Talk of the Town: April 2026 in Coral Gables

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Classic Cars and Couture

MODAMIAMI AT THE BILTMORE HOTEL FOR ITS 2026 EDITION

Like Brigadoon, each winter the Biltmore’s grounds turn into a kind of open-air fantasy garage. ModaMiami returned to Coral Gables for its 2026 edition at the end of February, bringing more than 400 rare and notable automobiles to the hotel. The event has made a name for itself by pairing concours-level cars with the sort of gloss that fits neatly into the Biltmore setting: luxury brands, curated experiences, evening parties, and plenty of well-dressed spectators strolling the lawns as if this were all perfectly normal.

One of the featured highlights this year was a display marking the 60th anniversary of the Lamborghini Miura, the mid-engine beauty widely regarded as one of the first modern supercars. As for the winners, top honors went to a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTS/4 NART Spider for Best of Show Post-War; a 1995 McLaren F1 for Best of Show Modern, and a 1934 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Lungo Spider for Best of Show Classic. There was also a hometown note: Coral Gables residents Dirk and Alexandria de Groen took the Collection Winner title in the Post-War Sports Open class with a 1957 BMW 507 Roadster Series II. – Yousra Benkirane

And the Winner Is…

THE ANNUAL LOWE MUSEUM EVENING OF ART AWARDS

Each year the Lowe Art Museum holds it annual Evening of Art, bringing together artists, collectors, philanthropists, and art lovers to raise funds in support of the Lowe’s longstanding mission of “accessibility, education, and cultural engagement.” This year’s after-hours event included the first view of the new installation “Dustin Yellin: Psychogeographies.”This year’s event also included their signature Palette Project auction, in which nationally acclaimed artists, along with emerging artists, rise to the challenge of transforming simple wooden palettes into works of art. In addition to guests bidding on these artworks, three of the artists were awarded a Community Choice Award $1,000 cash prize, presented by The Mosaic Art Fund. The palettes were on view for the last week of February, when museum visitors could cast their votes. The winners were Pipe Yanguas, for Stardust Creatures; Ania Toledo, for Primavera; and Tim Tate, for Lenticular Palette. – J.P. Faber

Rotary’s 80th

THE CORAL GABLES ROTARY CLUB CELEBRATES AN ANNIVERSARY

Rotary is a global organization founded in 1905 in Chicago, with a mission of bringing business and professional leaders together to provide humanitarian services in their (and other) communities, along with friendship and fellowship. There are some 45,000 Rotary clubs worldwide, including here in the Gables, where the local branch was launched on March 4, 1946. Since then, the Gables Rotary has supported scores of local organizations, ranging from Easter Seals, Camillus House and the VA Hospital, to Habitat for Humanity, Lighthouse for the Blind, and the YMCA – not to mention projects in nine nations to bring water and literacy to underdeveloped communities. They also founded Rotary Centennial Park on Ponce at Avila Court in 2005. Our hometown Rotary Club celebrated their 80th Anniversary last month with a cocktail reception for current and former members. Present was former mayor Don Slesnick, president in the early ‘90s; over the years its membership included other mayors, police chiefs, and fire chiefs, and civic leaders like Chip Withers, Bill Kerdyk and Ralph Cabrera. Today membership has dwindled from its peak of 175 in the ‘90s, but its new president Sally Baumgartner, who also served 2010-2011, is determined to bring the club back to its former glory. If anyone can do it, it’s Baumgartner, the civic powerhouse behind the annual Merrick Festival Caroling Competition. – J.P. Faber

Gables-oply Debuts

THE GABLES VERSION OF MONOPOLY TAKES A SPIN

At the Giralda Live event last month, Gables-oply – the localized version of Monopoly – was brought out for a test drive. Initiated by the late Mark A. Trowbridge, former president and CEO of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce, the game follows the same pattern as the original Monopoly, building real estate on select properties while avoiding various calamities around the board. The final two most expensive properties – in Monopoly they are Park Place and Boardwalk – are now Alhambra Circle and Riviera Drive in Gables-oply; the four Railroad squares (Reading Railroad, Shortline, etc.) are replaced with Gables Trolley stops. The former Community Chest and Chance squares are now City Beautiful and Best of Gables issues of Coral Gables Magazine. At the debut on Giralda Plaza, passersby were encouraged to play the game with Eddy Martinez, the owner of the Bliss Prints shop on Miracle Mile, which produced the local version. Martinez, adorned with a top hat in the guise of Mr. Monopoly, oversaw a large scale version of the game. Players careened around the board to the finish line. Even current Chamber President and CEO Jorge Arrizurieta took a turn. Get your own game at blissimprints.com – Gail Scott

The Dog Park Brouhaha

A GROUP OF NEIGHBORS FILE SUIT TO BLOCK A NEW DOG PARK

The debate over the proposed dog park at 520 University Drive continues, now with a lawsuit against the City of Coral Gables. The suit was filed by University Green Neighbors Association (UGNA), a group of nearby residents that dislike the idea of a dog park near their homes. The complaint attempts to raise questions over the project’s legality, including whether the city followed the proper approval process, whether the property is zoned correctly for a park, and whether county regulations governing dogs in public parks apply. As of now, the park project is still in the early stages, gathering community input with no finalized plans or permits.

The UGNA suit also expressed concerns about preserving the area’s green space, though initial renderings by city staff actually show additional trees and landscaping around the area, which could otherwise be used as an overflow parking lot. Currently, the project is zoned for this intention, with parking for the Coral Gables Library and War Memorial Youth Center. Changing the zoning requires a three-fifths vote by the Commission. The park was first proposed in November by Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson, a well-known dog lover who presented 225 petition signatures from area residents in support of the idea. Her main opposition in the UGNA suit seems to be Lynn Guarch-Pardo, spouse of Felix Pardo, who ran against and lost to Anderson in the April 2025 election. Questions over Guarch-Pardo’s potential biases have been raised, especially considering the vice mayor is personally referenced 33 times in the lawsuit, highly unusual in civic legal filings of this type. It seems likely the lawsuit will fail, considering how easily the City Commission and its staff can navigate the raised issues, mostly by simply voting to change the zoning and gathering sufficient public input, as it plans to do. If the aim is simply to delay the project, however, it appears to be working. – Amanda Martell and Kylie Wang

At the Town Hall

MAYOR LAGO HOLDS HIS ANNUAL Q&A WITH RESIDENTS

On a Monday evening in the second week of March, about 70 residents gathered at the Public Safety Building for a Town Hall meeting with Mayor Vince Lago, Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson, City Attorney Cristina Suarez, and Miami-Dade County Commissioner Natalie Milian Orbis. The main topic of discussion was the eight ballot questions that will appear in the April referendum (see pg 26).Two informational videos from Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia Garcia explained the mechanics of the vote-by-mail election, a first for the Gables, after which the mayor opened the floor for questions and comments.

The first speaker was Tom Wells, a frequent critic of the city, who questioned the wisdom of changing elections from April to November and eliminating runoffs, key items on the referendum. Wells argued that shifting the city’s election cycle and eliminating runoffs could reduce voter participation; most studies show that a November election would more than double voter participation. Vice Mayor Anderson raised concerns about the low turnout typically seen in runoff elections, an expensive exercise where a tiny percentage of voters determine the result. Supporters of the ballot questions also pointed to cost savings and alignment with election practices in other municipalities. “Well over 25 cities do this already,” said resident Claudia Miro, who encouraged other residents to review the proposals closely. Lago later shifted the discussion to criticizing local anti-city blogs and media outlets, describing some as engaging in “pay-to-play” practices. On a more positive note, the mayor focused on his and the vice mayor’s transparency and availability. “We’ve been doing town halls for 13 years,” Lago said. “You may not always agree with us, but you’re going to have a seat at the table.” Lago and Anderson also noted their fiscal conservatism and the strength of the city’s general fund reserves. The referendum includes an item that would require voters to approve changes to the fund balance and reserve policy, except during certain emergencies. – J.P. Faber

CORAL GABLES CITY MANAGER PETER J. IGLESIAS

Kudos for the City Manager

Coral Gables City Manager Peter J. Iglesias was named last month as the Government Engineer of the Year by the Florida Engineering Society’s Miami Chapter. He was recognized for a career that melded structural engineering with municipal leadership. In his tenure as City Manager, Iglesias has overseen major infrastructure projects in the city, including the new Public Safety Building, the sidewalk projects on Miracle Mile and Giralda Plaza, and the city’s new fire station on Sunset Drive. He also manages an annual operating budget of $246 million and a team of 1,200 employees. Among his new projects is a biochar plant that will process green waste without pollution and save the city millions each year (see pg. 75). – J.P. Faber