The Third District Court of Appeal hasn’t dropped its ruling yet on whether the City of Miami can just cancel its elections like a bad brunch reservation, but the smart money is on Emilio Gonzalez — the former city manager who sued to undo the shady ordinance that postponed this year’s mayoral race (and two commission contests) until 2026.
Gonzalez wants to run for mayor now, not next year. After all, he’s been campaigning for months. Last week, Miami-Dade Judge Valerie Manno Schurr agreed, ruling the city commission’s change of the election by ordinance without a voter referendum was unconstitutional because it violates both the city and county charters, which trump state law. So, super duper unconstitutional.
Read related: Miami-Dade Judge: Miami Commission can’t cancel election without public vote
In other words: Commissioners cannot just cancel the election because they feel like it. Not even if they say it really fast in legalese. Or hold up props, which is what the city’s hired gun, outside attorney Dwayne Robinson, did in moment of legal theater that would make Shakespeare cringe. Robinson stood there holding two printed copies of the city charter — one from before the election-postponing ordinance passed and one from after — and told the court: “There is no change. There is no amendment. Nothing is repealed.”
Nothing’s changed? Except the whole part where the city commission gave themselves another year in office, moved the election to 2026, and completely ignored the charter’s very clear instruction that elections be held in odd-numbered years. But yeah, nothing’s changed.
Robinson barely made it a minute in before Judge Monica Gordo interrupted with a polite but pointed, “The charter is the city’s constitution, is it not?”
“Why would the commission hang its hat on a permissive state statute when they have a constitution confronting them with a ‘shall,’” Gordo asked, rhetorically because you could tell she already knows the answer is they cannot.
You could almost feel the eye rolls from the bench. And Gordo wasn’t the only one wondering why she was there. Because the city’s legal logic would get laughed out of a mock trial at Jose Marti Middle School.
Judge Kevin Emas seemed frustrated with the city’s argument that, hey, moving an election without voter approval was totally legit and not at all a coup in slow motion. Judge Fleur Lobree seemed bored. She scooped up her documents and notes to leave before the city’s rebuttal was even finished.
Several times Emas made the point that Gonzalez and his attorneys were making: You can’t have a charter and a code that contradict each other and expect this not to end in chaos.
Read related: First lawsuit filed to stop city of Miami from cancelling November election
Attorney Alan Lawson, a former Florida Supreme Court Justice representing González, called the city’s argument “a semantic sleight of hand.” Well, that could describe a lot of discussions at city commission meetings. Basically, Lawson said, if the charter says elections are in odd years, and you pass something that says otherwise, then you’re changing the charter — and you need a referendum. Voters get a say. It’s really not that hard.
“They say, ‘We didn’t amend the charter. The words are still there in the charter,’” Lawson said about the city’s argument. “They say that this is just an alternative means of rule-making in an area historically limited to the referendum process. They say it’s an alternate path.”
And if the commission can take an “alternate path,” why bother with a charter at all?
“Lincoln famously said that you can call a tail a leg but it doesn’t make it so,” Lawson said. What if they call a tail the head?
In other words: saying “we didn’t change the charter, we just ignored part of it” is the legal equivalent of “it’s not cheating if I close one eye.”
Even Miami-Dade County showed up to remind the city that they’re not above the rules. And when the county feels the need to weigh in on how broken your logic is, you know you’ve lost the room. Assistant County Attorney Michael Valdes told the judges that under the Miami-Dade Home Rule Charter — aka our local constitution — changes like this must go to the voters. You’d think that would be obvious to a city with more lawyers than potholes.
The city’s rebuttal? That the charter isn’t a “magic document that cannot be altered unless there’s a referendum.” Oh really? So is it a suggestion box? A pirate map? A mood ring? A souvenir from when there was democracy in Miami?
If it’s not binding, then what is? The whims of three commissioners?
But, you know, a Miami courtroom drama isn’t complete if there’s not a Carollo cameo. And here, there were two.
Frank Carollo watches intently while county attorney Michael Valdes argues the home rule charter trumps state law
Commissioner Joe Carollo wasn’t there Tuesday — but he wanted to be. As if he didn’t have enough legal battles of his own, Carollo — who always wants to be el protagonista — wanted to insert himself into someone else’s courtroom drama. Crazy Joe loves the sound of his own voice. Y como un colado in a quinceañera he wasn’t invited to, Carollo asked the court to let him speak at oral arguments in a case he’s not even a party to.
The Gonzalez legal team told the judges that this was disruptive and that Carollo simply wanted to grandstand. Ya think? The DCA judges — who may have seen Carollo drone on and on and on at commission meetings — told him nananina. They saved themselves.
But his brother was there. Former Commissioner Frank Carollo, who has filed to run again in District 3, sat behind Gonzalez in the audience and looked glum. He later made a comment to the press outside because he doesn’t want Gonzalez to be the only one getting a ton of earned media for suing the city.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, was also in the courtroom, in the front row. Suarez is hoping the city prevails so he can have an extra year in office to increase his net worth even more.
Read related: Miami Commissioners pass election date change — and steal an extra year
Observers expect the judges to issue a ruling soon. Ladra is surprised it’s taken them this long because their skepticism was pretty evident at the hearing.
This isn’t about “clarifying” the charter or “modernizing” elections. This is about commissioners handing themselves an extra year in office and hoping no one would notice.
Well, guess what? People noticed.
So did Judge Manno Schurr, and now three appellate judges seem poised to deliver the same message: You want to change an election date? Ask the damn voters.
A ruling is expected soon. Ladra just hopes the city doesn’t try to drag this into extra innings with another appeal. Haven’t we wasted enough taxpayer money already?
The post Third DCA seems skeptical of Miami city election change, cancellation appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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Looks like Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago was playing with fire when he went on a full verbal assault of the firefighters union president at a public commission meeting earlier this month. And what are firefighters good at? Putting out fires that are out of control.
IAFF Local 1210, the city’s firefighter union, just slapped the mayor with a cease-and-desist letter (posted below) that should douse the hothead with a good jarra de agua fria. Apparently, L’Ego’s July 1 rant — where he lobbed insult after insult at union President David Perez (who, by the way, wasn’t even there to defend himself) — got their attention.
And, also, a nice, formal legal warning from one of the most respected firefighter labor attorneys in the state, who must have taken a Tums after he watched the video of the meeting and called the tirade what it is: sour grapes and political retaliation.
“It is clear from the video that you are upset the Local 1210 failed to endorse you in your last political campaign. That disappointment does not, however, justify these unlawful personal attacks,” wrote attorney James Brantley, who’s been doing this kind of work for over 45 years — longer than Lago’s been in politics, though maybe not longer than he’s been dyeing his hair.
In a three-page letter, Brantley, who was a firefighter for 28 years, says the mayor’s behavior was not only “unprofessional and threatening,” but it “creates a hostile work environment” and could easily be interpreted as union-busting.
“Most disturbing is that these comments were made by you, in your official capacity as Mayor of the City of Coral Gables, against an active employee of the City. These comments were understood as a threat,” Brantly wrote.
Florida’s Public Employees Relations Act was written to prevent elected officials from interfering in union representation.
But Vinnie doesn’t let labor law or democracy stop him from running his mouth, does he?
Read related: Coral Gables fire department flunks reaccreditation attempt — for now
Let’s recap what Lyin’ Lago said at the dais on July 1, shall we?
“This is what you call politics. Politics at its finest,” Lago said. And he’s right about that. But it’s him who is playing political theater. He brought up the union at the meeting because of a true and accurate story in the resurrected Coral Gables Gazette about the fire department’s deferred reaccreditation. Rather than address the legitimate concerns, Lago decided it was an opportunity to unload on Perez in a public meeting — without rebuttal, without facts, and, most importantly, without class.
“This is David Perez, the head of the union, the same guy who goes out there and goes scorched earth on people, on their family. He went home by home spreading rumors about me, handing out ridiculous flyers,” Lago said about Perez and the union endorsement of his opponent, former Commissioner Kirk Menendez, Because, you know, democracy. Ladra didn’t see any flyers, btw, that attacked his family.
“We have amazing firefighters in this community, they are not represented by David Perez,” Lago said, because now he’s just delusional. And disrespectful to them because they did choose him. “The union should wise up and get rid of David Perez and move on.
“David Perez is a disservice to the city. He’s not a professional. He’s a disservice to the fire union. He’s a disservice to the fire brand. And all he does is hurt himself and hurt this community,” Lago went on, for almost four minutes. “He thinks that by attacking and attacking and attacking and attacking, he’s going to achieve some sort of goal for the fire department. All he does is embarrass the fire department and himself.”
And Ladra says Lago should look in the mirror.
“He’s shown time and time again that he’s nothing but a mere pathetic individual who is desperate for attention,” he said.
He must own a couple of mirrors, doesn’t he?
Okay, now, let’s set the vampire’s record straight:

Lie: Lago called Perez a “pathetic individual,” and accused him of “hiding in the shadows.” Truth: Lago does not return Ladra’s calls and hides his attacks on his opponents through a political action committee. Perez has been to the city commission to speak and publicly confront Lago about his lies on several occasions. What’s pathetic was Lago’s show.
Lie: Lago claimed Perez “puts out falsehoods.” Truth: Lago is the one who sends misleading texts to voters through his PAC and has repeatedly lied to residents about shortages at the police and fire departments. He also dramatically signed an affidavit swearing to have no family members tied to Little Gables when his brother was a lobbyist for the largest property owner in the unincorporated Miami-Dade enclave that the mayor was desperately trying to annex into the city. That is putting out real falsehoods. The lies became so egregious during the campaign, that the fire union and police union issued a joint statement to set the record straight.
Lie: The mayor flat-out declared that Perez “does not represent the fire union.” Truth: Much as Lago was elected by the voters, Perez was elected by a majority of the firefighters to represent them. In fact, he represents them so well that they elected him twice. Perhaps Lago’s hate only helps Perez keep getting elected.
Lie: Lago says all Perez does “is hurt himself and this community.” Truth: Perez has been a firefighter in Coral Gables for almost 15 years. Before that he worked at the county’s emergency management department. He only helps the community. Lago wants to force the annexation of Little Gables down the city taxpayers’ throats, even though overwhelmingly rejected it.

Read related: Coral Gables police, fire union: Lying Vince Lago is no pal of public safety
Brantley didn’t mince words in the July 24 missive to the mayor, which reads more like a legal flamethrower than a letter.
“Your public comment suggesting that the men and women of the Coral Gables Fire Department should ‘wise up and get rid of David Perez’ was clearly intended to interfere with the rights of Coral Gables Fire Department bargaining unit employees to be represented by a union of their choosing, a right that includes the right to select the union leadership of their choosing,” he wrote.
The letter also references the Firefighter Bill of Rights. Apparently, someone could infer, from Lago’s words, that Perez is under investigation when he is not. And saying so in a public meeting that is broadcast live and recorded for anyone to see later is illegal.
Brantley said the union had gone as far as to make a public records request for any complaints or investigations into Perez. To see, you know, if Lago was bluffing. “If, on the other hand, no such records exist, then accept this letter as a demand that your comments suggesting otherwise cease immediately.”
Because he knows what all his favorite servers at Bachour know: That his  diatribe from the dais was nothing more than part of the his revenge tour, targeting everyone who didn’t support him and his lackeys in April’s election, including IAFF Local 1210. In fact, Perez drove around with Menendez in a golf cart during the campaign. Because, you know, democracy.
And while that may have bruised his fragile ego (and his vote count), it doesn’t give the mayor a license to trash the union’s elected leader on the dais like it’s open mic night at Versailles.
Let’s not forget the backup singer on this track: Commissioner Richard Lara, who chimed in with his own carefully considered suggestion — after little more than two months in office — that Perez should “resign his employment.”
What a lovely duet. They could bring in Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson, who called the article “fear mongering,” and name the band Political Retaliation. It’s a whole new genre. Instead of grunge, it’s called grudge.
Brantley also referred to Lara in his letter, saying the commissioner’s words “were intended to chill employee support for [Perez] as a Union leader, and therefore also serve to violate Section 447.501, Florida Statutes.”
The letter from the IAFF attorney was copied to City Manager Peter Iglesias, Fire Chief Marcos De La Rosa, — who had his own long brown-nosing speech on July 1 — Human Resources Director Raquel Elejabarrieta, and City Attorney Cristina Suarez, who might be stocking up on Maalox right about now (someone should forward it to PERC). It warns that the fire union is ready to “defend itself and its elected leaders to the full extent available under the law.”
Plus, this is the only warning the city is going to get. If Lago continues to violate labor laws and create a hostile work environment for Perez, there may not be another letter. Just a subpeona.
The union sees it as part of a pattern of retaliation: first the budget fights, then the policy shifts, and now this. It isn’t just another spat between the mayor and the firefighters union. This is about intimidation, abuse of power, and the absolute tone-deafness of a mayor who should know better.
Lago didn’t just pick a fight with a union leader. He picked a fight with an entire department of beloved firefighters — the very people who run into burning buildings while politicians throw gasoline on arguments.
This could be the fuel that finally leads Lago’s political career to go up in smoke.
Prende una velita.
Cease & desist to Gables Mayor Lago by Political Cortadito on Scribd

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Commissioner then mysteriously withdrew his request
Coral Gables newly-elected Commissioner Richard Lara — who repealed the prior commission’s increased salaries and talks a lot about fiscal responsibility — tried to nickel and dime the city himself with a reimbursement request for a ticket he bought to the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce’s Centennial Gala. A ticket he bought before he was elected.
Less that two weeks after Lara beat attorney Tom Wells, 55% to 45%, in an tense campaign where he said he would repeal raises commissioners gave themselves in 2023 and cut taxes, Lara — who, btw, has gone along with not cutting taxes — sent the city attorney an email asking for reimbursement of a $650 ticket to the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce Centennial Gala, which was on April 29, part of a series of events celebrating the city’s 100th anniversary. It was held a week after his election victory.
“Please find the attached documentation for your review and reimbursement. The enclosed purchase, in the amount of $650, was made to cover the cost of a ticket to the Coral Cables Chamber of Commerce Centennial Celebration Grand Gala, which I attended in my official capacity as Commissioner,” Lara wrote in the May 5 email.
Read related: Vince Lago scores with Richard Lara’s Coral Gables commission runoff win
¡Que atrevido! Does this mean that he wouldn’t have gone if he hadn’t been elected? Who believes that? These two love their galas!

Lara included a receipt that showed he purchased two tickets in December, four months before he was elected, for him and his wife. At least he didn’t try to get his wife’s ticket paid by the city.
An attorney by profession, Lara also cited the city charter section and resolution that provides for this to be an eligible commission expense. But he either doesn’t know the charter as well as he thought or he must have realized this was not a good look. Because when Ladra got the reimbursement request from the city, there was what looked like a Post-It on the email noting that it was “withdrawn at the request of the commissioner.”
Or was it because he ended up sitting at the mayor’s table? The one the mayor said he paid for himself?
Lara did not return calls and texts to his phone.
Read related: Coral Gables: Developers, lobbyists lead, giving $753K to elect Richard Lara
Subsequent emails to the city clerk and the city attorney about when the reimbursement was withdrawn and how — via email, phone call — have not only not been answered, they’ve been downright evaded.
“At the request of the Commissioner the request for reimbursement was withdrawn, I do not have a document that answers your questions,” wrote City Clerk Billy Urquia on Monday when Ladra asked again. But someone in the city has to know when the commissioner asked for it to be withdrawn.
Was it after Political Cortadito asked for the document on June 18?
The gala included a cocktail reception, a premiere of a stage play called “Greetings From Paradise,” and a grand gala dinner under the stars. But it looks like Lara is going to have to pay for it out of his own pocket. 
The post Richard Lara sought repayment for gala ticket bought before Gables election appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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Ay, Damian. ¿Que te pasó?
The progressive darling of District 2 — the man who ran on transparency, accountability, and standing up to the political establishment — has started to look a lot like, well, the political establishment. And people are noticing. Loudly.
When Commissioner Damian Pardo was elected in a historic victory almost two years ago, becoming the city’s first openly gay commissioner — which seems like such a nostalgic notation nowadays — over a much better funded, establishment-backed, incumbent-like candidate, he seemed like a breath of fresh air. People thought that sunlight was coming into a dark place.
But he was apparently full of hot air and has seemingly closed the blinds at City Hall.
He said he would bring reform, public engagement, an end to backroom deals. But he’s just brought more of the same.
Okay, he hasn’t been all bad. Pardo helped get rid of former City Attorney Tricky Vicky Mendez and voted against the $10M giveaway to the Miami Freedom Park developers in February. But he has been an enormous disappointment to a lot of people who still can’t believe this is the man they supported in 2023, and he’s been on the wrong side of the vote or issue more times than not.
Let’s start with the big one: Pardo sponsored the ordinance to cancel the 2025 mayoral election and push it to 2026, effectively extending everyone’s term by a year, including current Mayor Francis Suarez — the same guy Pardo asked to resign in 2023. Now, he’s carrying the mayor’s water. It was a move that stank of political payoff, not people power. And the worst part? He did it with a straight face while calling it a “cost-saving measure.”
He actually keeps saying that the election wasn’t cancelled — because there are a couple of ballot questions. The election for mayor and two commission seats was definitely cancelled. But this is how Pardo speaks these days. All politician, no activist.
Read related: Miami Commissioners pass election date change — and steal an extra year
Come on, Damian. Miami’s voters aren’t stupid. We know the cost of democracy — and it’s a lot higher when you decide it’s too inconvenient to hold an election.
Then there’s the Olympia Theater deal. You’d think the guy who won in large part thanks to preservationists, urbanists, and civic watchdogs would have raised a red flag or two when the city tried to quietly sell off a historic landmark to a charter school for $10. But nope. Pardo didn’t only back the deal, he praised it. He practically lobbied for Sports Leadership Arts Management charter school and Academica, who are stealing the city’s jewel.
A giveaway of public land, no open bid, no community referendum, no long-term vision for cultural use — just a warm handshake with a politically connected charter school empire. What happened to public process, Commissioner? What happened to being the check on the same old politics?
Even his allies are confused. Former supporters have started calling him Disappearing Damian — because apparently once he got elected, access to him vanished. Constituents who once had his ear say now they get silence, staffers who shrug, and very little actual follow-through.
And as one Grove resident told Ladra, “I didn’t vote for him to become Francis Suarez’s wingman.”
In more than a dozen interviews with residents from Coconut Grove to Morningside, Miamians told Political Cortadito that they wouldn’t vote for Pardo again. Some are longtime friends. Others didn’t only vote for him, but wrote him campaign checks.
Now, he doesn’t call them back.
“He doesn’t listen to anyone anymore,” one old friend said.
“He gotten too big for his britches,” said an ex supporter.
“I think he saw how well it’s gone for Mayor Suarez and he wants to do the same thing.”
The list of failures began when he went on vacation and missed a meeting — and Commissioner Joe Carollo got the best of him and put the outdoor gym at Maurice Ferre Park on the citywide ballot, against the wishes of the downtown residents who had complained to the planning and zoning board, which found that the gym was builit. But in addition to that early gaffe and the election year change and the Olympia Theater giveaway, Pardo’s base says he has been on the wrong side of a series of important issues and/or votes, surprising them with his position on:

The noise ordinance
The tree ordinance.
The mess the PAMM billboard, which is still up there, and he’s bending knee.
The watering down of ‘lifetime’ term limits, which now won’t apply to Carollo or former Miami Mayor Xavier Suarez. even if they are passed in November by voters.
Sidewalks in Morningside that many residents say are being forced on them.
A yes vote on the Transit Station Neighborhood Development ordinance, which will upzone certain areas and seems custom written for a large property owner in Little River.
The abolishment of the Bayfront Park Management Trust.
The refusal to put the Downtown Development Authority tax on the ballot.
The move to sell five acres of public land on Watson Island to developers for two condominium towers and a gifted waterfront park.

To make matters worse. He’s not accessible. Not if he doesn’t want to hear what you have to say. He won’t return calls. He won’t give you an appointment. So people can’t tell him what a complete and total tonto util he’s being. He stopped calling Ladra back weeks ago. He doesn’t like anyone to question him or hear a contradicting point of view. He says any critical or opposing voices are limited to a few radical malcontents and troublemakers.
“He has not responded to one email,” said Morningside resident and environmental activist Sandy Moise, who has battled Pardo on the tree ordinance and the 15-foot wide Bay walk he wanted to build in Morningside Park.  She believes he is prodevelopment and, honestly, his votes do seem to go that way. Moise didn’t vote for Pardo. But most of the people who spoke to Ladra spoke on background in part because they did vote for him and got others to vote for him — and now they feel guilty.
Read related: Longtime activist Damian Pardo joins Miami District 2 commission race
Damian is a big boy. He wasn’t a total political newbie when he was elected. Pardo had been the co-founder of SAVE, which used to be SAVE Dade, the LGBTQ advocacy group that was able to get the county to pass the first gay rights protection ordinance in the 1990s. He has also been involved in the 4Ward Miami advocacy group and their Gay8 Festival on Calle Ocho, as well as Care Resource and the Miami-Dade Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.
That’s why we all thought he would be the perfect public servant. Because he had fought the system before. People always tell Ladra that she has to stop believing there are any good politicians. There are good people who run for office, but once they become politicians, it’s over.
Pardo’s term is only halfway through, however. There’s still time to course-correct. To remember who got him there. To start acting like the reformer he claimed to be — not just another player in the palace drama that is Miami City Hall.
But if Pardo keeps voting with the King-and-Carollo faction, rubber-stamping insider deals, and treating public meetings like formalities instead of the democratic bedrock they are, his progressive base might not wait until 2027 — or 2028 — to get him out.
There has been some talk about a possible recall effort. Pardo’s primary and most persistent critic, Downtown Neighborhood Association President James Torres, — who endorsed Pardo after he lost the D2 in the first round in 2023 — commissioned a survey last month that found more than half the 476 respondents would recall him if they could. Based solely on the cancellation of the election, which didn’t go well with residents.
Turns out, people want to vote on a big thing like that.
This decision is the main one pushed by a mobile phone poll with one question: “Commissioner Damian Pardo voted to cancel the 2025 election for Mayor and Commissioners, giving himself and others an extra year in office — even after Florida’s Attorney General said this ordinance is unconstitutional. Do you support recalling Commissioner Pardo for this overreach?”
The poll of 476 likely voters conducted on July 1 and 2 shows that just over 52% would support recalling Pardo if a recall were initiated, while just over 40% would oppose it. The rest are reportedly undecided.
Torres says that Pardo isn’t doing himself any favors by acting like he’s the smartest guy in the room. “The cockiness and arrogance is not the vision he gave us,” Torres told Political Cortadito.
“Damian Pardo has become the face of failure in our local government, pushing flawed policies through broken processes, shutting out the voices of the community, and doing it all with a level of arrogance that insults the very people he was elected to serve,” said Torres, who was on a Zoom call Sunday with about seven people to “explore” the recall.
And, yes, it seems he is campaigning for a rematch already. Thank goodness someone is.
Read related: Miami-Dade Judge: Miami Commission can’t cancel election without public vote
The poll’s partisan breakdown of respondents reportedly mirrors the district’s demographic and is a diverse cross-section of the electorate. Democrats accounted for 39.7% of the sample, NPAs (No Party Affiliation) made up 30.8%, and Republicans represented 29.5%. White respondents were 49.4% of the sample, Hispanic accounted for 44.0%, and Black made up 6.6%.
Overall, the results indicate that a recall effort could gain support across political and demographic groups.While there remains a small undecided segment, the existing margin suggests that, if an election were held today, the recall would likely pass.
One might think that Pardo would ease off the gas pedal on moving the election, pero no. Pardo has dug in his heels, supporting the city’s appeal of a court decision earlier this month that invalidated the ordinance changing the election because it’s unconstitutional. He could save face by going along with the judge and putting it on the ballot for voters to decide.
But maybe he is doubling down on that extra year in office because he knows he is a one-and-done commissioner and will not win another election again.
The post Miami Commissioner Damian Pardo loses support, inspires recall threats appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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Final deal postponed until more details fleshed out
The shady deal to hand over the historic Olympia Theater to the operators of a charter school for $10 is so half-baked that even Miami city commissioners, to their credit, asked Thursday for a more complete picture before they rubber-stamp it.
Commissioners voted instead and unanimously to have City Manager Art Noriega negotiate the agreement with Sports Leadership Arts Management, a 6-12 school which is operated by the giant and politically-connected Academica, the Walmart of charter schools, which also owns about $115 million in Florida real estate, mostly schools that don’t pay taxes. Noriega can’t execute the agreement until he brings it back to them in September for approval. He was tasked with bringing appraisals of the property and more guarantees about community partnerships and public benefits.
The city manager admitted at last week’s meeting that the agreement, which has been in flux with changing drafts, was only 80% complete. One would think that, by now, he would be better at giving away multi-million dollar public properties on the fly. He also added that any agreement would be contingent on having miami Dade College involved.
Under the draft deal, the city would sell the deed to the Olympia and its adjacent 10-story tower — basically a whole city block downtown — to SLAM, which has 2,000 students, for a measly $10. They will operate the school out of the building and restore the aging theater. SLAM’s parent company, Academica — the Walmart of charter schools — promises to invest $50 million to renovate the 1926 Mediterranean beauty. And they’ll throw in 180 days of “community programming,” though the contract doesn’t spell out what that actually means. Or what happens to the other 185 days of the year.
Read related: Miami city commission set to give away historic Olympia Theater — for $10
Even Joe Carollo sounded reasonable (which should be a red flag on its own): “We need to get all the facts so we can make a sound judgment,” he said. “Not one in emotions.” Someone should put that recording on a loop. We might need it later.
Always the contradiction, Carollo also gave $5 million at the same meeting to Centro Mater Academy, another school affiliated with the owners of Academica (more on that later).
Chairwoman Christine King said she wanted to”assurances in writing that children in my district can attend this school.” That’s usually all it takes for her — a bone or two thrown at District 5.
Many residents have come out against the proposal, mostly because it’s an inside deal with zero transparency, but also because they’re scared to lose the integrity of the theater. They point to the Miami Forever bond monies, of which $79 million had been earmarked for parks and cultural facilities — none has been awarded to the Olympia — and say the city can afford its own renovation with grants and by selling the development rights of the theater, which can’t build to its maximum capacity because of it’s historic designation.
They’ve had press conferences and an online petition drive that has more than 1,000 signatures and practically begged commissioners Thursday to slow their roll.
“Living in the city of Miami is being heartbroken over and over again,” Morningside resident Jessica Johnson told commissioners. “Because time and time again, we watch you abandon what matters most: Our shared spaces, our history and historic buildings, our culture and creativity, our small businesses and homeowners, our trees — don’t weaken the tree ordinance — our green spaces, our waterways — all sacrificed in favor of real estate developers, political favors and money.”
Johnson grew up in Miami. Her father founded the Miami Jazz Festival at Bayfront Park. Then, she lived in New York City for a while, where she was able to experience what it was like to have world-class institutions that are accessible to the public. “And, more importantly, what it feels like when your city values them. Institutions that are preserved, funded and treated as essential to civic life.
What makes matters worse, she says, is that the city is deaf to residents’ pleas. When they “offer real solutions and plead for fairness, it feels always like we are being met with contempt. Our protests are brushed off. Our demands for transparency are met with gaslighting, blame shifting, cover ups and lies.”
Welcome back to the city of Miami, Jess.
Lifetime Miami resident Zully Pardo called this deal what it smells like: “a no-bid giveaway.” She also blamed the city for having failed in the stewardship of the historic landmark and this “manufactured pressure campaign to transfer ownership of the theater to a charter school and its private for profit management company.
“There are no safeguard or commitments that can justify giving away this valuable resource,” she said, begging the commissioners to stop the deal and open a “clear and transparent” public bidding process where the city would provide incentives before the “treasured landmark will be lost to the public realm.”
Read related: Petition aims to add Miami commission districts, change election to even years
Cuban-American pianist and producer Orlando Alonso urged commissioners to put the deal on pause and look at alternatives, like the one he has presented twice to the city manager to restore and operate the Olympia much like the Lincoln Center in New York. He called on newly-elected Commissioner Ralph Rosado, who served on the Miami Forever Bond oversight board when the funds were recommended for the Olympia, to stop the sale.
“You can now realize that as a commissioner. Now you can do it. This is your moment,” Lopez told him. “Don’t be the commissioner that gave away the Olympia. Be the one who saves it.”
Denise Galvez Turros, a former member of the historic preservation board who is running for District 3 commissioner, said that most of the opposition wasn’t because Academica was behind the deal. She said it was because residents don’t trust the city — and she doesn’t trust the city manager to negotiate the agreement.
“He said in public comment ‘Oh, historic preservation has never been a priority.’ It could be,” Galvez Turros said, citing the money spent on SUVs for the commissioners and syphoned from Bayfront Park. She said the money for the theather’s restoration found.
“For years on a monthly basis, we would ask for updates on the Olympia Theatre. We knew it was in dire need of repairs. Nothing was done,” Galvez said. “The opposition and the skepticism is because of the distrust with the city of Miami’s past deals with Melreese, Freedom Park, Marlins Park. All of those.
“This is not about Academica being a bad steward, this is about transparency.”
But there were some who said it was, indeed, about the for-profit hiding behind a non-profit to get this deal.
“This is a genius scheme by Academica to rip away taxpayer dollars,” said Maria Gonzalez. “Who wouldn’t want that deal? Truly genius. Academica you get an A for swindling the people.”
Many of those who spoke in favor were students and teachers or staff at SLAM. Principal Carlos O. Alvarez gave an impassioned speech about the theater coming “back to life” — even if it seemed like it was reading from talking points from Academica’s PR branch.
“The Olympic Theater won’t be driven by students and a school. It will be driven by our community, the passion for bringing back the performing arts. ” Alvarez said, and it would be nice if he would call it by the correct name, Olympia not Olympic. “That same drive will be infused into our classroom and spark curiosity and passion for students that thrive in the performing arts.
“Together we can create programs and pathways in music, entertainment, arts, audio visual, all with the main purpose of enabling and empowering students to give back to their community through workforce development and college readiness,” Alvarez said.
So it really is driven by students and a school.
Others supporters said they see this deal as the best way to save the Olympia Theater, before it’s too late to stop the wrecking ball. And they trust the school and Academica to be able to do it.
“This project isn’t just about preserving a historic building, it’s about transforming our cultural landscape,” said Armando Lopez, an artist and musician who reminded everybody how few good venues there are for local talent. “With SLAM leading the way, the Olympia has the opportunity to be the heart of the arts community again.”
“It’s such a beautiful building,” Miami-Dade Professor Stella Santamaria told commissioners, “and most of the time it is just laying there empty. What makes this proposal different is the group that is stepping up are true stewards. They are not just patching things up. They have a real plan and they are not asking taxpayers to foot the bill.
“I keep picturing how great it would be to go again to the Olympia.”
The city, meanwhile, “has failed as a steward of the Olympia Theater,” said Debbie Dolson. And she’s not wrong.
Read related: Secret giveaway of Miami’s Olympia Theater is on city commission agenda
In 1975, philanthropist Maurice Gusman gave the Olympia and its office building to the city — but not without strings. He insisted the Miami Parking Authority manage the property, because even then, he didn’t trust Miami politicians with cultural treasures. He just knew.
Fast-forward to 2011: MPA stepped away and the building became increasingly neglected. In 2018, the city’s own code compliance division basically said there would be a demolition order if repairs weren’t made and the building wasn’t brought up to standards. That’s sorta like telling your roommate you’re going to burn the house down if she doesn’t do the dishes.
The next year, Gusman’s heirs sued to take it back, citing the broken covenant. That lawsuit is still pending — and is basically why we are here now. The Gusman family is completely on board with this new deal, as long as SLAM gets it, said their attorney, Timothy Barket, who so eloquently told residents at a community meeting that this was never their building and to basically shut up because they have no real say in it.
At that same community meeting before the vote, Academica CEO Fernando Zulueta said the Gusman family called him “months ago” to ask if they were interested in doing something. But Ladra thinks this has been cooking since Zulueta was a guest on Mayor Francis Suarez‘s podcast, where Baby X called him a “genius” who was transforming education.
In other words, this is a backroom deal that has been cooking for a while.
City commissioners will revisit the negotiated agreement in September, assuming they’re not too busy moving elections around or yelling at each other about one stupid thing or another.
Before that, Rosado asked the city administration to prepare an FAQ because he had received a “barrage of questions” about it.
May Ladra suggest some questions that should be answered: Why are we giving away one of our crown jewels for pennies? Why no open bidding? Why the rush? And who really benefits?
One thing is certain: if the Olympia Theater ends up in the hands of a charter school empire for less than the price of a two-topping pizza, it won’t just be another Miami story.
It’ll be another Miami tragedy.
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‘Miami-Dade’s soul is not for sale,’ commissioner says
Faced with a $402 million shortfall and serious cuts to county services and programs, Miami-Dade Commissioner Kionne McGhee wants to take back the $46 million that has been approved in cash incentives and in-kind services to FIFA World Cup for the activities surrounding the matches that will be here in 2026.
McGhee has asked the administration to halt any World Cup funding to pre-empt what he called “devastating budget cuts” — including senior meals, child nutrition programs, and even rape kit testing services — in Mayor Daniella Levine Cava‘s proposed 2025-26 budget.
“This is not fiscal responsibility — it is moral failure. Entertainment cannot come before humanity,” McGhee said.
He was one of the commissioners who voted for the expenditure of $21 million in cash and $25 million in in-kind services like police and fire rescue. But now, he’s got buyer’s remorse.
Read related: Miami-Dade could cut back services, give millions to FIFA for World Cup
“I was proud to support bringing the World Cup to Miami-Dade, believing it would showcase our world-class community and drive economic growth,” McGhee said in a statement. “But the Mayor’s proposed budget, which guts critical nonprofits and our county’s Community Action Agency, changes everything.
“When our residents are facing the loss of programs that keep communities alive, safe, and dignified, spending millions on FIFA stadiums and events becomes indefensible. I can no longer support it.”
McGhee cited severe recent cuts to:

Senior support services (meals, transportation, healthcare)
Summer lunch programs for food-insecure children
Trauma counseling and mental health resources
Testing of backlogged rape kits for survivors
Cultural arts grants sustaining local artists and educators
Non-profits providing direct aid to vulnerable families

Meanwhile, there are $46 million earmarked for FIFA “while seniors lose meal deliveries, children go hungry without summer lunches, rape kits gather dust untested, and trauma survivors are turned away from counseling,” McGhee said.
Read related: Facing $400M budget shortfall, Miami-Dade cuts senior meals, lifeguards, more
The FIFA allocation was sponsored by Commissioner Oliver Gilbert, whose district includes Miami Gardens, home to the Hard Rock Stadium that will host seven matches, including a quarter-final and the third-place game, between June 15 and July 18, 2026. 
Lobbyist Rodney Barreto, whose firm represents the Dolphins and who serves as co-chair of the World Cup hosting committee, told The Miami Herald that economic boost from the events will more than make up for it. “The hotel tax revenue produced will be more than enough to justify the item,” Barreto said.
But that was before international visitors started canceling their travel plans because of the aggressive U.S. anti-immigration movements and rhetoric. And les mauvaises langues, or las malas lenguas across the pond, are saying that FIFA is seriously considering moving the U.S. matches to Canada or Mexico, which are also hosting games, simply to avoid the entry visa nightmare and potential detention of players, staff and fans.
McGhee is serious about his demands. He doesn’t just want the immediate suspension of all funding for World-Cup related activities or projects, he wants the full $46 million refunded and he wants the unspent dollars redirected to restore grants for non-profits.
One more small thing: McGhee also wants a public audit of World Cup expenditures to date to “ensure swift return of taxpayer funds.”
“Until the Mayor’s proposed budget fully restores the $46 million to the organizations saving lives in our neighborhoods — not stadiums — I will oppose every dime spent on FIFA. Miami-Dade’s soul is not for sale.
“We choose communities over stadiums, people over spectacle, and compassion over glamour.”
He will have to get at least seven other commissioners to go along if he wants to reverse the vote. And only three voted against the subsidy already: Commissioners Marleine Bastien, Juan Carlos Bermudez and Roberto Gonzalez, who also voted against the flat tax rate proposed with the millage. But that vote for the FIFA allocation was in May, so it was before the budget cuts were announce.
Maybe someone else will have some post-decision dissonance with the gift.
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