. They are the foundation of good governance,” Castro said through the city clerk.
Lago was unrelentingly uninterested and rude, thinking only of himself, yet again, reminding everyone that the city had an additional budget workshop in August of last year that he could not attend because he was on vacation, out of town.
“It was the first time I missed a meeting in 12 years,” L’Ego said.
So, that’s just more retribution, then? Check. He is so transparent about that, at least.
Read related: Post-election Vince Lago revenge tour in Coral Gables = political retaliation
Fernandez explained that there are stark — stark — differences between Castro’s absence due to medical urgency and Lago taking a sweet vacation after the mayor himself had scheduled the extra budget meeting. “Staff had been asked to change their schedule, cancel their family trips in order to be there for that meeting,” Fernandez said, adding that there were no other dates available before the deadline to submit a ceiling for the tax rate to Miami-Dade County.
He also made a motion to recess the meeting “until Commissioner Castro is not under a knife in an operating room and can be here in person, voicing the residents’ concerns.”
Lago was unmoved and again whined about the August meeting. “The change was not granted to ensure I would not be at the meeting,” he said. But he attended via Zoom anyway.
“It was a difficult situation,” he said.
Welcome to the club.
Coral Gables City Manager Alberto Parjus Severance by Political Cortadito on Scribd

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