By Coral Gables Gazette staff
In the two weeks after Coral Gables’ first November ballot took shape, a political committee tied to Mayor Vince Lago collected $134,500 — nearly all of it in four days, and much of it from development, construction and land-use interests with projects, clients or development-related business before the city, including two donors whose affiliated projects or agreements appeared on last week’s City Commission agenda.
The surge into Coral Gables First, detailed in campaign finance reports filed with the Florida Division of Elections, followed months in which the committee raised nothing at all. It spent through the spring instead, financing a “Vote YES on All 8” campaign for the April charter amendments. Then, beginning the day after the candidate field for November closed, the money arrived.
Nothing in the campaign-finance reports indicates illegality; Florida political committees may accept contributions larger than the limits that apply directly to candidate campaigns, including from corporations and from donors with business before local governments.
The money followed the calendar
The committee’s three most recent reports trace a precise sequence. From April 1 through May 31, the period covering the April 21 mail-only charter election, Coral Gables First reported zero dollars in contributions and $17,153.85 in spending. The largest payment, $13,060.93, went to Big Tuesday Media, led by Jorge Bustamante, on April 22, the day after ballots were due, for websites, domains, video, SMS outreach and advertising. During that election, the committee sent voters emails urging them to approve all eight charter amendments, directing readers to gables2026.com and warning that “this is not the time to protect the status quo.” Each carried the disclaimer “Pd. pol. adv. paid for by Coral Gables First.”
From June 1 through June 12, the committee reported a single contribution: $10,000 on June 8 from 1500 Park Ventures, an entity registered to the Brickell Avenue office suite of Multiplan Real Estate Asset Management, the firm of Brazilian billionaire José Isaac Peres that is planning its first Coral Gables condominium project on a $31.8 million assemblage at 1500 Monza Avenue. The qualifying period for the November election closed on June 12, setting a field of seven candidates across three races. Lago drew two challengers, Laureano Cancio and Jackson Rip Holmes, both perennial candidates.
Then came the surge. Between June 13 and June 26, the committee reported $134,500 in contributions — every dollar of it dated June 23 through June 26. It spent $21,877.20 in the same period, including $20,235.10 more to Big Tuesday Media for political consulting, digital media, outreach, digital video and email marketing.
In all, across the three reports, the committee raised $144,500 and spent $39,031.05. Since its creation, Coral Gables First has raised about $2.28 million and spent about $2.11 million, leaving roughly $164,600 on hand as of June 26.
Who gave
The donor list includes several development, construction, legal and land-use interests with business in, or before, Coral Gables.
Ponce Park Residences, LLC, the Allen Morris Company entity developing the Ponce Park condominium tower at 3000 Ponce de Leon Boulevard, gave $25,000 on June 25 from the firm’s headquarters in Alhambra Towers. Twelve days later, commissioners voted 5-0 to amend that same entity’s agreement with the city over the redesign of Fred B. Hartnett Ponce Circle Park. The amendment increased the project’s total cost to $11.2 million from $8.9 million, raised the city’s contribution by $2.9 million to $8.2 million, and raised the developer’s own contribution by $1 million to $3 million.
Steven Fifield, the Chicago-based developer whose firm is seeking approval for the contested Crystal Residences project at 110 Phoenetia Avenue, gave $10,000 personally on June 25. Twelve days later, Mayor Lago, Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson and Commissioner Richard Lara voted to approve the project’s land-use change, rezoning and Planned Area Development on first reading, over objections from Commissioners Castro and Fernandez.
Winmar Construction, the general contractor that built Villa Valencia on Valencia Avenue and is building The Avenue hotel and residences across from Merrick Park, gave $25,000 on June 23.
A cluster of four out-of-state car dealerships — Mercedes-Benz of Brooklyn, Land Rover/Jaguar Brooklyn, JLR Long Island and Mercedes-Benz of Caldwell — each gave $5,000 on June 23, the same day as a $5,000 contribution from the Coral Gables-addressed law firm of Manuel Kadre. Kadre, an attorney, is chief executive of MBB Auto, which acquired the Mercedes-Benz of Brooklyn dealership in 2013 with partners including Armando Codina, the prominent developer whose firm is headquartered in Coral Gables; an endowed chair in neurological surgery at the University of Miami’s medical school carries both families’ names. Together, the dealership network and Kadre’s firm account for $25,000 given in a single day.
Kadre also chairs the University of Miami’s Board of Trustees and sits on the University of Miami Health System’s board of directors. The university, whose main campus lies within Coral Gables, is seeking sweeping amendments to its development agreement with the city that would permit hospital use on campus, expand allowable building area, and includes a proposed transfer of development rights involving university-owned green space at Granada and Ponce de Leon boulevards. The plan went before the city’s Development Review Committee in late June and ultimately requires City Commission approval.
That pending hospital-use request bears on another PAC donor. Sid Perkins, an energy broker who founded Snapper Creek Energy, gave $25,000 on June 25. He chairs the Foundation council for Baptist Health’s Doctors Hospital, located next to the University of Miami campus, and for Baptist Health Orthopedic Care, and sits on the Doctors Hospital Operating Board and the Baptist Health Foundation’s Executive Committee. Perkins and his wife, Ashley, recently donated $1 million to Baptist Health Foundation to support renovation of Doctors Hospital’s surgical facilities, a gift the foundation said would be recognized with a naming. Doctors Hospital has reason for concern about the university’s hospital-use request: a competing hospital on the UM campus would sit near its own doorstep. No matter involving Perkins or Doctors Hospital was found on the City Commission’s own agenda, and his role, if any, in the university’s approval process could not be determined from public records.
Two limited liability companies sharing a single Coral Gables office suite — River Rapids Partners II and Delaware Parkway Partners, both at 1550 Madruga Avenue, Suite 502 — gave $2,500 each on June 26. That suite is the headquarters of ROVR Development, the Coral Gables firm led by Oscar Rodriguez and Ricardo Vadia, and the entity names match ROVR’s River Rapids apartment project on the Miami River and its Delaware Parkway expansion site. The same day, A+ Mini Storage, the company that sold ROVR both of those development sites, gave $2,500.
The June 26 contributions also included $2,000 from Iris Escarra, a land-use attorney who practices before South Florida governments, and $1,000 from Robert Behar, co-founder of Behar Font & Partners, the Coral Gables architecture firm whose current projects include the nine-story 301 Madeira residential building under construction in the city and the Cassia Residences project near Merrick Park. Additional checks came from Modis Architects, a law firm and other development entities.
One donor’s identity resolves to a name well known in Miami-Dade transit circles. R.G. Business, Inc., which gave $5,000 on June 23, lists Rene and Raymond Gonzalez as managers in state records; the brothers are also, respectively, vice president and president of Transportation America, Inc., according to its own state filings, which share R.G. Business’s Miami address. Transportation America and its affiliate, Limousines of South Florida, hold a roughly $260 million, five-year Miami-Dade County paratransit contract, additional county bus routes, an exclusive Miami International Airport shuttle agreement and a City of Miami trolley contract, and report about $92 million in combined annual revenue. According to published reports, the Gonzalez brothers, through dozens of affiliated companies, have given several hundred thousand dollars to Miami-Dade and City of Miami officials. No direct contract between the Gonzalez companies and the City of Coral Gables was found in public records; a Coral Gables active-contracts list identifies a different company, Hometown Trolley, Inc., in connection with the city’s own trolley service.
The Lago connections, in the committee’s own records
Coral Gables First’s ties to the mayor appear in its own filings and communications. The committee’s expenditure report shows a $1,000 contribution on May 27 to the Vince Lago Campaign, listed at 4914 SW 72nd Avenue — the same address that appears as Coral Gables First’s own mailing address in the footer of its charter-election emails. The committee also gave $1,000 on May 6 to the state House campaign of Frank Lago, a real estate consultant and urban planner who chairs the Miami-Dade County Planning Advisory Board and is one of three Republicans seeking the vacant District 113 seat, whose boundaries include parts of Coral Gables. The committee gave $500 to $1,000 each to three candidates for Doral and Miami-Dade offices.
Mayor Lago – this is “pay to play.” It is not The Coral Gables Gazette or Political Cortadito. Of course, you promote and use City money to purchase the favor of J.P. Faber’s Coral Gables Magazine – pretty pictures with a false political narrative. The part that is not paid with City money is paid by developers and contractors seeking Commission approval for upzoning exceptions so that they can make money while residents pay the price with increased density, noise, traffic, police, fire and infrastructure demands. You want to avoid voting on Commissioner Castro’s ordinance preventing campaign contributions by developers with projects that need approval of you and your majority clan – Anderson and Lara (Item E-5 at the last Commission meeting). That would affect your “pay to play” system. You claim to be transparent as a diversion because liars falsely blame others about what they are lying about. Remember what you got from admitted money launderer and tax evader Rishi Kapoor. When he purchased 1505 Ponce de Leon Blvd. and got upzoning exceptions in Coral Gables in 2022, the seller paid $690k from money paid by Kapoor to a small 5-broker firm (2 of the brokers were you and Chelsea Granell; you became a broker with that firm in 6/2022 and the sale occurred in 11/2022). Kapoor also paid you rent for property that he never occupied. During your reign, developers seeking upzoning exceptions in Coral Gables must pay a fee to its king!
Mayor and Commissioners:
Several days ago the Gables Gazette published the following: [link to Gables Gazette article]
The perfect tool to investigate this matter is the City’s Inspector General. Unfortunately, the Mayor and two Commissioners loyal to him refuse to pick the new Inspector General.
This perceived obstruction thwarts the will of the 70% of the electorate who voted for an Inspector General.
This is my formal demand that your obstruction cease. Name the Inspector General.
John B. Thompson
5721 Riviera Dr
Coral Gables FL 33146
How can you vote for a project that gave $25,000 to your Political Action Committee just 12 days before? How can this be legal? Lago Must Go!
Commission Melissa Castro’s proposed ordinance prohibiting campaign contributions by developers is absolutely on target! But of course, it has absolutely no chance of being approved by the majority. The majority which touts “transparency” at every step. Ironic, isn’t it?
“Pay for Votes”
“Pay for Variances”
“Pay for Approvals”
“Pay to Build”
Pay until Coral Gables is unrecognizable…and then move on to greener pastures where others will
“Pay for Favors”
Excellent investigative journalism. Many thanks
Corruption to the core. I don’t even recognize this city anymore. Change the moniker to “The City Corrupt “
I thank God for the Coral Gables Gazette’s dedication keeping Coral Gables residents informed.
I am a Candidate for Mayor.
Although I consider Mayor Lago to be planning to kill Coral Gables as a suburb — a Nightmare I totally oppose — I am fully aware we have a HOUSING AFFORDABILITY CRISIS.
I do support development of affordable and/or workforce housing in Coral Gables, and I INVITE AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPERS TO DIALOGUE WITH ME AT 305-338-5000.
Sincerely,
Jackson Rip Holmes
Disgusting! Shame on all of you!
Does this surprise you? Lago is corrupt. Has been for years. Residents need to wake up!
I further direct the attention of everyone, including developers, to my PROOF OF FREE ENERGY, the solution to sea level rise, climate change, and monster hurricanes.
PLEASE WATCH THE FOLLOWING VIDEO PROOF.
Note: Look for the DECISIVE conclusion of the UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE. DARPA, WHO INVENTED THE INTERNET.
PROOF OF FREE ENERGY!
Proof of Free Energy.
Cold Fusion Hot Again – 60 Minutes CBS
youtu.be/UTvaX3vRtRA?si…
Sincerely,
Jackson Rip Holmes
Little wonder Lago & Cronies voted for his fundraiser’s unjustified home variance. He’s been quite busy (and successful).
Jackson Holmes is not innocent when it comes to development. The massive and quite hideous mobility hub has been pushed by him. Where’s the transparency of his benefit from the mobility hub development?? Melissa Castro might be the only exception to the rest of our dais being bought out by development dollars.
Thank you for this informative analysis.
All large donations from big corporations to any candidate’s campaigns should just be stopped. This includes all levels of politics – local, state and federal. Donations should come from individuals and be limited in size. Perhaps this would level the playing field?
Citizens united case takes that off the table unfortunately
The motto and slogan of this democracy is, as a furniture store ad once said, “HERE THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS IS CASH”… from the highest bidder, like at a cattle auction…blah blah blah…. sold!
As to Rishi Kapoor, Lago recused from the vote on June 28, 2022 “due to a potential conflict and/or potential appearance of bias.” To avoid voting, Lago must file a memo with the City Clerk that is incorporated into the minutes per Section 112.3143(2)(a), Fla. Stats. There is no memo with the minutes. Does Lago think that this law does not apply to him? Kapoor’s company contributed $9,000 to Lago’s 2021 campaign and $10,000 to his PAC, Coral Gables First, per a 2023 Miami Herald article:
. https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/coral-gables/article275983441.html
Lago took money from an admitted money launderer and tax evader! Lago can recuse himself when he has at least 3 other Commission pocket votes to create zoning exceptions for his friends. Lago cannot recuse himself to upzone Pino’s project eliminating the Garden of our Lord with an incompatible development creating density, traffic and infrastructure issues or to eliminate required setback restrictions for Brian Goldmeier because he only has 3 votes (Lago, Anderson and Lara). If Lago has a larger clan on the Commission, he can recuse himself more. Do not vote for more Lago surrogates – we already have Anderson and Lara.
They’re wallowing in a swamp of corruption. Democracy? Very well, thank you. Hasta la vista
Is this something new or is it so blatant because of the new (since 2025) composition of the Commission?
I’m probably dating myself, but does anyone else remember how the Miami Herald would jump in to investigate items of interest like this one. Didn’t it get many awards for doing so? Is the Herald still around?
Like most metropolitan dailies, it’s a skeleton of its former self, alas. The industry has faced so many financial headwinds in the past thirty years. A mundane and often neglected challenge has been the collapse of the market for classified ads. And in general, news organizations now face the challenge of competing with online news that’s superficial but available for free.
One of the costs of that trend is the corruption detailed in this article. Investigative journalists hold power to account. Where are they? So many are out of business. Corruption thrives in the vacuum.
Julie K. Brown, still at the Herald, is an exemplar of the profession. If only we could clone her. Were it not for her courage and tenacity, few people would know who Jeffrey Epstein was or the magnitude of the sex-trafficking operation he ran.
I should add that Coral Gables Gazette has stepped into the breach that is the local news desert here. It’s done some remarkably measured and serious journalism since resuming online publication last year.
First Jackson Holmes lost my vote with his unfair support of the dog park in a residential neighborhood. How could you. Leave us alone. Second will someone please start a lawsuit against King Lago and minion Lara. This has to be illegal Anderson, I am sure you are in something to. You 3 are despicable, greedy, liars and crooks. I am totally surprised by Alan Morris, a Christian man who partakes in underhanded dealings. Remove these 3 crooks immediately from our City. Ethics needs to do what is right.
The only ones that are fault that Lago is once again, the corrupt mayor that he’s been for years are the citizens of Coral Gables. . We have always always known the developersI I’ve had him and his foot, soldiers, in their pockets. Only those who voted for him, and his latest foot soldiers are to
blame and you seem to have a very short memory. Read this report over and over again, which is excellent. And the next time you go to vote, do not vote for him
and his foot, soldiers. That’s the only solution.
Whoever doesn’t support a Coral Gables ordinance to end this insanity (whether it’s often a quid pro quo, or it just appears unethical, or just looks bad or just smells) — needs to not be part of City Beautiful.
You are taking our family’s quality of life, excessive gridlock and traffic to all time lows.
.
ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES: MOVE THE ORDINANCE FORWARD NOW!
Great job by the Gazette. I just had to put in my 2 cents: https://politicalcortadito.com/2026/07/14/developers-vince-lago-pac-coral-gables/
I can not tolerate the underhanded behavior of Lago, Lara and Anderson anymore. You have broken the camel’s back. You have destroyed a City Beautiful with your greed and disgusting behavior, We have lost our City’s beauty because you 3 criminals wanted to take money from developers. Our City is lost, as you have created a concrete overbuilt congested mess and because of your Pay For Play behavior. You 3 need to be removed immediately from our City. I guess you came after Fritz and Frantz because they would not pay you for their proposal. None of you can be trusted and are a disgrace to our City. I am also disappointed in Alan Morris who is supposed to be a pillar in our community. You are no better than the others, a Christian man you paid off these politicians to get what you wanted, a concrete mess.
Can someone please post a link to the PAC’s financial report? I’d love to see it with my own two eyes $$$.
I can’t get over how crocked the City of Coral Gables officials have become! I have lived in the Gables close to eighty years and NEVER until these people that are in office now, has there ever been any scandal about the mayor or commissioner’s! Some have been written up in The Miami Hearld, but the payoffs have grown, grown and grown. WHEN WILL THE RESIDENTS WAKE UP AND VOTE IN HONEST RESPECTED PEROPLE TO RUN THE CITY??????
Điều khiến mình quay lại sportzfy apk old version nhiều lần là hệ thống hoạt động ổn định và ít gặp lỗi. TONY08-10
A very hidden gem! The odds seem better than other sites I’ve tried recently. Give 6zkapk a try.