Mayor Vince Lago won his fourth and final consecutive mayoral term Tuesday night, and both commission candidates he endorsed finished first in their races. Dominique “Nikki” Whiting won the open Group V seat, while Nestor Menendez held a narrow, 123-vote lead over incumbent Commissioner Melissa Castro in Group IV.
The most suspenseful moments of the night unfolded in the Group IV contest, where Menendez waited outside Wolfe’s Wine Shoppe on Miracle Mile as the final two city precincts reported their results.
Cheers erupted inside the wine bar, where Lago traditionally gathers on election nights, when the returns showed Menendez ahead. The mayor pumped his fist in celebration of his endorsed candidate’s apparent victory.
But the vote count continued to change.
An earlier count posted by the Miami-Dade County Elections Department, with all 16 participating precincts reporting, showed Menendez with 9,623 votes, or 50.2 percent, to Castro’s 9,530 votes, or 49.8 percent—a difference of 93 votes.
That margin fell within the half-percentage-point threshold for an automatic machine recount under Florida law.
Later in the evening, updated returns increased Menendez’s lead to 123 votes. He had 9,980 votes, or 50.31 percent, to Castro’s 9,857, or 49.69 percent.
The revised margin of 0.62 percentage point was outside the automatic recount threshold. Whether a recount will be required depends on the county canvassing board’s determination after additional ballot processing.
Voters have until 5 p.m. Thursday to resolve certain mail-ballot signature problems or provide evidence supporting provisional ballots. The first set of unofficial canvassed returns is due Saturday, Nov. 7.
All results remained preliminary and unofficial, according to the Miami-Dade County Elections Department, whose latest posting reviewed by the Gazette was timestamped 10:12 p.m.
Lago wins another two years
Lago received 11,243 votes, or 56.8 percent, defeating Laureano Cancio, who received 5,084 votes, or 25.7 percent, and Jackson “Rip” Holmes, who received 3,472, or 17.5 percent.
In Group V, Whiting defeated Gonzalo Sanabria with 10,743 votes, or 56 percent, to Sanabria’s 8,436, or 44 percent.
“Thank you for bringing back civility, dignity, and respect to the City of Coral Gables,” Lago said, standing atop a table at Wolfe’s. “This is a mandate.”
Lago, first elected to the commission in 2013 and mayor in 2021, will reach the city’s eight-year consecutive-service limit for mayors at the end of his new two-year term. He cannot seek another consecutive term in 2028.
He spoke Tuesday night about the day when the commission would have to move forward without him, urging colleagues to remain true to themselves and use the opportunity to advance the city.
The election was also a milestone for Coral Gables, marking its first regular municipal general election in November rather than April. Voters approved the calendar change in an April 2026 charter referendum supported by Lago.
A changing commission
Castro and Commissioner Ariel Fernandez joined the commission in 2023. Along with then-Commissioner Kirk Menendez, who is not related to Nestor Menendez, they frequently formed a majority that opposed Lago on development, spending and other city policies.
That balance shifted after the April 2025 elections, when Richard Lara joined the commission.
Fernandez did not seek reelection this year. Whiting’s victory means one of his successors will be a candidate endorsed by Lago. If Nestor Menendez’s lead holds, both newly elected commissioners will have received the mayor’s endorsement.
Those alliances do not necessarily determine how the commissioners will vote on future city business.
Menendez, an attorney who has served on the city’s Planning and Zoning Board, Transportation Advisory Board and Charter Review Committee, grew emotional several times while addressing supporters at Wolfe’s.
“The divisiveness, the tribalness, it’s over,” he said. “We have our differences and we will not always agree, but we share a love for Coral Gables and that should always be stronger than anything that divides us.”
At her election party at Sawa Restaurant in the Shops at Merrick Park, Castro appeared distraught but insisted the contest was not over. She pointed supporters toward the possibility of a recount based on the earlier, closer margin.
The voting-method totals showed how close the contest remained. Castro received 102 more votes than Menendez in the combined early and mail-ballot returns, but Menendez received 225 more votes on Election Day, producing his 123-vote lead.
Whiting, who has experience in government, communications and political campaigns, emphasized fiscal stability, pension funding, resident priorities and the future of the Granada Golf Course. She celebrated her victory at the Biltmore Hotel.
Sanabria, who has served on the city’s Planning and Zoning Board, campaigned on fiscal accountability, development oversight and greater attention to residents’ concerns. He questioned the city’s Mobility Hub plans, the loss of angled parking spaces and the potential financial consequences of changes to property taxes.
Money and political organization
The election followed substantial spending by Lago, his preferred commission candidates and Coral Gables First, a separate political committee associated with the mayor.
According to campaign-finance reports previously reviewed by the Gazette, Lago’s campaign spent $78,253 from Oct. 17 through Oct. 29, while Coral Gables First spent another $104,411.
During the same reporting period, Menendez spent $47,272, compared with $5,580 for Castro. Whiting spent $25,387, while Sanabria spent $2,452.
Those figures cover the final available reporting period rather than total campaign spending. The political committee’s expenditures are legally separate from the mayor’s campaign.
The spending disparities provide context for the contests but do not establish how campaign expenditures affected individual voting decisions.
Lago’s reelection and Whiting’s victory are clear features of Tuesday night’s returns. Together, they place the mayor in the driver’s seat as he begins his final consecutive term.
Whether Menendez joins them on the commission remains unresolved.
His election-night lead grew from 93 to 123 votes as the county updated its returns. The canvassing process will determine whether that advantage holds—and whether Florida’s recount provisions come into play.
Author: Coral Gables Gazette News Staff
Originally established in 1996 and relaunched as a digital publication in February 2025, the Coral Gables Gazette is an independent local news organization dedicated to factual, objective and accountable community journalism. Our newsroom reports on the people, policies, institutions and events shaping Coral Gables, Florida, providing residents with timely, informative coverage of the issues affecting their community. Our reporting includes City Hall, local government, municipal elections, public spending, real estate development, business, education, arts and culture, and neighborhood affairs throughout the City Beautiful. We follow City Commission decisions, examine public records and report on the businesses, organizations and individuals contributing to Coral Gables. We believe informed residents are essential to a healthy, engaged community. Stories published under the Coral Gables Gazette News Staff byline are prepared or compiled by the publication's editorial team. We strive for accuracy, fairness, transparency and clear distinctions between news reporting, opinion and advertising. Readers are encouraged to submit news tips, corrections, editorial inquiries and story suggestions through our Contact page and learn more about our standards through our Editorial Policy.
A mandate says Lago???
Not when 44% of the voters didn’t vote for him.