Coral Gables Commissioner Melissa Castro has been named chair of a Florida League of Cities committee that helps shape the statewide organization’s positions on development, zoning, housing and local land-use authority before each legislative session.
Castro will lead the League’s Development, Code Compliance and Redevelopment Committee for the 2026-27 term, moving up from vice chair. The appointment was made by League President Mark Franks, mayor of Shalimar, according to an announcement from the city Monday.
The committee is one of five legislative policy panels through which municipal officials from across Florida develop the League’s legislative platform. Its portfolio includes development and redevelopment, housing, community planning, zoning, eminent domain, property rights, short-term rentals, code enforcement, building and fire codes, permitting and concurrency management.
For Castro, the appointment puts her in a leadership role on many of the same issues that regularly come before the Coral Gables City Commission.
A role in shaping statewide policy
As chair, Castro will help guide the committee as it develops legislative priorities affecting municipal governments and local decision-making. She will also serve on the League’s Legislative Committee, which reviews recommendations from all five policy committees before a statewide platform is adopted.
The Florida League of Cities says its five policy committees develop positions for the state’s 411 municipalities and help its staff assess how proposed legislation would affect cities in practice. The 2026-27 committees are scheduled to meet Oct. 9 and Nov. 13 in Orlando and again Dec. 3 during the League’s Legislative Conference.
“It is an honor to be entrusted with leading this important committee and representing Coral Gables and municipalities across Florida,” Castro said in a statement.
“Cities are on the front lines of managing growth while protecting the character and quality of life that make each community unique,” she said. “I look forward to working collaboratively with municipal leaders throughout the state to advance thoughtful policies that preserve local decision-making, promote responsible development and ensure residents continue to have a meaningful voice in shaping their communities.”
The League, founded in 1922, represents municipal governments before the Florida Legislature and advocates for local self-government.
Franks assumed the League presidency during its annual conference last month in Hollywood. The League’s current leadership roster lists Franks as president, with Titusville Councilmember Sarah Stoeckel as first vice president and Westlake Vice Mayor Greg Langowski as second vice president.
Issues familiar in Coral Gables
The committee’s jurisdiction closely overlaps with several of Coral Gables’ most persistent public-policy debates.
Development and zoning have occupied substantial commission attention this year, including the University of Miami campus agreement, the Crystal Residences project and zoning questions surrounding the proposed dog park at 520 University Drive.
The committee’s broader work also places Castro in statewide debates over how much authority Tallahassee should leave to cities in regulating growth, housing, property rights and redevelopment. Those disputes have intensified in recent years as the Legislature has adopted laws limiting some forms of municipal land-use control.
For Coral Gables, where preserving neighborhood character frequently collides with development pressure and property rights, decisions made in Tallahassee can shape what commissioners are able to regulate locally.
The committee does not enact legislation. Its members develop and recommend positions that become part of the League’s advocacy before state lawmakers.
From vice chair to chair
Castro served as vice chair of the Development, Code Compliance and Redevelopment Committee during the previous term. The League’s 2025-26 roster listed her in that position under then-Chair Joshua Fuller of Bay Harbor Islands.
She was elected to the Coral Gables Commission in April 2023. Castro holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a specialization in applied behavior analysis and a master’s degree in industrial-organizational psychology from Florida International University. She owns M.E.D. Expeditors, a permit-expediting firm.
The League also recognized Castro as a 2026 Home Rule Hero for her advocacy during this year’s legislative session, according to the city announcement. The designation recognizes local officials for advocacy on legislation affecting municipal authority.
The appointment comes as Castro campaigns for reelection to her commission seat in the Nov. 3 municipal election against local attorney Nestor Menendez.
This year marks Coral Gables’ first municipal election on the November ballot after voters approved moving city elections from their traditional April schedule.
