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The city of Coral Gables holds elections on Nov. 3.<\/p>\n
Pedro Portal<\/p>\n
pportal@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n
READ MORE<\/p>\n
Miami Herald November Endorsements<\/p>\n
\n See the Herald Editorial Board\u2019s endorsements in the Nov. 3 elections:\n <\/p>\n
Expand All<\/p>\n
In the Nov. 3 elections, Coral Gables voters will elect a new commissioner and decide whether to reelect another commissioner and the city\u2019s mayor. Here are the Herald Editorial Board\u2019s endorsements in these races:<\/p>\n
Group I<\/p>\n
Mayor Vince Lago is running for a third term against lawyer Laureano Cancio and Jackson \u201cRip\u201d Holmes. There are no good choices, so we have no endorsement in this race.<\/p>\n
Lago\u2019s biggest problem isn\u2019t that he cannot get things done \u2014 it\u2019s his temperament and lack of civility in dealing with dissent. As we wrote during the 2025 elections<\/a>, when we also issued no endorsement for mayor, \u201cHis inability to turn down the heat in difficult interactions is an issue.\u201d As the city\u2019s most high-profile leader, he\u2019s helped turn commission meetings into a spectacle.<\/p>\n Lago will probably win reelection. His opponents attack him vigorously but haven\u2019t shown they are a good fit for mayor.<\/p>\n Holmes, who attends commission meetings often, has called himself a \u201cperennially losing candidate\u201d \u2014 he\u2019s run for office several times before. He told the Editorial Board that \u201cVince Lago has become the dictator of Coral Gables\u201d and has allowed over-development in the city. Cancio said he\u2019s disturbed by the lack of civility at commission meetings, but he interrupted and shouted over others during the Board\u2019s interview with the three candidates, and he didn\u2019t articulate a specific agenda.<\/p>\n Lago touted his record of holding public office hours on Fridays, \u201cwhen 20, 30, 40 residents\u201d show up to talk to him \u2014 \u201cDictators don\u2019t do that,\u201d he said \u2014 working with Florida Power & Light to get Gables power lines underground and writing legislation to boost the city\u2019s financial reserves.<\/p>\n Lago, who previously served as a commissioner, clearly doesn\u2019t think he needs to change. He said that issues with civility only started after the 2023 election of Commissioners Melissa Castro and Ariel Fernandez, who became Lago\u2019s frequent critics on the dais.<\/p>\n In a recent contentious meeting, Castro questioned whether Lago could benefit financially<\/a> from a newly approved 30-year agreement between the city and the University of Miami. He\u2019s a principal at Hammer Commercial Construction, an affiliate company of a South Florida general contracting firm that is \u201can approved University of Miami contractor,\u201d according to its website, the Herald reported. He said Hammer is not \u201cengaged in regards to this development agreement,\u201d and pointed out that, as part of the deal, UM will give the city a six-acre property for a park.<\/p>\n In July, Lago voted for the controversial rezoning<\/a> of a defunct church and a garden known as Garden of Our Lord at 110 Phoenetia Ave. into a nine-story mixed-use project called Crystal Residences, which will include apartments and Crystal Academy, a school for children with autism that\u2019s currently on the site. He said he voted for the proposal in part \u201cbecause I have been a supporter of Crystal Academy ever since I was elected.\u201d<\/p>\n The city commission in August asked for an investigation into whether people who spoke in favor of the project during a previous hearing used fake addresses and names<\/a> as part of an effort to create the impression of strong resident support for the redevelopment. Lago said that even if people lied, their testimony is not supposed to be treated as \u201cpertinent evidence to be taken into account\u201d by commissioners \u2014 but that doesn\u2019t make sense. Members of the public routinely speak during commission meetings in an effort to sway commissioners. Holmes said that \u201cthere should not have been a vote on this.\u201d Cancio said he would have voted against the project.<\/p>\n Lago would do better with a better attitude, but his opponents have not earned our support either.<\/p>\n The Herald issues NO ENDORSEMENT in Group I.<\/p>\n The races for Group IV and V are a proxy for Lago\u2019s control of the commission. If candidates backed by him win, Lago and his allies will have control of the commission.<\/p>\n In Group IV, Commissioner Melissa Castro, Lago\u2019s main rival, is seeking a second term. Her record has at times been problematic, but, unfortunately, voters have a binary choice: her or Nestor Menendez, who declined to meet with the Editorial Board to explain his positions and whether Lago or any incumbents are supporting him. Menendez has said he isn\u2019t seeking any endorsements.<\/p>\n Castro is our unenthusiastic pick \u2014 mostly because dissent is important on the commission. With that said, she needs to become better at building coalitions with her colleagues and stop bickering with Lago.<\/p>\n Castro said her achievements include a measure to require a fiscal impact report when a resolution or ordinance comes before the commission, 25%-off resident parking meant to \u201cbring our residents to our downtown,\u201d creating door hangers that notify residents if a new development is planned within 1,500 feet of their home, and hosting town halls over the past two years to explain the city\u2019s tax rate and budget to constituents. She\u2019s also advocated for a lower millage rate.<\/p>\n If reelected, she said she will focus on \u201cprotecting the character\u201d of the Gables by \u201cpushing responsible development\u201d and protecting police and fire. She\u2019s known as \u201cno\u201d vote on many development projects.<\/p>\n Castro voted against the controversial rezoning<\/a> for Crystal Residences on Phoenetia Avenue because the project is \u201cnot compatible with the neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n Two of Castro\u2019s biggest mistakes were voting to abruptly hire a city manager<\/a> in 2024 without a formal search (that city manager, Amos Rojas Jr., later resigned) and to nearly double commission salaries<\/a>, to $65,000, in 2023 without public input.<\/p>\n Her permit-expediting business has been under scrutiny after state ethics investigators found probable cause that she violated ethics laws. The probe stemmed from a complaint that Castro\u2019s company continued to do business in Coral Gables after her election, creating a conflict of interest. She said that clients seeking permits in the city go through a separate entity run by a former employee and that she has \u201czero involvement\u201d in it.<\/p>\n The probe raises questions, but the investigation by the Florida Commission on Ethics is ongoing, and no final determination has been reached, the Herald reported<\/a> in September. At a recent meeting, Lago and other commissioners grilled Castro<\/a> on whether she used a taxpayer-funded trip to Tallahassee meant for city-related business to also attend a hearing with the Commission on Ethics. She told the Herald she paid for part of the trip and said the allegations, first reported by an anonymous blog, are meant to hurt her reelection.<\/p>\n The Herald endorses MELISSA CASTRO for Coral Gables Commission Group IV.<\/p>\n With Commissioner Ariel Fernandez not seeking reelection, two candidates are running for his open seat.<\/a><\/p>\n Dominique \u201cNikki\u201d Whiting has lived in the Gables since 2017, worked for several Miami-Dade Republican officials and Gov. Ron DeSantis in the past decade and currently is a fundraiser for Florida Internation University\u2019s foundation.<\/p>\n Gonzalo Sanabria is a 26-year Gables resident and owner of real estate brokerage company Real Estate Works Inc. He\u2019s served on different local boards, such as the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority, and currently sits on the city\u2019s Planning and Zoning Board.<\/p>\n Whiting is a young, polished candidate with an extensive political resume who promises to focus on restoring civility and fiscal conservatism. She\u2019s endorsed<\/a> by Lago and Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson and several other Miami-Dade officials. But our choice is Sanabria because of his independent streak, deeper Gables roots and because he\u2019s running a more grassroots campaign. \u201cI\u2019m local knowledge,\u201d he told the Editorial Board.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a doer. I don\u2019t have any personal ambitions,\u201d he said. He\u2019s also a past member of the Coral Gables Waterfront Communities Homeowner\u2019s Association Board and ran for the commission unsuccessfully in 2009 and 2011.<\/p>\n Among Sanabria\u2019s reasons for running this time was the commission\u2019s hiring of Rojas, whom he called \u201cunqualified,\u201d as city manager in 2024. Sanabria said that because he\u2019s been civically involved for so long, \u201cI have no learning curve needed.\u201d He said he wants to bring different businesses to Miracle Mile to increase the city\u2019s tax base. However, he needs more specific proposals to counter Whiting, who\u2019s got her talking points better defined.<\/p>\n On the Planning and Zoning Board, Sanabria said he opposed the Crystal Residences development, citing the loss of the Garden of Our Lord. \u201cIt seemed to be a political move, and I didn\u2019t like it. I sided with the neighbors, and I voted against it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Whiting said she would have approved the project because it provides an opportunity for Crystal Academy to expand and “there are big buildings already across the street\u201d on Ponce de Leon Boulevard. She said \u201cdevelopment has to be measured, thoughtful and very compatible\u201d and that \u201cI don\u2019t think I could blanketly say, \u2018Oh, I\u2019m pro development.\u2019\u201d She rightfully noted that young people cannot afford to live in the city. If elected, she said she will focus on streamlining permitting, which she said currently takes too long.<\/p>\n Both candidates would likely make good commissioners, but we\u2019re going with the more independent one.<\/p>\n The Herald endorses GONZALO SANABRIA for Coral Gables Commission Group V.<\/p>\n BEHIND THE STORY MORE <\/a> Who decides the political endorsements? <\/p>\n Coral Gables 2026 mayoral candidates Jackson \u2018Rip\u2019 Holmes, incumbent Vince Lago and Laureano Cancio. Provided Group IV<\/p>\n
Commissioner Melissa Castro is running for reelection against candidate Nestor Menendez. Courtesy of the candidates Group V<\/p>\n
Coral Gables Group V candidates Gonzalo Sanabria and Nikki Whiting. Courtesy of the candidates <\/p>\n