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.

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Rollback of commission salary increases also coming
What happened in Coral Gables Tuesday has been described by some as a “red wave.” While the biannual city election is officially non partisan, it has increasingly become so in nature and some have openly feared what they call the “MAGAfication” of the City Beautiful.
Mayor Vince Lago, Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson, and newly-elected Commissioner Richard Lara — who will all be sworn in on Friday — each ran their campaigns on issues that matter to Republicans, namely lowering taxes and reigning in government spending. They also promised to move the elections to November, which will certainly make the elections even more partisan.
There are already the anonymous, venomous online trolls and the frivolous defamation lawsuits, and threats, like in MAGA.
The first thing this new crew might try to do is roll back the salary increases that the commissioners gave themselves in 2023, less than five months after two new commissioners were elected earlier that year. It was a campaign promise hammered by both Lago and Lara. It’s been a thorn in the mayor’s side. All they need is a 3-2 vote, which they have now.
Some people think that they won’t roll the salaries back, that because Lago and Anderson got the raise, too — and won’t tell anyone what “charity” they donated it to — they won’t give it up so easy now. But that’s gonna be awkward after everything they said during the campaign.
Read related: Vince Lago scores with Richard Lara’s Coral Gables commission runoff win
Commissioners Melissa Castro and Ariel Fernandez better start making the necessary budget cuts in their personal finances. Get new cars. Or find side jobs, like Lago has.
The new majority will also likely, and rather quickly, push to move the elections from April to November. They can either move it themselves — because the charter doesn’t seem to be clear on that — or vote to put it on the ballot. If they are truly for “accountability and transparency,” as they claim, they will do the latter .
Fernandez said his concern with the November election is that it will make the local races even more partisan. “It takes away the focus of the local issues,” he told Political Cortadito.
But Lara said moving the elections to November was among his priorities in an email sent Wednesday morning, thanking voters for their support and pledging to deliver on the promises he made during the campaign.
“I’m proud to share that — thanks to you — we won,” Lara wrote. “With the highest run-off election turnout in over five years, Coral Gables residents sent a clear message: we are ready for civility, for accountability, and for a commission that puts residents first.
“This victory is not just mine — it belongs to all of us who believe in honest leadership and a better future for our City Beautiful.”
He said that his mandate is to roll back the salary increases, move elections to November, and put tax dollars back into the community — all Lago issues that were key to his election.
Tom Wells, who lost the runoff with 45% of the vote Tuesday, send his own email thanking supporters and saying that the city can do other things to generate more voter participation, before they consider moving the election a November ballot. The trolleys could add a stop at the library during early voting days (why doesn’t it stop at the library all the time?), and there could be electronic signage to announce voting dates. Wells, who got campaign support from the Coral Gables Democratic Club, also says candidates should be allowed to purchase booths at the Farmers Market events and have city-sponsored forums for residents to meet the candidates.
“I would like the City to encourage voter engagement for April elections before bundling our local election with so many other elections in November like the City of Miami,” Wells said. “Coral Gables is so important that we deserve to be the only issue on the ballot as we have done for the last 100 years.”
Lara also said in his email that he would fight overdevelopment, “restore transparency and public trust,”  “end dysfunction and chaos at City Hall,” and focus on “real results, not political theater.”
For those things, Ladra suggests he talk to his buddy, Vince.
Read related: Coral Gables commission considers moving elections to November
Lago is going to be setting up his priorities now that he has a clear path for his agenda with the majority on the vote. But that means he is also going to be under additional pressure, said Fernandez, who came into office as part of a minority and says that more than 90% of the commission votes are unanimous, anyway.
“Now, he’s in the driver’s seat, so he can’t blame somebody else for issues,” Fernandez said. “He’s got to deliver results.”
The induction ceremony begins at 11:30 a.m. Friday in the community meeting room of the Coral Gables Police and Fire Headquarters, 2151 Salzedo St. There will be a reception immediately after at the Bachour Coral Gables Courtyard. Ladra is not sure if it is open to the public. City spokeswoman Martha Pantin did not get back to Political Cortadito with the answer Wednesday, which was the deadline to RSVP anyway.
The first meeting of the new Coral Gables commission will be on May 20.
Keep the Fresh Colada at Political Cortadito brewing. To read more about Coral Gables politics, help support independent watchdog journalism with a contribution today. Thank you for your support!
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Congresswoman Frederica Wilson will be the first member of Congress to get a tour of the Krome Detention Center in West Miami-Dade after reports of overcrowded, dangerous, unsanitary and inhumane conditions in the wake of the mass immigrant detentions and deportations by the new Donald Trump administration.
Wilson sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem earlier this month asking for access and a walk through. Her office announced Wednesday that she would get an hour inside on Thursday afternoon. She will be available for the press afterwards, around 2 p.m. So will representatives from Americans for Immigration Justice, which has joined the ACLU Florida on the federal lawsuit to challenge a Florida law that authorizes state and local authorities to jail people solely on immigration status, “powers the Constitution reserves exclusively to the federal government.”6
The congresswoman, who represents Florida’s 24th district — which includes Little Haiti, Biscayne Park, Miami Gardens, North Miami, Opa-Locka and the southern part of Broward County — has received letters and phone calls from constituents who have relatives in the detention center, said Alvaro Perpuly, Wilson’s press secretary. Or who were in the detention center. One such detainee has already been moved elsewhere, so Wilson won’t be able to check on him, Perpuly said.
Read related: Cuban American congress members stay silent on TPS, immigrant detention
“She’s trying to set up individual meetings, but it’s kind of hard to know who’s really there because they keep moving people around,” Perpuly told Political Cortadito.
The visit was not coordinated through Noem, but rather the detention center facility itself, Perpuly said. “By law, they cannot prevent a member of Congress from entering. They have more leeway with other electeds on the state and local level.”
That might be why Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has not received an answer to her own request on April 3 for a tour. A staffer said she had been invited by the congresswoman. “ICE informed her office that per their protocol, the mayor would need to schedule a separate time to tour the facility, which we hope to coordinate as swiftly as possible,” said Deputy Chief of Staff Rachel Johnson.
But what is stopping Congressman Carlos Gimenez, Mario Diaz-Balart or Maria Elvira Salazar from checking the place out themselves? The three Cuban-American legislators have come under fire for their silence in the face of the community’s fear and uncertainty. There have been billboards and video ads to blast them for their complicity.
Even a full page ad “open letter” from healthcare mogul and habitual campaign donor Mike Fernandez didn’t seem to move the dial.
Calls to Gimenez representatives at his district and Washington offices were not returned.
Detainees are seen sleeping on the floor next to each other or in chairs in a viral video that was taken, obviously under cover, by a Mexican detainee near tears and provided to NBC6 Miami. Some detainees have had to sleep outside. They have reportedly not been allowed to communicate with loved ones or legal representation regularly. Some family members of detainees say they are not given enough food or even water. In February, a Ukranian immigrant died at a nearby hospital after getting sick at Krome.
Read related: Video blasts U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez for silence on ending TPS, deportations
“The increase in detainees being sent to the Krome Processing Center has caused conditions to deteriorate, creating an unsafe and inhumane detention environment,” Levine Cava wrote in the letter to Noem. “Allegations of substandard conditions include inadequate access to water and food, unsanitary confinement, medical neglect and abuse such as prolonged shackling.”
Wilson, who will be going with members of her team, knows that she may not see those things.
“She’s very aware they’re going to clean up a bit and make it look nicer,” Perpuly said.
“She wants to see where the detainees are actually being held, talk to some of the folks there, see if there are any women there, and just generally see what’s going on.”
Stay tuned. Political Cortadito will follow up on Thursday.
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