A group of parents and Gables residents suing the city to stop the construction of a Wawa on Grand Avenue had their first hearing Friday — and got their first victory of sorts.

Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Michael Hanzman didn’t dismiss the case, as the city’s attorneys wanted. Both City Attorney Miriam Ramos and their outside counsel, Holland and Knight attorney Annie Gamez, were there.

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Now that he’s won the mayoral race in Coral Gables, we are going to have to keep a watchful eye over Vince Lago.

Ladra supported Lago over Commissioner Pat Keon because he has worked harder and represented the residents better, especially when it comes to overdevelopment, where he has been the consistent sole nay. But also because he has always been transparent, accountable and accessible.

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Two old oak trees on Grand Avenue in Coral Gables were cut down to make way for an entrance into the Wawa gas station and convenience store that is planned for that corner, despite the opposition of many residents and parents at the elementary school across the street.

WaWa will pay a little more than $17,400 for “tree mitigation,” according to emails obtained from the city.

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A mailer that landed in the homes of South Miami voters Wednesday tries to paint one of the candidates in next week’s special election as pro-development.

But it was paid for by the same political action committee that smeared the three Hispanic candidates in the mayoral race last year. It is tied to former Mayor Philip Stoddard and his handpicked successor, Sally Phillips.

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They may have a new mayor already, but Coral Gables voters aren’t done picking the two commissioners who will serve alongside Vince Lago. Both commission races will have runoffs, as expected, on April 27.

The Group 2 race looks more lopsided and Jose Valdes-Fauli, brother of the current mayor, Raul Valdes-Fauli has a lot of work to do. Rhonda Anderson heads into the runoff with the momentum — and a 16-point lead over Valdes-Fauli, mostly fueled by her staunch anti-development stance.

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