The new Coral Gables City Commission was sworn in during an induction ceremony held at the Police and Fire Headquarters’ Community Meeting Room on April 25.
Before a crowd of nearly 150, including former city officials and a veritable who’s who of South Florida politicians, Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago – dressed in a royal blue suit, white shirt, and a darker solid blue tie – opened the ceremony saying, “It’s a great day in the city of Coral Gables as we witness democracy in action. Today we bid farewell to the 2023-2025 city commission and welcome the 2025-2027 commission.”
Invocation
Rev. Father Richard Vigoa, the administrator of St. Augustine Catholic Church, which Mayor Lago attends, then gave the invocation. “This is the City Beautiful, one of the most sought-after places in the whole world to live, and we are blessed to live in this city that beauty is not only found in our Mediterranean architecture or our banyan-lined streets, it’s found in the way we treat one another, in the tone of our civic dialogue, in the character of those who are called to lead,” said Vigoa. “Today we mark not just an induction of new public officials, we mark an opportunity, an opportunity to recommit ourselves to progress with purpose, to governance marked by grace, and to servant leadership rooted in the common good.”
The city’s police and fire six-member honor guard then presented the colors – the flags of the country, the state, and the city.
The mayor’s daughters, Mirentxu and Catalin, led the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance.
Soprano Rebecca Henriques Haak, a University of Miami graduate who has performed with the Florida Grand Opera, then sang a soaring rendition of the “National Anthem.” She also performed “God Bless America” at the end of the ceremony.
City Clerk Billy Urquia then presented the certified election results, which the commission unanimously voted to accept.
Urquia thanked city employees for helping to facilitate the election and said he especially wanted to recognize Police Chief Ed Hudak and Police Major John Baublitz for helping deploy smart trailers throughout the city to inform residents about the election.
Menendez says goodbye and thanks
Outgoing City Commissioner Kirk Menendez, who gave up his seat on the dais to unsuccessfully challenge Mayor Lago, then spoke, thanking God, his family, and city staff for helping him serve residents with dignity and compassion. Menendez, wearing a charcoal suit, white shirt, and purple-patterned tie, invoked Pope Francis and his humility and compassion as he asked the city’s residents to promise each other that “we will always be a city of compassion, a city for all of the people and a city that will never turn its back on the lives and voices of its residents no matter how quiet their whispers or how humble their hearts.”
Oaths of office
Federico Moreno, senior judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, then administered the oath of office to Richard Lara, who wore a medium blue suit, a white shirt, and a two-tone blue striped tie. Lara’s wife, Bertha, held the Bible on which Lara placed his hand.
With her husband Eddie by her side, Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson, wearing a desert sky long-sleeve dress with matching buttons and a single strand of pearls, then took the oath of office, which her neighbor, Florida 11th Circuit Court Judge Barbara Areces administered.
With his two daughters and wife, Olga, by his side, Lago then took his oath of office that Moreno also administered.
Commission members address audience, city
Then it was time for the addresses. Commissioner Lara and Vice Mayor Anderson gave speeches that had positive tones.
Lara thanked his family and supporters for believing in him and said he looked forward to returning the city to its core values. “I chose to run because I believe the city needed a course correction. We needed to find our way back to something deeper than policies and plans. Back to fellowship, unity, and respect – the very values George Merrick envisioned when he founded Coral Gables almost exactly a century ago,” Lara said.
The commissioner also said he looked forward to doing the work of the commission united, without the divisions of the recent past. “This is a new day in Coral Gables. Let’s be clear, we’re going to move forward not as factions but as neighbors,” he said.
“This election was not about promises; it was about priorities. And the message I heard loud and clear is that you want a city and government that listens and acts with transparency and leads with integrity,” Anderson said. “I’m proud to stand along Mayor Lago and our new commission and hope that we can work together and make meaningful steps toward that goal. Steps that include restoring public trust, respecting our residents’ voices, and ensuring fiscal responsibility.”
Before he spoke last, the mayor gave the other members of the commission, Melissa Castro and Ariel Fernandez the opportunity to speak.
Castro, wearing a white dress and diamond pendant, acknowledged that “the past two years have been rocky, but I’m sure that moving forward we will find civility, peace, and harmony.”
Sporting a navy suit, white shirt, and red-striped tie, Fernandez, who even before the ceremony had announced an about-face on several of his positions, including commissioner compensation, a change in the election calendar, and the creation of an inspector general, also expressed a willingness to put the past behind him. “I look forward to working with all of you on the issues we agree on, working through the ones we disagree on, and finding common ground consensus that will benefit the residents of our great city.”
Lago lays out agenda, takes shots
During a 14-minute, 35-second speech (more than all other commissioners, combined), Mayor Lago set the stage for what residents can come to expect over the next two years as he announced that he would be taking several of the core issues immediately during a special commission meeting on Tuesday, May 6. Lago made it clear that he would not wait to make up for lost time.
“First and foremost, the unethical 101% (commission) salary increase and car allowances must be repealed immediately. I have already introduced legislation at the upcoming special commission meeting on May 6 to repeal them and I call upon each of my colleagues to join in this necessary act of good governance for unanimity,” Lago said. “It will send a clear message that echoes through city hall that this body serves not itself but the noble citizens who have entrusted us with their hopes and hard-earned dollars.”
The mayor then announced his intention to sponsor legislation to move the city elections from April to November, another controversial issue that he was unable to move forward in the last two years. He also mentioned creating an inspector general in the city, tax cuts, and curbing overdevelopment.
Lago took advantage of the opportunity to level shots at his vanquished and existing opponents on the commission, even while peppering his speech with a tepid note of reconciliation.
“While others continue to play politics, we have never stopped working for the people of Coral Gables. And I won’t stop. This victory is not only a mandate – let me repeat that, a mandate – to continue the progress we’ve made. It is also a clear referendum on the last two years of dysfunction, poor decisions, and misplaced priorities by the commission majority. The residents of Coral Gables have spoken with one clear voice – they want a return to transparency, stability, and leadership that puts people before politics,” Lago said.
He closed with a seemingly hopeful note: “So, we go forward today as a community not divided by political gamesmanship but united by a shared commitment to progress. I extend my hand to all my colleagues on the city commission and invite them to join me in truly and faithfully putting residents first.”
Rabbi gets final word
Rabbi Avraham Stolik from Chabad of Downtown Coral Gables gave the closing prayer – which Lago said he considered his consiglieri – and prayed, “Almighty God, we ask you to bestow wisdom upon the elected officials here today that they may enact laws that are not only just and compassionate but that empower the citizens of Coral Gables of all ages, backgrounds, and cultures to achieve their fullest potential,” said Stolik. “…grant them (the commission) inspiration and humility to unite across all divides in the pursuit of a just, meaningful, and moral society.”
