A whistleblower lawsuit filed last month against Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo for abusing his power as the chairman of the Bayfront Park Management Trust and paying friends exorbitant fees to get alleged kickbacks has snared onetime Coral Gables commission candidate Javier Baños, who is now the editor of the Gables Insider and a frequent critic of Mayor Vince Lago.
So, of course, it has already become political fodder in the City Beautiful, where there’s going to be a contentious election in April.
It took Lago less than 24 hours after the Miami Herald broke the lawsuit story to send an email from his political action committee that calls Baños the “spin master” for his political opponents. Funny enough, when Commissioner Ariel Fernandez was the editor, he was Lago’s “spin master.” Lago has admitted as such.
Read related: Miami politics creep into Coral Gables election via Javier Baños, Claudia Miro
Carollo and Baños are accused of having “threatened” two employees — the new Trust director Jose Suarez and the new finance director Jose Canto — and having forced their departure after the men began to question the “lack of proper accounting practices and procedures that enabled Carollo to (a) use the Trust’s funds to pay for Carollo’s own political ventures; (b) use the Trust’s funds to support Carollo’s District 3 Political Office (c) use the Trust’s funds to pay and overpay Carollo’s political allies; (d) use the Trust’s funds to overpay Carollo’s District 3 Social Media provider, (e) waste the Trust’s funds on a 2007 Vet mobile that was never used and that had a suspicious and seemingly untraceable past; and e) seek to use the Trust funds to pay for Carollo’s Holiday Party.
“Together, these wrongful expenditures totaled hundreds of thousands of dollars of misused and wasted Trust funds in less than one year, and Carollo has Chaired the Trust for the past eight years without any legitimate oversight,” the complaint states.

Finally. Everybody knows that Carollo’s handling of the Trust was shady AF for years. Ladra has barked about nearly $1 million spent on the Dogs and Cats Walkway that never went through a competitive process that led to the resignation of a board member the outdoor gym that was put in place without the proper permitting or process. There was a petition to remove him as chair of the Trust.
Read related: Bayfront Park board member resigns on Joe Carollo’s $1 mil no-bid giveaway
Almost every page of the 23-page lawsuit could be another story here. And we might get to them. But the reverberations were felt in the City Beautiful right away because of Baños involvement.
Within days of the lawsuit being filed, Lago’s political action committee sent an email blast calling him the “spin master” for Menendez and the two other commissioners who have been consistently voting against him. He said that the Gables Insider had been “spreading misinformation and disinformation” since Baños took over after the election of Fernandez.
Gables Insider has “shamelessly cheered and advocated for the 101% pay increases that Menendez and Fernandez gave themselves in 2023 without resident approval, for denying increased voter participation by moving our elections to November (which Mayor Vince Lago and Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson have supported — saving the City $200,000 per election and raising voter turnout), and most recently, for the disastrous appointments of two city managers in less than 11 months without notice, due process, or our resident’s input.”
This is going to be Lago’s drumbeat until April.
“Whatever credibility Baños and Gables Insider might have had left should be gone as a result of these serious allegations,” the PAC email states. “However, unlike Gables Insider’s brand of ‘reporting,’ we don’t want you to take our word for it. Instead, we are providing you with the links to the stories published  for you to decide whether Menendez, Ariel, and Baños deserve the trust of our community.”
The email proceeds to list four excerpts and links to local TV stories and a Miami Herald story about the lawsuit, which is also linked. It calls Gables Insider a “local propaganda machine.”
Read related: Kirk Menendez runs for Coral Gables mayor against city bully Vince Lago
Baños told Political Cortadito that his involvement in the Trust was limited and that he never threatened either man. He said he had spoken to Suarez no more than seven or eight times since he was made the executive director last March.
But the lawsuit makes it clear that Baños’ financial role may be key to building a case against Carollo.
In the complaint, the attorneys — Jeff Gutchess, who represented the Little Havana businessmen in the first amendment lawsuit against Carollo that won a jury award of $63.5 million, and Jay Rhodes, who used to work in Carollo’s office– claim that Baños not only “ominously warned” Suarez that he “would rather Ca to not express any issues with the accounting at the open board meeting,” but is also protecting an outside accountant who just happens to be another in-law.
Their relationship extends beyond the Bayfront Park Trust and Baños, who lost his Gables commission race because of his ties to Carollo, may know more than he’s letting on. In fact, Ladra is surprised he wasn’t deposed in any of the other cases against the commissioner.
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Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago is coming apart at the seams.
His latest public meltdown was caught on camera last week during a press conference called by Police Chief Ed Hudak about the two human trafficking incidents that were recently thwarted by the department within the City Beautiful’s borders. Hudak had just finished briefing the local media on the latest arrests Tuesday — the first incident was Jan. 17 — after a 911 call alerted police to a van with 26 mostly Chinese migrants, when Lago rushed up behind the press and started yelling, heckling the chief, royally pissed off that he wasn’t “invited” to the media event.
Except he was. Chief Hudak told everyone about the 2 p.m. press conference that same morning at the short and uneventful commission meeting. We’re all bored, but maybe L’Ego shouldn’t be spending so much commission time on his phone.
Commissioners Melissa Castro and Kirk Menendez, who is running for mayor against the incumbent, both went over after the meeting to support the chief, who provided details about the evidence found with the migrants, including documents and a handgun. He then thanked the media for being there.
Read related: Kirk Menendez runs for Coral Gables mayor against city bully Vince Lago
“Thank you, chief,” Lago snapped quickly. “Thank you, mayor,” the chief responded, a little surprised. Watch this video clip.
“I appreciate you, my brother,” Lago yelled. “Thank you for calling me. I appreciate it.” Then he directed himself to the press gathered.
“Hey, if anyone wants to hear from the mayor. I’m the mayor of Coral Gables. I wasn’t included in this,” Lago said, and you can hear the hurt in his voice. “If you’d like to hear from me, I’m here.”
Awwww. Pobrecito. He’s there if anyone wants to hear from him.
“Mayor, if you want to talk,” Hudak began, about to invite him to the podium. But Lago interrupted him.
“Thank you guys I appreciate it,” the mayor said. “It’s a shame that we dont offer the same courtesy to the mayor that we offer to to other colleagues.”
Key word: Colleagues. He’s calling Menendez and Castro his colleagues. That’s new.
Hudak’s face in the video is priceless. Other city employees looked mighty uncomfortable, too, as they shuffled around.
But, c’mon. These public outbursts are becoming more and more frequent.

 
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Miami commissioners on Thursday abandoned a plan to take someone’s riverside property through eminent domain proceedings and, instead, purchase another property in Little Havana owned by the same man. Instead of a park along the Miami River, the city will use the vacant land between 8th and 7th streets at 14th Avenue to build affordable housing.
Arturo Ortega didn’t want to sell his waterfront property in what’s becoming a fast-rising hot spot and where he recently started construction on a two story restaurant. Maybe he doesn’t really want to sell the lots in Little Havana either. Ladra can’t know for sure because he did not call back after a voice and text message was left on his phone. But he may not have a choice.

City Commissioner Joe Carollo wanted to build Simón Bolivar Park, in honor of the Venezuelan hero, on the riverside property — a vanity project for his wife, who is Venezuelan. He got the city to take Ortega to court. Crazy Joe gets them to do all kinds of crazy things. In 2023, a judge ruled that the city could take the land through eminent domain, a process by which a government can force the sale of private property for a necessary public use, paying a fair market value. And, last month, a jury decided that the property was worth $10.8 million, which is more than the city wanted to pay but less than Ortega though he should get.
Read related: Miami: Joe Carollo uses eminent domain to take private property for park
The city had 20 days from the ruling to make the payment, but on Thursday entered into a settlement with Ortega to buy the 8th Street property for $9 million, instead. Carollo agreed because the riverfront lot equaled about 15,000 square feet, or a third of an acre, while the Little Havana property is about an acre.
“There’s a lot that the city could do with that property,” Carollo said, although the resolution from the city’s Department of Real Estate and Asset Management specifically says it will be an affordable housing project.
Carollo always claimed that the slice of riverside land should be a park, even though Jose Marti Park is a hop and a skip away.
Ortega bought the property for $4.3 million in 2014, according to the Miami-Dade Property Appraiser’s records. So he’s still making a tidy profit. But he was likely strong-armed into selling it so that he could keep the riverside lot.
Political Cortadito will be watching and reporting on the Little Havana property and the affordable housing project to come.

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Miami was reeling Wednesday after the Miami Herald’s Tess Riski reported the whistleblower lawsuit against Miami Commmissioner Joe Carollo filed by two former employees of the Bayfront Park Management Trust of using public funds for his personal gain. Among the details released was a $150,000 payment to America TeVé to broadcast the city’s million-dollar New Year’s Eve party at Bayfront Park.
The lawsuit alleges that Carollo and his wife Marjorie are “close personal friends” with the owners of the station, which also was used at one point to broadcast parts of the Little Havana Friday Nights event. The employees’ lawyers contend that the city could have gotten free coverage from any other station, like Telemundo or Univision, or even sold the rights to a station, which would profit from selling advertising.
But then Carollo, who has threatened to run for mayor this year, wouldn’t have gotten more than a dozen self-serving commercials about all the great things he’s doing for the city.
In every commercial break during the live broadcast, available now on YouTube, there were multiple spots featuring Carollo and/or his wife Marjorie boasting about the Dogs and Cats Walkway at Maurice Ferre Park, the newly renovated fountain at Bayfront Park, the commissioner’s herculean efforts in Little Havana, and the progress made at both Bayfront and Maurice Ferre.
Read related: Bayfront Park board member resigns on Joe Carollo’s $1 mil no-bid giveaway
“Thanks to the leadership of Commissioner Joe Carollo, these spaces have been transformed into unique destinations with ample security for the enjoyment of residents and tourists,” the voiceover says. The ad includes footage of the new outdoor gym that residents fought but was approved on a questionable ballot question.

In the spot about the renovated fountain, the narrator says “In the heart of Miami, an icon has been reborn, thanks to the tireless work of Commissioner Joe Carollo, the chairman of the Bayfront Trust Park.”
“”Happy New Year,” says his wife, Marjorie. “Here, Miami, is your gift.”
There’s also a “Happy New Year” spot where Carollo sits alone under the city of Miami seal against a blank wall, like a hostage, and talks about the event.
“Welcome once more to the biggest Hispanic celeb nye eve in the united states. On a night like to night let’s recount all we have learned this year,” Carollo said. “I have maintained not only my commitment with District 3, which I represent, but with the whole city of Miami. And despite it being a year of constant struggles, we were able to reach our objectives and fulfill our promises for the benefit of the whole community.”
The only other advertisers were the Miami Marlins, Braman Miami and a spot with Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who also mentioned Carollo’s hard work. But the Carollo ads outnumbered them.
Later in the broadcast, Carollo — who has come under fire for his abuse of power as chairman of the Bayfront Park Trust before — comes on stage himself toward the end of the event with his wife.
Read related: New petition drive aims to oust Miami’s Joe Carollo from Bayfront Park Trust
“Nobody does a party like Miami,” he yells, with his wife standing behind him holding an adorable little girl. “But don’t leave after the fireworks, because the pachanga will go on until 1:30 a.m. or longer.”
On the broadcast, there was a banner across the bottom of the screen wishing everyone a Happy 2025 from Carollo.
You can’t buy that kind of publicity. Oh, well, yeah you can. For $150,000.

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At first blush, the item on the Miami City Commission agenda for Thursday’s meeting about expanding the pool of tow companies for the Miami Parking Authority — which currently only uses one company with political connections — sounds like a good idea. It just seems like too sweet a deal to let one company with ties to Commissioner Joe Carollo and former Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla have all 33,000 tows for overtime or illegal parking in a year.
But it smells like a bad pay-for-play arrangement. Because the other company that wants a piece of the pie is also politically connected.
Commissioner Miguel Gabela has sponsored an ordinance to urge the Miami Parking Authority, also known as the city’s Department of Off-Street Parking, to issue a new request for proposal for towing services “to be awarded to no fewer than two towing companies with the towing assignments being apportioned equally among the awarded vendors.”
Since 2018, Roadway Inc has been handling all the towing services for the MPA. Roadway is owned by Gustavo Lovato, the husband of Adriana Moyano, a former Doral council candidate and leader of the What’s App crew that reportedly stole and destroyed or tossed the opposing candidate’s absentee ballots for Diaz de la Portilla in his failed bid to replace Bruno Barreiro on the county commission. It was detailed in a New Times story by Jerry Iannelli.
Read related: Alex Diaz DLP tops $200K mark in Miami campaign despite AB fraud
Anyway, that contract expired in January of last year.
A new RFP was issued in September and only two companies qualified — Roadway and Alpine Towing. But sources inside and outside the city told Ladra that the RFP was written specifically for Roadway, with a required number of lots and equipment and capacity that the MPA thought only Roadway would meet. Alpine reportedly surprised them. There were also, allegedly, violations of the cone of silence that must be kept during the bidding and procurement process.

In comparison, the previous RFP got seven companies to make offers.
The parking authority cancelled the RFP in December, which is also when former State Rep. Manuel “Manny” Prieguez — who helped Gabela in his campaign — officially registered to lobby for Alpine (hey, at least he registered, unlike some people). And now they are getting ready to issue a new RFP.

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The controversial and massive changes to Miami’s tree ordinance — which regulates the removal and pruning of trees — are seemingly unnecessary and, worse, directed by the development industry, which taints the legislation. Everyone knows that Commissioner Miguel Gabela, the dope they roped to sponsor this, is going to defer the vote at Thursday’s commission meeting.
Perhaps the existing ordinance could be tweaked a little, but this particular version of the legislation should be withdrawn (read: burned in a bonfire) because it appears, from public meetings and emails first made public by WLRN, that it has been specifically tailored to meet the needs of developers and the building industry.
Dozens of people spoke at the sunshine meeting called by Commissioner Damian Pardo last week, almost unanimously against the measure which is meant to streamline the permitting process for homeowners who want to remove trees from their property. But two people spoke in favor: Truly Burton, executive vice president of the Builders Association of South Florida, and lobbyist Melissa Tapanes Llahues, BASF president and longtime board member, and a frequent representative for many big developers.
Tapanes Llahues got up and almost spoke out of turn. She thinks she’s special. Pardo told her to wait until it was time for her to speak.
Burton said she was there to “clarify misinformation” because “neither the Builders Association of South Florida or anyone else on my board has colluded… on this item.”
Tapanes Llahues said she was there as a Coconut Grove homeowner and that she takes many cases pro-bono. That might be true, but she could also have a vested interest in those cases, like she has here. And she was very defensive about her involvement, which, again, has been documented in emails.
“The Builders Association of South Florida, myself included, learned of this ordinance when it appeared on the agenda,” she said, calling those who think she was lobbying without registering ignorant.
“We all want to protect the tree canopy,” Tapanes Llahues said. “Developers, builders, they plant these trees. Just like they build homes, they build schools, they build hospitals, they build our community.”
It was the second time, at least, that Tapanes made comments on behalf of the developers and in favor of the ordinance. At the commission meeting where this was discussed in December, Tapanes thanked Gabela for working with them on it.
“I’d like to just say that Commissioner Gabela has been working with the industry,” Tapanes said at the meeting. “We’re working with the commissioners’ office to make it reasonable for both developers and property owners.”
Caught with his political pants down, Gabela told WLRN that he had not spoken to Tapanes or any developers about the tree ordinance. “There is no collusion here, let me make it clear. I did not ask them to come. I haven’t had any conversation pertaining to the tree ordinance with Melissa Tapanes.”
Read related: Don’t live in Miami? Commissioner Joe Carollo says your opinion don’t matter
But the emails from Tapanes and the Builders Association to his staff show that there has been some collaboration. And Tapanes was not registered to lobby for the tree ordinance during this email exchange. It was only the day of the Dec. 12 meeting that she registered as a lobbyist after speaking at the meeting. The registration was not stamped by the clerk’s office til Dec. 16.
The industry’s involvement should cause everyone pause. Even more pause should be given to the fact that the ordinance changes don’t seem to be necessary. Gabela and city officials say they are trying to make it easier for homesteaded property owners to remove trees that can block the addition of a pool or circular driveway. Well, that can be done on a case-by-case basis without making blanket changes that allow developers to remove trees with impunity. Any homeowner who is about to sell could, under the proposed changes, clear the lot, making it more valuable to developers who can build with a larger footprint.
Several citizens who spoke said the real problem was with permitting and code enforcement to address the people who call cousin Robertico or Manolito to cut their trees at midnight on Sunday, like Pardo says happens all the time. Some people said code enforcement had to work harder and penalties should be higher.
The 28 pages of changes are confusing and seem to allow for too much tree removal, residents agreed. They almost unanimously took exception to a change that allows a landscape architect, rather than an arborist, inspect and make the determination on a tree’s viability.
“There are so many things that have been deleted… which makes the ordinance a little loose, and I think it has to be tight,” said Debbie Dolson. “You can’t leave places for loopholes.”

Cristina Colon, a biology professor, said the city was creating a “slippery slope” in favor of development. “A landscape architect does not have the training of knowledge of an arborist. “This is tantamount to saying if you need a root canal, you can have it done by your dentist or by the receptionist.”
The ordinance already allows for 25% pruning and there are hardship exemptions already available. Morningside activist Sandy Moise said she had asked the city for how many hardships had been applied for. No answer.
“The public has lost trust,” Moise said at last week’s sunshine meeting. “It feels shady,” she said of the ordinance changes.
Read related: Coconut Grove residents are ignored as Miami carves up D2 in redistricting
Political Cortadito called Assistant Building Director Jose Regalado, brother of the county commissioner, and emailed him and Building Director Ed Santamaria (former assistant city manger in Coral Gables) to ask how the tree fund dollars, paid mostly by developers who are allowed to remove trees, had collected and where those dollars have gone. No answer.
But the changes to the ordinance include a diversion of those dollars to the general fund — 50% the first year and 20% each year after that.
At last week’s sunshine meeting, Regalado said that the “main purpose of this was to simplify the process for residents and businesses” and that the majority of changes were to add exemptions in the Miami-Dade County code. He also said that in the past five years, 8,310 trees had been removed, 12,312 had been planted and another 1,676 had been relocated. These figures did not, however, include trees planted in the right of way or through the tree trust fund.
There are a lot of unknowns and this new ordinance is just not ready.
A group of 19 residents signed a letter to commissioners this week, asking them to completely withdraw the item until more work could be done.
“This agenda item, developed by the Building Department with input from the developer community, represents deeply flawed legislation that will significantly weaken protections for our trees and undermine Miami’s vital tree canopy. The current Tree Ordinance is not the issue. The problems lie in its implementation. Addressing these issues through proper management and operations is the real solution to improving outcomes for both residents and the environment.”
Specifically, they recommended addressing inefficiencies and delays in the permitting process that apply not only to tree removals but other needs, simplifying the process to apply for existing hardship exemptions and eliminating the $1.500 appeal fee for residents.
“Weakening the Tree Ordinance at a time when Miami’s tree canopy averages just 17-18% citywide — far short of the 30% goal set in 2009 — is both irresponsible and contrary to the best interests of residents. Trees are essential for combating extreme heat, reducing flooding, improving air quality, and enhancing property values. The proposed changes prioritize developers at the expense of Miami’s long-term sustainability and livability for its residents.”
The residents feel that deferring the item over and over again is just a political tactic meant to wear the public out, in hopes that they stop resisting and showing up to the meetings.

“Enough is enough,” said Downtown Neighbors Association President James Torres. “Public records reveal that lobbyists and developers are leading the way in crafting this ordinance. The endless deferrals are not about improving the proposal—they’re about wearing down residents who are fighting to protect Miami’s tree canopy.”
Read related: Judge dismisses amended corruption complaint against Miami’s ADLP
If there is a deferral, they request a six-month deferral to study the inefficiencies and challenges and create a working group of stakeholders to include the Miami Climate Resilience Committee  — which has recommended denial of the changes — and the Historic and Environmental Preservation Board as well as certified arborists, non-profits and county officials.
“We remind you that you were elected to represent the residents of the City of Miami. The overwhelming feedback from your constituents is clear: withdraw this agenda item and focus on strengthening, not weakening, protections for our vital tree canopy,” the letter ends. “Residents of Miami deserve to live in a city where tree-lined streets, shaded neighborhoods, and clean air are the standard, not a privilege reserved for a few. Strengthening the implementation of the existing Tree Ordinance, rather than dismantling it, is the path forward for a healthier, more resilient Miami.
“We hope you will act in the best interest of your constituents and the city we all call home.”
That’s a big ask.
The DNA will join other Miami residents who spoke at the sunshine meeting and representatives of environmental groups like the Sierra Club at City Hall Thursday morning for a press conference to challenge the changes in advance of the meeting.
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