From City Hall: Parking Decisions,Development Votes, and More

At its only meeting in December, the Coral Gables City Commission:

Aragon Parking Resolved

Voted 5–0 to consolidate the four parking lots on the 300 block of Aragon Avenue (behind Seasons 52) and have them managed and maintained by Asta Parking, Inc. The two lots that are privately owned have been blocked off for months but will now be returned to their previous configuration. The project will add 119 total parking spaces (including five handicap spaces) to downtown Coral Gables.

Election Education

Listened to an update on the city’s election education campaign, which aims to increase voter awareness of and participation in elections, particularly the city’s mail-in ballot referendum that will be held between March 21 and April 21, 2026. Registered voters in Coral Gables will vote on whether to move local elections to coincide with federal elections, as well as on six additional items, all via mail-in ballots. Mayor Lago also advocated for a dedicated phone line to answer neutral election questions for residents, as well as a TV advertisement and flyers sent to residents ahead of the election. None of the material will include voting recommendations, and all will be in English and Spanish.

Youth Center Association Update

Voted 3-2 to authorize legal action regarding the city’s request for documentation and information from the Coral Gables War Memorial Youth Center Association after a 10-day grace period. In recent months, allegations of potential misuse of funds and negligence have followed the Association, which allowed its 501(c)3 status to lapse under the stewardship of former Commissioner Kirk Menendez. Menendez has refused to provide important documents to the city regarding the Youth Center’s finances. Commissioner Melissa Castro, who publicly aligned herself with Menendez in the past – recently nominating him to the city’s Parks & Recreation Advisory Board despite the Youth Center debacle – dissented, alongside Commissioner Ariel Fernandez. Castro accused Mayor Lago of holding a “vendetta” against Menendez “for standing up to” Lago, who ran against him for mayor in the last election. Fernandez said he “pitied” the mayor for being unable “to move past things,” in a conversation that ultimately devolved into personal and political jabs between the two. Lago staunchly denied that the issue had anything to do with his relationship with Menendez, asking, “Why wouldn’t a partner of the city want to have a transparent conversation with the city?”

Golf Cart Support

Discussed an initiative to encourage legal golf cart use in the city. Golf carts, which have license plates and insurance requirements, are legal to use on any road in Florida with a speed limit of 35 MPH or under as long as they have rearview mirrors and reflectors on the front and back. The City of Coral Gables can choose to add additional requirements to its legislation, including inspections of the vehicles, safety requirements like windshield wipers, and designating certain city roads as off-limits. The Commission will vote on the issue at its next meeting.

COLA Rejected

Voted 4-1 to reject the Retirement Board’s decision to grant a 1.45 percent cost of living adjustment (COLA) to retirees who worked for the City of Coral Gables. The Commission accepted staff’s recommendation to reject, citing the pension fund’s negative investment performance and that it is already underfunded ($169.8 million in unfunded liability, which increased by $12.8 million last year). The Commission requires a four-fifths supermajority vote to reject or reduce the COLA; Lago, Anderson, Fernandez, and Commissioner Richard Lara all voted to reject, while Castro voted in favor. The four commissioners cited the State of Florida’s intention to eliminate or greatly reduce property taxes in the coming year as a particular budgetary concern, since it is a main source of revenue for the city, used for police, fire, and public transit funding, among other things. Lago pointed out that COLAs risk weakening the pension system for the same retirees by adding millions in unfunded liability. As such, he said, a COLA did not make financial sense this year. Castro argued that the city has an ethical obligation to its retirees, though did not provide a way to pay for the increase.

Tallahassee Update

Listened to a presentation from Governmental Affairs Director Chelsea Granell on Vice Mayor Anderson and Commissioner Lara’s recent trip to Tallahassee, where all six of the city’s appropriations requests were sponsored by State Senator Ileana Garcia or State Representative Demi Busatta. Though Granell reported largely positive interactions with state officials, Lara did mention that he was “taken aback” by the candidness of several, who expressed their direct displeasure with certain fiscal decisions the previous City Commission made, including raising their salaries by 101 percent – a move that has since been reversed by the current Commission.

Development Approved

Voted 4-1 to approve 760 Ponce, a 61-foot mixed-use development that has received local resident approval. The legislation involved rezoning some areas of the project and approving a Mediterranean design bonus. The developer could have built up to 77-feet according to city code; with a Live Local designation, that number could have jumped to approximately 190-feet. Due to the project’s lower height, strong neighborhood support, and added infrastructure improvements (electric vehicle parking spaces, relocation of healthy trees rather than removal, new crosswalks along Ponce, speed tables, median landscaping enhancements, etc.), all Commissioners voted to approve except Castro.