Shaping the Gables Skyline
How Gunster Land Use Attorney Mario Garcia-Serra Turned Patience and Persistence Into Political Savvy
When The Plaza Coral Gables finally opened its doors – 2.5 million-square-feet of gleaming mixed-use development – it was more than just the culmination of a decade-long construction project. It was the outcome of years of careful negotiation, patient legal maneuvering, and a steady hand guiding the project through uncharted waters. At the center of it was Mario Garcia-Serra, Gunster’s lead land use attorney.
Developers and city officials alike credit Garcia-Serra’s quiet persistence and expertise with pulling off what was, at the time, the largest development in the history of Coral Gables. “This was a marathon, not a sprint,” says Carlos Beckmann, who directs the project for Agave Holdings. “If you had a cutthroat guy with a short fuse, it just wouldn’t have worked. Mario always had patience, a good attitude, a jolly way about him that helped us get through it.”
If you have ever seen Garcia-Serra argue a development before the Coral Gables City Commission, the impression is one of affability and willingness to compromise. Want 18-foot trees planted from the outset? You’ve got it. Want a colonnade to connect the building to the street? No problem.
Land use law is rarely glamorous. It is a field defined by tedious hearings, endless meetings, and documents that run thousands of pages. But in a city like Coral Gables – a community known for its Mediterranean architecture, its strict design standards, and its resistance to hasty change – land use attorneys wield real influence. In the case of Garcia-Serra, that influence has been brought to bear for many of the city’s important projects over the last two decades. Among other buildings he has helped bring to fruition were The Palace (the posh assisted living mid-rise a block south of Miracle Mile), the Avenue Hotel & Residences and Belmont Village (both in the Merrick Park district), Villa Valencia just west of downtown, and many of MG Developer’s townhome projects, to name a few.
With so much work being done in the Gables, Florida-based Gunster merged with renowned Coral Gables law firm Katz Barron in April, expanding their footprint to the Katz Barron (now Gunster) offices on Ponce de Leon Boulevard.
Garcia-Serra said the move was inevitable, due to the volume of projects and because working with the Gables government requires being present in the city. “The quality of projects that come to Coral Gables are going to be, for the most part, a step above most other parts of town,” he says. “[Consequently], the Coral Gables development review process is not for the faint of heart, but it generally leads to a better product. Going to the Development Review Committee, the Board of Architects, the Planning and Zoning Board – at each step of the process, new questions come up, new comments. And for the most part, if you have clients that are reasonable and really want to make a good product, what comes out at the end of that process is usually better than what there was at the beginning.”
Sometimes the projects go on for years. Even today, long after The Plaza’s ribbon cutting, Garcia-Serra continues to represent Agave on outstanding issues – including the completion of Ponce Circle Park across the street, a critical piece of public space tied to the development. Last month, Garcia-Serra sat with city officials to finalize agreements worth millions of dollars. “We continue working with Mario,” says Beckmann. “We need that park complete, and he’s still at the center of it.”