By Coral Gables Gazette staff

Coral Gables commissioners signaled Wednesday that new rules are coming to govern public behavior and commissioner conduct at meetings, after Mayor Vince Lago said repeated disruptions have undermined the city’s long-standing civility code.

City Attorney Cristina M. Suárez opened the discussion with a summary of the 2016 “civility code,” which consolidates decorum rules for commission and board meetings. The guidelines, she said, aim to “facilitate an open, orderly and respectful environment” while preserving efficiency. They require attendees to wait for recognition before speaking, bar interruptions, and prohibit shouting, booing, clapping, insults, or any behavior that “disrupts, disturbs, hinders, or impedes” the meeting. Profanities, threats, discriminatory remarks, and knowingly false statements are also off-limits. Anyone who becomes “boisterous,” strays off topic, or refuses to yield the podium after a ruling may be removed.

Mayor calls for stricter enforcement

Lago said the city has been lenient but now needs firmer boundaries. “I’ve been incredibly generous, and my generosity has come to an end,” he told colleagues. “We will apply the rules that are already in the law … We will not eat in the chambers. If you’re eating in the chambers, you will be asked to leave.”

He cited heckling, laughter, and “ridiculous comments” from the gallery and warned that violators will get one warning before removal by police “in a respectful manner.” To document proceedings, he asked staff to install a camera trained on the audience so that “people need to see the behavior of certain people on the floor.”

‘Vince, your commission meetings are a zoo. Get that under control.’

Lago also linked decorum to accuracy in meeting records: “It’s not only protocol and law and order. It’s also in reference to our clerk who has to make sure he can decipher everything that’s stated on the record,” he said. “There has to be respect, but at the end of the day, we’re only degrading our standards here in the city because other employees and other elected officials who I have the privilege of working with on other organizations and boards tell me, ‘Vince, your commission meetings are a zoo. Get that under control.’”

Food, breaks and commissioner conduct

Discussion soon broadened to food and beverages. Lago said commissioners sometimes need water during long sessions because they cannot leave the dais without risking loss of quorum. Members of the public, he added, can step out, watch on monitors, or use vending machines.

Commissioner Melissa Castro apologized for previously calling the mayor a liar, saying she had been “a little passionate.” She asked that any new restrictions account for residents with medical needs, suggesting clear guidance on exceptions.

Lago thanked Castro for her apology but said respect ultimately depends on each commissioner’s self-discipline. “In 13 years, I’ve never insulted someone here … The only person that can control that is yourself,” he said. He noted he had prepared a formal censure but was “showing immense self-restraint” in favor of moving forward.

Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson compared the chamber to a courtroom, where lawyers may drink water but food is banned. She recalled once leaving mid-meeting to treat low blood sugar, illustrating why breaks, not snacks, are the proper remedy.

Calls for public awareness

Commissioner Ariel Fernandez supported adopting clear rules but recommended a public-education push so residents understand expectations. “Maybe we can display [the rules] outside for the next few meetings so that people will start getting familiarized with them again,” he said.

Lago responded that most attendees “know how to behave” but some purposely disrupt meetings “for the blogs.” He said microphones could be cut off for speakers who ignore time limits but stressed he had never used that power. “It won’t be me — it’ll be the police,” he said of future removals.

Next steps: Codifying rules and adding more cameras

By meeting’s end, the mayor asked staff to draft legislation spelling out bans on eating, shouting, and other disruptions, along with guidance on attire, signage, and commissioner etiquette. He requested that the new rules appear on the next agenda with himself as sponsor.

City Manager Peter Iglesias said cameras were already recording and promised an additional lens to cover the entire gallery by the next meeting. Lago said public access to those recordings would “curb some of the behavior.”

He also chose not to pursue a second censure against Castro over the “liar” remark, saying restraint aligned with the atmosphere he wants. “At the end of the day, you’re in control of your own destiny,” Lago said. “Let’s move forward and work together on behalf of the city.”