By Coral Gables Gazette staff
A solid majority of Coral Gables Gazette readers who responded to a recent poll say they are dissatisfied with how the city responds to community concerns—raising sharp criticisms of code enforcement practices, communication breakdowns, and perceived political disregard.
The non-scientific poll, conducted in collaboration with CrowdSignal between Oct. 6 and 13, drew 216 responses. Readers were asked:
“How would you rate the Coral Gables government’s responsiveness to community concerns — including those of residents, business owners, and other stakeholders?”
The results broke down as follows:
- Poor – 134 votes (62%)
- Fair – 40 votes (18%)
- Excellent – 28 votes (13%)
- Good – 14 votes (6%)
Code enforcement, consistency and follow-through
The strongest theme among the comments was frustration with the city’s code enforcement operations—described by many as inconsistent, selective and/or toothless. Several cited long-standing violations or enforcement disparities that remain unresolved despite repeated complaints.
“Code Enforcement is a joke! Just look at the junkyard on the highly visible corner of Segovia and Riviera,” one resident wrote. “The neighbors have complained for years and nothing is ever resolved.”
Others echoed similar concerns about unpermitted work, illegal rentals or unapproved tree removals going unaddressed.
“I looked up permits for the property. NOTHING about any tree removals,” another resident shared. “So how did the new owners get rid of it and all the other trees in the yard?”
Several comments raised alarms about enforcement decisions that seemed arbitrary or politically influenced.
“My tree trimming company was fined $2,000 for work on a parkway tree,” one respondent noted. “Since then, virtually nothing has happened. I even emailed one of the City Commissioners but never received a reply.”
Disconnection from elected officials
While some residents described positive interactions with individual staff members or departments, many expressed frustration with elected leaders—especially the mayor.
“The Mayor (Vince Lago) is a pompous king who has been totally rude in his answers when contacted,” one comment read. “His sidekicks are also as useless in their support of the citizens.”
Others criticized commissioners for deflecting responsibility or failing to respond to constituent outreach.
“(Vice Mayor) Rhonda Anderson answered with some ideas,” one reader wrote. “But sadly, there have been no results. Lago doesn’t even bother. He just passes complaints to the Police Chief (Ed Hudak), who doesn’t do much either.”
Mixed reviews for services—and a call for balance
Some responses were positive. A smaller but consistent segment of voters—especially those who selected “Excellent” or “Good”—pointed to specific examples of city staff acting quickly and professionally.
“Any time I have reached out—streetlight outage or trash on the swale that wasn’t mine—the response was professional and quickly resolved,” one respondent said.
Another warned that the city’s high responsiveness to small complaints might unintentionally lower the threshold for what gets escalated: “Ironically, Coral Gables is so responsive that it can create a culture of entitlement,” the resident wrote. “Responsiveness should be about balance: listening, addressing real concerns quickly, and prioritizing wisely.”
Jurisdictional confusion and the ‘Fair’ middle
Among those who selected “Fair,” many described situations where jurisdictional ambiguity left them in limbo.
“I went to City Hall to complain about the peacocks in the neighborhood,” one resident recalled. “They told me the city couldn’t do anything. I was referred to the county, who said the same. Nobody takes responsibility.”
Other respondents who chose “Fair” suggested that basic service quality was adequate, but broader concerns—like overdevelopment and green space—remained unresolved.
“The city significantly lacks public parks with abundant greenery,” one reader wrote. “That should be a priority.”
Frustration extends beyond services
Several comments zoomed out to describe what they saw as a larger failure of leadership and transparency, especially regarding high-profile controversies and symbolic gestures. “Continuous disregard for residents—especially Lago’s attitude,” one resident wrote. “A clear example was his display of the Israeli flag in his office window after the Commission decided nothing should be done.”
Another put it bluntly: “Our politicians have no true vocation to serve. They use their position as a means of livelihood and relevance.”
Selective accountability
Residents appear most concerned not with isolated failures but with a perceived culture of selective accountability, uneven communication, and lack of follow-through. The Gazette will continue to track these concerns—and encourages residents to share their experiences via future polls, public comment or direct submissions to the editorial board.
This Post Has 12 Comments
The challenge with these polls, and the headlines that tend to follow, is that they often lack statistical significance. It’s important that we’re honest with ourselves in how we interpret the results. Still, surveying residents and those who do business in the city is a valuable exercise to understand the community’s pulse. Regular surveys should be incorporated into the city’s standard operating procedure. Consistent community feedback helps reduce political noise and gives the administration clearer direction on where to focus. Maybe it’s improving code enforcement or maybe it’s simply ensuring calls are answered promptly.
Excellent Poll.
Accurate results.
Thank you very much,
Jackson Rip Holmes
and where’s the reference point??…How does it compare with prior administrations??..We don’t know..If you don’t have a reference point then how do you compare with prior administrations??..I have lived in the gables for 58 years and been through many many administrations and I see this one as one of the best…Statistically people will report the bad 70% of the time as oppossed to the good…
First Jessica, there is nothing off on these polls. Accurate to a tee. We had new neighbors who enlarged their driveway, covered their street trash pit, cut trees and placed concrete on the other side of the house. We called code and they said we have to identify who we are. Not on your life. Do I need to start a war on our street. So I hung up. We have businesses in 2 surrounding Cities and they take code calls and deal with it immediately without identification. CG said it is DeSantis who made this law. Well you can take the info and and check it out. But no, they go after the elderly on our street for less. Second, I wrote all the commissioners and King Lago about an issue. Only Castro responded. A total pathetic support of our community. I also contacted Lago about my disappointment in his leadership and he told me ” I am sorry you feel that way”. Period. We have no leadership except one that is for their own personal support. This city has turned into an embarrassment and it is all because of our horrible leadership. We need a recall.
The inconsistencies with Code Enforcement is an ongoing joke in the Riveria neighborhood. Roofs covered in mildew, yet nothing is done after complaints. Workers with construction materials, ladders, etc parked on north side of the santona apartments. Neighbors called many times, nothing has been done in over 10 years. It’s still there on a little white pickup truck.
The mayor is focused on his personal vendettas rather than good governance.
Excellent Poll——-100% True
The results of this poll (as unscientific as some claim it is) completely reflect the comments I constantly hear residents make about our city governance. The great majority are extremely dissatisfied. The ones who are not complaining, aren’t paying attention, in my opinion. When our residents aren’t even aware of our municipal elections, can’t name the people on the city commission, and have no clue about what is actually going on in Coral Gables, their disconnect has no valid basis for forming an opinion. Those that are paying attention, know how unresponsive our government has become.
I did not vote in this poll because the outcome is apparent. The Lago Anderson Lara (“LAL”) voting pact is worse than poor – it is abysmal. They broke the law (their Oath of Office in City Code Section 2-247) at their first meeting by attempting to steal the residents’ exclusive right to change our Charter. That was directed by Mayor Lago to allow his buddy, Mayor Suarez, to use it in litigation to support the City of Miami’s attempt to illegally steal their residents’ right to vote. No apologies! And Lago’s ego will not let him rescind illegal Ordinance No. 2025-08. It has gotten worse as Lago cannot get past his past personal grievances consistently breaking the law (City Code Section 2-77(a)(1) that meetings are governed by Robert’s Rules of Order, Section 2-78(a)(7) that the Mayor shall remain objective and Section 2-81(a)(2) for decorum not to interrupt other Commissioners), lying to residents (no tax reduction, no independent search committee to choose and negotiate the salary of the City Manager and not restoring civility or bringing our community together) and destroying our quality of life by allowing developers to build incompatible structures that worsen traffic and infrastructure issues. Has Lago fixed our broken permitting process since he was first elected in 2013? NO. He actually eliminated the expedited permitting process passed by the Commission. Yesterday, he said how “he supports police and fire”! His words are very different from his actions. And Lara (who told people that he has lived in Coral Gables since he was 14 despite raising his family while living in Westchester from 2003 to 2021 which is probably why he never votes in Coral Gables elections) told us yesterday that he does not like the term LAL. That is because “LAL” also means LIARS ALWAYS LIE or LAGO/LARA ALWAYS LIES! We need more informed voters to end this dark period for Coral Gables and stop PACs and developers from purchasing elected offices.
200 some responded out of thousands of residents. A joke. By the way, I never received this poll. I have always been addressed promptly when I have had issues/questions. Mayor Lago and Vice Mayor Anderson have always answered my emails quickly and followed through. Maybe a poll should be sent from the City of Coral Gables as to residents issues and how to prioritize and solve them.
María, if you read the Gazette, you would have seen the poll. The rest of us did.
As far as 200 out of thousands of residents answering the poll, that is the same abysmal percentage of residents who come out to vote during our municipal elections. The apathy is palpable.
The city can send out as many polls as they want, but if they don’t actually listen to the residents, it’s a total waste of time.
Lots of lip service…no action.
Maria, I think the comments here are a good start on what needs to be fixed. Code, construction choking our city, lack of support from the LAL squad and new leadership.