From City Hall

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AT ITS SECOND MEETING IN FEBRUARY, THE CORAL GABLES CITY COMMISSION:

PERMITTING REFORM

Voted 5-0 to deny building permits to contractors with expired permits within the city. “You should not be able to pull a permit in the City of Coral Gables unless you have addressed open and expired permits,” said Mayor Vince Lago. “This is an accountability measure that will protect the residents and the business community to ensure that… no one is left in the lurch with unfinished or shoddy work.…” Voted 5-0 to coordinate with Miami-Dade County to make MeetQ Permit Services kiosks available at the city’s Development Services Department. The kiosks will serve those residents who need county permits in addition to city permits by helping them arrange meetings with the applicable county officials or departments. The kiosks have been tested in other municipalities within the county with success.

MOBILITY HUB UPDATE

Voted 4-1 to accept the chief procurement officer’s recommendation to negotiate a contract for Mobility Hub preconstruction with Kaufman Lynn Construction, the highest ranked proposer. Mayor Lago, who has a robust background in construction, explained that the parking structure would be very complex due to the limited size of the site and that there would be some necessary disruptions in the downtown while construction is ongoing, though these will be mitigated as much as possible through daily cleanings and a dedicated on-site police officer. Commissioner Melissa Castro, who does not support the project, voted against.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING TRAINING

Voted 3-2 to defer a resolution sponsored by Commissioner Castro that would require all fire rescue and emergency medical services personnel to complete an assault, human trafficking, and abuse training course within the first six months of their employment. Over several hours, commentary was considered from the public and private experts. Police Chief Ed Hudak and Fire Chief Marcos De La Rosa gave extensive presentations summarizing that their departments already conduct extensive training to recognize and manage cases with vulnerable or exploited victims. Personnel will also be going through extra training on human trafficking cases in the leadup to the FIFA World Cup, which will be partially hosted in Miami this summer. Commissioner Richard Lara expressed concern over the resolution’s language, which did not outline specifics in terms of training programs, funding, and operational changes, though he did express his support for the general intent of the item. He offered to work together with Castro on an amendment with more actionable language and moved to defer the item until then, which passed despite Castro and Commissioner Ariel Fernandez’s “no” votes.

BIKE RENTALS TO COME

Discussed implementing a bicycle rental program. Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson, an avid cyclist, suggested a pick-up/drop-off point across from the Coral Gables Museum and added that she has seen many people on borrowed bikes at Bike Walk Coral Gables events. Commissioner Fernandez suggested a location near or at the Biltmore as well. A potential sponsorship is in the works with Deco Bike, a Miami-based bikeshare company that operates the Miami and Miami Beach Citi Bike programs, as well as the Brightline’s Bright Bike system in West Palm Beach. City staff is working on a proposal, which will include regular and pedal-assisted bikes, but no fully electric bicycles.

COMPOSTING FOR ALL

Discussed creating a centralized composting facility for resident use at the Coral Gables Library. City staff met with three companies that operate in the region to get proposals, with the cost estimated around $6,000 per year for two 45-gallon bins with twice weekly pickups. The city has applied for grants to fund the program.

PRESERVING CORAL REEFS

Voted 5-0 to add the preservation of coral reefs to the city’s legislative priorities list in support of Florida Senate Bill 1422, which designates coral reefs in certain areas as critical natural infrastructure for mitigating climate-related risks and creates additional penalties for harming them.

PROTECTING OUR WATERS

Voted 5-0 to urge the Board of County Commissioners to reject a proposed development outside the Urban Development Boundary (UDB), which protects downstream water resources including the Biscayne Aquifer, regional groundwater supplies, the Everglades, and connected coastal waters and agricultural lands. The resolution also urges the Florida State Legislature to oppose any legislation that would weaken the UDB and adds preservation of the UDB to the city’s legislative priorities. In 2017, the county tried to place a new wastewater treatment plant on the same site, which was blocked by a lawsuit. Mayor Lago argued that “the UDB line is not our [the city’s fight],” while Commissioner Fernandez posited that anything that affects the Everglades will eventually affect the city and its constituents. In the end, all voted in favor.

SOCIAL MEDIA UPDATE

Communications Director Martha Pantin presented the City Commission with a summary of its growth in social media platforms, comparing the numbers from December 2025 to December 2024. The biggest gain was in Linkedin, which jumped 21.18 percent – from 9,919 followers to 12,020 followers. Next came an 8.93 percent growth in Instagram followers, from 82,691 to 90,076. Facebook followed closely with an 8.63% jump, from 22,075 to 23,980 followers. Pantin compared Coral Gables to Miami, which has 46,000 Facebook and 149,000 Instagram followers for a population of 450,000. In other words, while Miami has nine times the population of Coral Gables, it has only twice the number of Facebook followers and less than twice the number of Instagram followers.