Mayor Vince Lago’s reelection campaign and Coral Gables First, the political committee associated with him, spent $182,664 from Oct. 20 through Oct. 29, according to the latest pre-election campaign-finance reports. Nearly all of it, 99.3 percent, went to two firms: Big Tuesday Media, a Miami political consulting and media company, and BYG Strategies, a fundraising firm that has long worked for the committee and the mayor.
The same reports show developers and government-relations interests with documented business before City Hall this year contributing to the committee in the closing days of the campaign. They include a lobbying firm run by the son of the city’s communications director and businesses associated with two development projects the City Commission approved in April, with Lago voting in favor.
The two political accounts are legally separate, and the reports do not establish that Lago directs the committee’s spending. Nor do they show that any political contribution influenced a city decision.
The filings cover Oct. 17–29. Additional spending after that date will appear in later reports.
Two firms took nearly all of the money
Lago’s campaign spent $78,253 during the reporting period after raising $7,000. Coral Gables First spent $104,411 after raising $74,500. Every expenditure in the two reports was dated between Oct. 20 and Oct. 29.
During the previous two weeks, the two accounts had spent $8,761 combined. Their latest spending was nearly 21 times that amount.
Big Tuesday received $143,151 from Lago’s campaign and Coral Gables First.
The campaign’s payments were its first to the firm in the reports the Gazette has reviewed. It paid $44,589 on Oct. 20 for a media buy, video and graphic production, phone banking and direct mail, and $10,886 that day for political consulting, early-voting staff, signs and transportation. A final $7,433 payment on Oct. 29 covered canvassing and printing.
Coral Gables First paid Big Tuesday $28,250 for research and data and another $51,992 for direct mail, streaming and digital advertising, video production, printing and voter data, both on Oct. 29.
Big Tuesday also received $43,320 from the campaign of Nestor Menendez, the challenger to incumbent Commissioner Melissa Castro in Group IV, for text messages, direct mail, signs, staffing and canvassing.
The three accounts paid the firm $186,471 in 10 days. Their combined reported payments to Big Tuesday during 2026 total $353,508: $196,158 from Coral Gables First, $94,442 from Menendez and $62,908 from Lago.
Big Tuesday Media is led by Jorge Bustamante, who also serves as a senior executive at Artisan Media Group, another longtime vendor to Lago’s campaign and Coral Gables First. Florida corporate records show that Big Tuesday operated as Dosage Studio Inc. until changing its name last January.
BYG Strategies, the fundraising business associated with political consultant Brian Goldmeier, received $38,251 from Lago’s campaign and Coral Gables First on Oct. 21, all described as fundraising consulting.
Coral Gables First has paid BYG approximately $246,438 since 2019, according to the committee’s historical reports.
Together, Big Tuesday and BYG received $181,402 of the $182,664 spent by Lago’s campaign and Coral Gables First. The remaining $1,262 went to Anedot, a political fundraising and payment-processing service.
The concentration of spending is notable because Big Tuesday serves multiple political accounts participating in the same municipal election. Florida law distinguishes independent expenditures from spending coordinated with a candidate, but using a common vendor does not, by itself, establish improper coordination.
The reports identify the services purchased but do not disclose who directed the work, which audiences received the advertising or whether particular campaigns shared personnel or materials.
The committee outraised all seven candidates combined
Coral Gables First raised $74,500 from 22 contributions, nearly twice the $38,602 in monetary receipts reported by the seven candidates for mayor and commission combined. The candidate figure includes self-contributions but excludes a separate $1,400 personal loan reported by mayoral candidate Jackson “Rip” Holmes.
Business entities supplied $51,000 of the committee’s contributions.
Coral Gables First held an estimated $218,861 on Oct. 29, down from approximately $248,771 on Oct. 16, according to the Gazette’s reconstruction of its reported finances.
The committee’s largest new checks came from developer Alex Pirez, Pantin Gov LLC and Biscayne Residences, at $10,000 each.
Pirez, a builder and developer associated with the Mocca real estate business network, has personally contributed $62,500 to Coral Gables First since 2021. Separately, Mocca Construction contributed another $36,000 between 2019 and 2025, according to the committee’s historical filings.
Those are contributions from distinct donors and are not included in a single personal total.
The committee’s remaining funds are legally separate from Lago’s candidate campaign.
If reelected, Lago would be barred by the city’s consecutive-service term limit from seeking another consecutive mayoral term. The committee’s reports do not explain how it intends to use its substantial remaining funds after this election.
Florida’s Division of Elections guidance for political committees provides that residual funds must be handled according to the disposition stated in the committee’s organizational filing.
Developers with business at City Hall gave in the final week
Several contributing businesses, their affiliated companies or their representatives appear in the city’s 2026 lobbyist registry.
The latest reports identify four significant groups.
Agave. Five companies associated with the Agave real estate network or sharing its reported business address contributed $5,000 to Coral Gables First on Oct. 28, in five $1,000 checks.
The contributors were Agave Ponce LLC, Agave Holdings LLC, Agave Coconut Properties LLC, DJ Condo LLC and Grove Residence LLC.
Three of them, Agave Ponce, DJ Condo and Grove Residence, also gave Menendez $1,000 each on Oct. 23, bringing the eight contributions to $8,000 across the two political accounts.
Agave Ponce, associated with The Plaza Coral Gables development, appeared in a January city lobbying registration concerning Mediterranean Village at 2801, 2901 and 3001 Ponce de Leon Blvd.
Florida corporate records identify Jose Antonio Perez Helguera and Carlos Beckmann among the managers of Agave-related companies. The precise ownership relationships among all five contributing entities have not been established.
Earlier committee filings show Agave Holdings contributed $10,000 in 2019 and $15,000 in 2022. Including the latest five checks, the identified Agave-related contributions to Coral Gables First total $30,000 since 2019.
13th Floor. 13th Floor Manager LLC contributed $5,000 to Coral Gables First on Oct. 28, bringing its reported contributions to $13,000 since 2025. Florida corporate records identify developer Arnaud P. Karsenti as manager of the contributing company.
The city’s lobbyist registry lists 13th Floor Investments LLC on a July registration involving land use and zoning at 559 Biltmore Way and 536 Coral Way.
Fortune International. Five companies listing 1300 Brickell Ave. each contributed $1,000 to Lago’s candidate campaign on Oct. 23.
They were Cutler Properties LLC, Scaffold Investments LLC, FI SIBA LLC, ED FL Investments LLC and Sand Investments LLC.
The companies are associated with the real estate business network of Edgardo Defortuna, founder of Fortune International Group. State corporate records identify Defortuna or members of his business network in the management of several of the entities, including ED FL Investments.
Another company, Gables Waterway Associates LLC, is managed by Fortune International Management. It appeared in the city’s July lobbyist registry concerning a proposed multifamily development at 6100 Caballero Blvd.
Aquarius Capital. Aquarius Capital LLC and P&C 2199 Ponce LLC contributed $3,000 each to Coral Gables First on Oct. 29. Another company, 27th Avenue and Coral Way LLC, gave Group V candidate Gonzalo Sanabria $1,000 that day.
Florida corporate records identify Aquarius Capital as manager of both P&C 2199 Ponce and 27th Avenue and Coral Way, establishing a business-management connection among the three contributors.
Florida law generally limits contributions to municipal candidates to $1,000 per contributor, while political committees may accept larger contributions.
The payments from separately organized companies are disclosed under their respective legal names. Their common business relationships do not, by themselves, establish a contribution-limit violation.
Two donor networks benefited from April commission approvals
The connections extend beyond lobbyist registrations.
On April 14, the City Commission voted 4–1 to approve the site plan for The Mark, a 393-unit development at 1250 S. Dixie Highway, and to expand the University Station Rapid Transit District Overlay to include the Gables Waterway properties at 6100 Caballero Blvd.
Lago supported both measures. Castro opposed them.
The two properties have identifiable relationships with contributors in the latest finance reports.
The Mark was developed by LCD Acquisitions LLC, which was represented before the city by Les Pantin. His government-relations firm contributed $10,000 to Coral Gables First on Oct. 23.
The Caballero Boulevard properties are associated with Gables Waterway Associates, a Fortune-managed company. Five companies in the Fortune business network contributed $5,000 to Lago’s campaign on Oct. 23.
The commission majority said the city faced an alternative under Miami-Dade County’s Rapid Transit Zone rules that could permit larger developments with substantially less local oversight.
At the April 14 meeting, Lago said, “A vote against the city RTZ is a vote in favor of the county RTZ.”
City Manager Peter Iglesias estimated that proceeding under county authority instead of the city’s zoning framework could have cost Coral Gables $6 million to $7 million in impact fees.
The Gazette reported the votes and the commission’s rationale on April 16.
The subsequent political contributions and the earlier commission decisions are separately documented events. The records do not establish that any contribution was made in exchange for an approval.
A lobbyist with family at City Hall
Pantin Gov LLC, the government-relations firm managed by Leslie E. “Les” Pantin, contributed $10,000 to Coral Gables First on Oct. 23.
The firm has given the committee $30,000 since 2022. Pantin and his firm also each contributed $1,000 to Lago’s candidate campaign on Sept. 24, bringing their combined identified giving to $32,000.
Pantin registered with the city in January as a lobbyist for LCD Acquisitions, the developer of The Mark. The registration described his work as seeking approval for a mixed-use project.
He also appeared in the city’s official records as the lobbyist for Kaufman Lynn Construction on the Mobility Hub.
The commission’s Feb. 24 meeting minutes identify Pantin as the lobbyist on the resolution authorizing negotiations with Kaufman Lynn, the highest-ranked firm in the Mobility Hub preconstruction and construction-management solicitation.
The measure passed 4–1, with Lago voting in favor and Castro opposed.
The city later ended its agreement with Kaufman Lynn and proceeded with Suffolk Construction, which had ranked second in the competitive evaluation. The Gazette reported the contractor change on Oct. 26.
The records reviewed do not establish that Pantin participated in the decision to replace Kaufman Lynn.
Pantin is the son of Martha Pantin, Coral Gables’ director of communications and public affairs. The Miami Herald documented their mother-son relationship in a 2023 investigation.
Martha Pantin oversees municipal communications and serves as a spokesperson for the city administration. She does not vote on development approvals.
The available records do not establish that she participated in her son’s lobbying activities, his firm’s contributions or the decisions concerning The Mark and the Mobility Hub.
The Mobility Hub contractor contributed to four candidates
Suffolk Construction’s political committee contributed $1,000 to Sanabria on Oct. 27, after giving $1,000 each to Lago, Menendez and Group V candidate Dominique “Nikki” Whiting on Oct. 16.
The four contributions totaled $4,000 and reached four of the seven municipal candidates, including both candidates competing for Group V.
The reports reviewed show no Suffolk contribution to Castro or to mayoral candidates Laureano Cancio and Holmes.
Suffolk registered with the city in September concerning the Transit Mobility Center, the project also known as the Mobility Hub.
City officials have confirmed that Coral Gables ended its agreement with Kaufman Lynn and proceeded with Suffolk. The replacement contractor was preparing detailed costs and a schedule when the Gazette last reported on the project.
The timing raises questions about the agreement’s status when Suffolk’s PAC made its contributions, whether additional commission approval is required and whether the city’s vendor-contribution disclosure provisions apply.
The available records do not establish that the donations affected the contractor decision or violated any reporting requirement.
Contributions involving a separate city contractor also reached other candidates.
Engineer Carlos A. Penin gave Castro $1,000 on Oct. 28. C.A.P. Engineering Inc., where Penin is president, contributed $750 to Sanabria on Oct. 21.
A related company, C.A.P. Government Inc., appears on the city’s active-contract list as a provider of plans review and building inspection services under RFQ 2022-016A, with a listed contract term extending through February 2027.
Penin’s current ownership or management relationship with C.A.P. Government has not been independently established.
The donations illustrate that contributions involving businesses with identifiable municipal relationships are not confined to candidates associated with Lago.
Cash shifted sharply in the closing stretch
The latest filings also changed the financial position of the seven candidates.
Whiting held the most estimated remaining cash on Oct. 29, while Lago and Menendez spent substantially more than they raised.
| Candidate | Money received, Oct. 17–29 | Spent | Estimated cash Oct. 29 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lago (mayor) | $7,000 | $78,253 | $14,985 |
| Cancio (mayor) | $516, self-funded | $400 | $444 |
| Holmes (mayor) | $1,400 loan | $0 | $1,419 |
| Castro (Group IV) | $5,836 | $5,580 | $8,931 |
| Menendez (Group IV) | $15,500 | $47,272 | $14,731 |
| Whiting (Group V) | $6,350 | $25,387 | $32,759 |
| Sanabria (Group V) | $3,400 | $2,452 | $2,559 |
Source: Campaign-finance reports for Oct. 17–29 and earlier filings. Estimated cash is calculated from reported monetary receipts, loans and expenditures, not verified bank balances. In-kind contributions are excluded from cash totals.
The Gazette independently reconciled the earlier starting figures for Cancio and Holmes against the city’s official candidate-finance summaries.
Lago spent more than 11 times what he raised during the period. His estimated remaining cash declined from approximately $86,238 on Oct. 16 to $14,985 on Oct. 29.
In Group IV, Menendez spent $47,272, approximately 92 percent of it with Big Tuesday, and finished the period with an estimated $14,731.
Castro, who spent $5,580, had an estimated $8,931 remaining. That amounted to about 61 percent of Menendez’s balance, compared with 19 percent on Oct. 16.
Menendez’s donors reveal additional political connections
Menendez raised the most of any candidate during the period, $15,500 from 18 contributors, including 13 checks of $1,000. Seven contributors listing Coral Gables addresses supplied $5,510, or 35.5 percent of the total. They included Daniel de la Vega, president of ONE Sotheby’s International Realty; Oscar Rodriguez, a founding partner of ROVR Development; real estate investor Matthew Brooks; real estate agent Andres Miyares; and attorney Daniel Ravicher.
The remaining $9,990 came from contributors listing addresses outside Coral Gables, including $3,000 from three Agave-associated companies, $1,000 from ASASKA Investments and $990 from Tridente Strategies. The connections extend into other campaign accounts. ASASKA previously contributed $5,000 to Coral Gables First, while Rodriguez’s ROVR-associated companies gave the committee $5,000 in June. Brooks contributed another $1,000 each to Lago and Dominique “Nikki” Whiting in October.
Tridente Strategies is operated by Jesse Manzano, a longtime political consultant to Lago and Coral Gables First. The firm gave Menendez $10 in January and another $990 on Oct. 29, bringing its identified contributions to his campaign to $1,000 this year. The records establish the payments and the donors’ business relationships, but not their motivations or any coordination among campaigns.
Contributors listing Coral Gables addresses provided approximately 75 percent of Castro’s monetary receipts and 21 percent of Whiting’s. Those addresses are reported mailing addresses, not independently verified residences.
Whiting also received contributions from donors in Pennsylvania, New York and Tampa. She spent $25,211 with DRC Consulting for advertising, mailers, text messaging and related campaign services.
The figures describe campaign finances through Oct. 29 and do not include subsequent transactions or obligations not yet reported.
Author: Coral Gables Gazette News Staff
Originally established in 1996 and relaunched as a digital publication in February 2025, the Coral Gables Gazette is an independent local news organization dedicated to factual, objective and accountable community journalism. Our newsroom reports on the people, policies, institutions and events shaping Coral Gables, Florida, providing residents with timely, informative coverage of the issues affecting their community. Our reporting includes City Hall, local government, municipal elections, public spending, real estate development, business, education, arts and culture, and neighborhood affairs throughout the City Beautiful. We follow City Commission decisions, examine public records and report on the businesses, organizations and individuals contributing to Coral Gables. We believe informed residents are essential to a healthy, engaged community. Stories published under the Coral Gables Gazette News Staff byline are prepared or compiled by the publication's editorial team. We strive for accuracy, fairness, transparency and clear distinctions between news reporting, opinion and advertising. Readers are encouraged to submit news tips, corrections, editorial inquiries and story suggestions through our Contact page and learn more about our standards through our Editorial Policy.
