Advocates begin recall effort for Coral Gables mayor: ‘We have to take the city back’

Advocates on Wednesday launched a recall effort for Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago amid a turbulent year in city government that included the firing of the city manager and comments from one commissioner calling the city a “cesspool of public corruption.”

“It’s a painful process. It’s not a happy day to have to do this,” said longtime resident Maria Cruz, who is chairperson of the political committee behind the recall effort, called End the Corruption.

“But, you know, if you have an illness and you don’t do anything about it, you die,” Cruz continued. “If you have a mayor that is not doing the right things, and you let him continue doing it — guess what, it’s on you.”

The recall petition accuses Lago of “misfeasance and malfeasance” because of the mayor’s business dealings, based partly on the Miami Herald’s reporting.

Lago did not immediately respond to the Herald’s request for comment.

The news is the latest development in the fallout in the City Beautiful following last year’s election, when a pair of candidates endorsed by the political establishment — including Lago, multiple former mayors and the entire City Commission at that time — lost to Melissa Castro and Ariel Fernandez.

The recall effort also lands one month after the City Commission voted 3-2 to fire City Manager Peter Iglesias. The vote highlighted the growing chasm between two political factions on the commission, with Fernandez, Castro and Commissioner Kirk Menendez voting to fire Iglesias, and Lago and Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson voting against his termination. Those same camps voted 3-2 last month to appoint Amos Rojas Jr., a retired U.S. Marshal, as the new city manager without hearing public comment on the matter or placing it on the meeting’s agenda.

During that meeting, Menendez — previously considered a swing vote on the commission — expressed serious concerns about the state of the city.

“The city of Coral Gables is adrift in a cesspool of public corruption,” he said, “and I’m here to help navigate our beloved city out of the muck and to safe harbor. So I vote yes.”

‘He’s entrenched’

The recall petition cites two Herald articles about the mayor’s ties to embattled developer Rishi Kapoor, who is the subject of investigations from the FBI, SEC and IRS.

The reporting showed that Lago had been renting retail space to Kapoor in a building located directly across the street from 1505 Ponce — the planned development site for a luxury condo tower from Kapoor’s development company, Location Ventures, at the same time that Kapoor was seeking City Hall approvals. It also showed that the mayor had recently joined a boutique brokerage called Rosa Commercial Real Estate, which netted a $640,000 commission from the $35.5 million sale of 1505 Ponce in December 2022.

Lago denied having any involvement in the 1505 Ponce deal, and he recused himself from multiple City Commission votes on Kapoor’s projects, citing a conflict because of his role as Kapoor’s landlord.

Cruz, the recall effort chairperson, said she was previously a supporter of Lago, explaining that he used to criticize developers in the city before he became mayor.

“And now he has become one of them. He is part of the establishment, he’s entrenched, and he cannot let go,” Cruz said.

“When he became mayor, I don’t know what happened. I guess he lost his compass. ... I still love him, but I can’t deal with the way he’s doing things,” added Cruz, who is also a member of the city’s Code Enforcement Board.

Attorney David Winker, who is the registered agent for the End the Corruption political committee, likened the recall effort to a “vote of confidence on the mayor and the direction the mayor’s taken in the city.” (Winker is an attorney for Commissioner Melissa Castro in unrelated matters. Winker said the commissioner has had zero involvement in the recall effort.)

One year out from election

Lago is up for reelection again next spring. But Winker and Cruz both said there is a sense of urgency.

“One way to hold your city accountable is the Bill Fuller method — a civil rights lawsuit,” Winker said, referring to the Little Havana businessman entangled in a years-long legal battle with Miami City Commissioner Joe Carollo. “Well, another way is a recall. “

Cruz echoed that sentiment.

“We have to take the city back,” she said. “We cannot continue the path that we’re going.”

Past elections have suggested that Lago, now midway through his second mayoral term, is popular among residents. Last year, he was reelected without opposition. When he first became mayor two years earlier, Lago won with 58% of the vote.

Lago has officially filed paperwork to run for a third term. His political committee, Coral Gables First, had about $560,000 in its coffers as of the end of 2023, according to campaign finance reports.

So far, no one has announced plans to challenge Lago. Two incumbents have also filed paperwork for reelection: Anderson and Menendez, who faces a challenge from resident Richard Lara. The election will take place in April 2025.