Mayor Vince Lago’s reelection campaign collected $57,750 in contributions on Oct. 6 and 7, nearly 88 percent of the $65,750 it raised during the two weeks ending Oct. 16, dramatically changing the financial picture ahead of Coral Gables’ Nov. 3 municipal election.
The surge lifted the mayor’s estimated unspent campaign funds to $86,238, more than triple the amount available two weeks earlier. Separately, Coral Gables First, a political committee associated with Lago, raised another $34,560 and held an estimated $248,771 in remaining funds, according to the Gazette’s reconstruction of its financial records.
Together, the two accounts had estimated balances of approximately $335,000. They are legally separate, however, and the committee’s money is not part of Lago’s candidate treasury. The figures are calculated from campaign-finance disclosures, not independently verified bank balances.
The Gazette’s investigation identifies the people behind several major contributions, including real estate developers, political consultants, a restaurant operator, a title company owner and a statewide political committee chaired by Florida’s Republican lieutenant-governor nominee.
It also documents donations from businesses holding city contracts, attorneys representing development interests and political committees supporting multiple candidates. One contributor, Suffolk Construction Company’s political action committee, gave $1,000 each to Lago and two commission challengers on Oct. 16, as the city was transitioning its controversial Mobility Hub project to Suffolk.
Corporate records reveal additional relationships among contributors sharing business addresses, while financial disclosures trace money between political committees over several election cycles.
The records establish these financial and professional relationships. They do not, by themselves, demonstrate improper influence, illegal contributions or coordination.
Lago accounts for 72 percent of new candidate contributions
The seven candidates reported $90,869 in outside monetary contributions between Oct. 3 and 16. Lago received 72.4 percent of that amount.
His campaign collected 83 contributions, including 56 for exactly $1,000, the limit for contributions to municipal candidates under Florida law. Those maximum-size contributions supplied $56,000, or 85.2 percent of his new money.
The fundraising was concentrated on Oct. 6 and 7, when 73 contributions totaling $57,750 arrived. Donors using Coral Gables mailing addresses supplied $30,750 over the full reporting period, or 46.8 percent.
Individuals contributed $35,300, businesses $25,450 and political committees $5,000.
Lago reported spending $4,621, leaving approximately $86,238 in estimated funds. That compares with $25,109 in the Gazette’s Oct. 12 campaign-finance report.
His new contributions were more than twice the $26,750 his campaign had raised in all previous reporting periods combined.
Where the seven candidates stand
| Race | Candidate | Raised Oct. 3–16 | Spent | Estimated funds remaining |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayor | Vince Lago | $65,750 | $4,621 | $86,238 |
| Mayor | Laureano Cancio | $0 | $179 | $329 |
| Mayor | Jackson “Rip” Holmes | $65* | $65 | $19 |
| Group IV | Nestor Menendez | $7,700 | $7,664 | $46,503 |
| Group IV | Melissa Castro | $3,025 | $6,555 | $8,674 |
| Group V | Dominique “Nikki” Whiting | $12,394 | $21,575 | $51,796 |
| Group V | Gonzalo Sanabria | $2,000 | $6,472 | $1,610 |
Holmes’ $65 was a loan to his own campaign.
Estimated remaining funds are calculated from reported monetary receipts, including candidate loans where applicable, less reported expenditures. They are not independently verified bank balances. In-kind contributions are excluded. The table covers candidate campaigns, not separate political committees.
Group IV challenger Nestor Menendez continues to lead all seven candidates in cumulative monetary receipts, at approximately $131,870, followed by Group V candidate Dominique “Nikki” Whiting at $119,449 and Lago at $92,500.
But Lago’s estimated remaining funds now exceed those of any other candidate. Whiting retains more estimated cash than Menendez, while Group V candidate Gonzalo Sanabria has approximately $1,610.
City contractors among Lago’s contributors
Several of Lago’s contributors have identifiable business relationships with the city.
Tumblebees Gymnastics & Dance contributed $1,000 on Oct. 7, listing 405 University Drive, the address of the War Memorial Youth Center.
The city’s active-contract register identifies Tumblebees Coral Gables, Inc as the contractor responsible for gymnastics program-management services under RFP 2025-044.
The three-year contract began April 6, and runs through April 5, 2029, with two possible one-year extensions.
On Jan. 27, the City Commission approved the contract award through Resolution 2026-30. Lago, Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson and Commissioners Ariel Fernandez and Richard Lara voting in favor. Commissioner Melissa Castro was absent.
The contribution came more than eight months after the award vote. The reported donor name and address correspond to the Tumblebees operation, although the precise contributing legal entity has not been independently reconciled with the corporation holding the contract.
Ardurra Group, a Miami-headquartered engineering and infrastructure consulting firm led by president and CEO Ernesto Aguilar, contributed $1,000 to Lago on Oct. 13.
The city’s contract register lists Ardurra as holding agreements for civil and environmental engineering and transportation planning services.
A city public notice also identified Ardurra as the contractor conducting nighttime sanitary-sewer testing at city pump stations between Oct. 14 and 17, beginning the night after the reported contribution.
The testing was intended to identify stormwater and groundwater entering the sewer system and help prioritize infrastructure improvements.
The records document contributions from companies doing business with the city. They do not establish that either contribution influenced a contract award or government decision.
Suffolk contributions coincide with Mobility Hub contractor change
Another contributor now has a more immediate connection to a major municipal project.
The Suffolk Construction Company PAC gave $1,000 each to Lago, Menendez and Whiting on Oct. 16.
Suffolk finished second behind Kaufman Lynn Construction in the city’s February competitive evaluation for Mobility Hub preconstruction and construction-management services.
The city’s original procurement recommendation contemplated negotiations with Suffolk if an agreement could not be reached with the first-ranked firm.
That possibility has since become a reality.
City Communications Director Martha Pantin said the city ended its agreement with Kaufman Lynn because the firm was not meeting expectations related to contractual and project requirements. The city then proceeded with Suffolk, which was preparing detailed cost estimates and a work schedule, she said.
The contractor change was discussed during the Oct. 21 Parking Advisory Board meeting, when Parking and Mobility Services Director Monica Beltran said demolition of Parking Garage 1 could be delayed until as late as April.
Suffolk had also registered lobbying representation with the city in September concerning a project identified in the city’s lobbyist registry as the Transit Mobility Center.
The contributions therefore occurred five days before the contractor change was discussed publicly by the Parking Advisory Board. The exact date the city authorized proceeding with Suffolk, the status of its agreement on Oct. 16 and whether further commission approval will be required have not been established.
Coral Gables also has an existing vendor-contribution disclosure requirement. Under Section 2-303 of the city code, certain contributions involving municipal vendors or their principals must be disclosed to the City Clerk within 20 days. The city’s procurement guidance states that the requirement can encompass political committees.
Whether that rule applies to the Suffolk PAC contributions remains to be determined. The records reviewed do not establish a disclosure violation or show that the donations influenced the contractor change.
Lawyers, lobbyists and development interests
Five law firms or professional associations bearing attorneys’ names each contributed $1,000 to Lago: Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman, Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod, Anthony De Yurre P.A., Yormack Law and Alfonso M. Leon III, P.A.
Weiss Serota also contributed $2,500 to Coral Gables First in 2020 and $1,500 in 2023, according to the committee’s historical filings.
Attorney Anthony De Yurre appears in the city’s lobbyist registry as representing 4601 Coral Gables Property LLC on development matters concerning 4521 and 4601 South Le Jeune Road. His registration is dated Sept. 10.
His professional association contributed $1,000 to Lago on Oct. 7.
Land-use attorney Mario Garcia-Serra personally contributed $1,000 that same day.
The city’s legislative record identifies Garcia-Serra as lobbyist for the 301–341 Madeira residential project. On Sept. 15, commissioners approved amended development conditions allowing the developer to replace an underground-utilities requirement with a $300,000 payment to the city.
Garcia-Serra had also given Coral Gables First $1,000 on Sept. 25.
The lobbying work, commission decisions and political contributions are separately documented events. The records do not establish that any contribution was exchanged for favorable treatment.
Redwood developers give $35,000 to Coral Gables First
Coral Gables First reported 10 contributions totaling $34,560 during Oct. 3–16.
Its largest contribution was $10,000 on Oct. 6 from Redwood Dev Co, a Miami-based real estate development business led by Brian A. Sidman and David Burstyn.
The company’s leadership website identifies Sidman as founder and principal, Burstyn as co-founder and principal, and attorney Jeremy Ben-David as principal and general counsel.
Redwood specializes in workforce and attainable housing development. Sidman also leads BAS Holdings Investments, while Burstyn is associated with Winston Capital Management, a private real estate financing business.
Florida’s Division of Corporations identifies Redwood Dev, LLC, with the cross-reference name Redwood Dev Co, LLC. Its listed managing entities are Redwood National Properties LLC and Winston Development SB LLC.
A Redwood contribution under the closely matching name Redwood Dev Co LLC and the same Miami business address totaled $25,000 on July 9. Together, the two contributions attributed to the Redwood business total $35,000 in 2026.
Burstyn’s separate Winston Capital Management business has also been associated with financing involving a Coral Gables property at 480 Casuarina Concourse.
That financing involved another business associated with a Redwood principal. The Gazette has not established that Redwood itself has a pending Coral Gables development application or municipal contract.
A statewide political committee with a lieutenant-governor nominee
Two contributors gave Coral Gables First $5,000 each on Oct. 7: Fighting for Florida’s Families PC and Gables F&B.
Fighting for Florida’s Families is a state-registered political committee chaired by Bryan Ávila, the former Hialeah Republican state senator chosen by gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds as his running mate.
Ávila resigned his Senate seat in August to join the statewide ticket. He previously served eight years in the Florida House before his election to the Senate in 2022, where he chaired the Finance and Tax Committee.
The committee has a multiyear financial relationship with Coral Gables First.
Coral Gables First reported giving Fighting for Florida’s Families $5,000 in August 2021. The Ávila-chaired committee gave Coral Gables First $5,000 in May 2022 and another $5,000 on Oct. 7, 2026.
Coral Gables First also reported a separate $1,000 contribution to Ávila’s Senate campaign in June 2024.
JohnMartin’s operators and a city board member
The other $5,000 contributor, Gables F&B, is connected to JohnMartin’s Irish Pub & Restaurant on Miracle Mile. Florida corporate records list Emilio Guerra and Alex Mantecon as managers. Mantecon is also associated with Breakwater Hospitality Group, a South Florida restaurant and entertainment business.
Mantecon has a separate civic role in Coral Gables.
The city’s official board roster identifies him as a current member of the General Employees Retirement Board, serving a term through May 2027. He previously served on the Planning and Zoning Board from 2017 to 2019.
Gables F&B also has a history of seeking city authorization for restaurant-related activities, including the JohnMartin’s St. Patrick’s Day festival in 2023.
The October contribution was made by the company. Corporate records identify its managers but do not establish which individual authorized the donation or their exact ownership percentages.
A political strategist, a title company owner and a former planning board member
Other contributors to Coral Gables First can also be traced to identifiable South Florida business figures.
The Strategic Edge Inc., which contributed $3,000 on Oct. 7, is led by Brian E. May, its president and registered agent.
May is a longtime political and government-relations consultant who previously served as campaign manager and chief of staff to former Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas.
The city’s lobbyist registry also lists May as a representative of Lemartec Corporation concerning the Mobility Hub. Lemartec was another bidder in the city’s February procurement.
Strategic Edge contributed an additional $1,000 to Group V candidate Whiting on Oct. 12 and had given Coral Gables First $2,000 in March 2025.
Precision Home Title, which contributed $2,500, is owned by Odalys Torres, a licensed escrow professional with more than three decades of closing-services experience.
The company’s contributions extended beyond Coral Gables First. Precision Home Title gave $1,000 each to Whiting and Sanabria in September, while Torres personally gave Whiting another $1,000.
Those transactions total $5,500 across the company and its owner, directed to three political accounts.
Architect Roberto Behar contributed another $2,500 to Coral Gables First on Oct. 7.
Behar, a principal of Behar Font & Partners, whoi serves on the city’s Planning and Zoning Board through an appointment by Lago.
His firm is associated with The Mark, a proposed residential development approved by the City Commission on April 14, with Lago voting in favor and Castro opposed.
Behar had also contributed $1,000 to Whiting in September, according to the Gazette’s earlier reporting.
The contributions, professional work and board service are separately documented relationships. The records do not demonstrate that any contribution affected a city appointment or development decision.
Two nearly identical reimbursements to Brian Goldmeier’s firm
A separate set of entries in the October filings involves BYG Strategies, a political consulting and fundraising business associated with Brian Yale Goldmeier.
Florida corporate records identify Goldmeier as director and registered agent of BYG Strategies Inc.
The firm has provided fundraising and finance-related services to Coral Gables First and Lago over multiple election cycles.
Both Lago’s candidate campaign and Coral Gables First reported payments to BYG Strategies dated Oct. 15, described as reimbursements for a kickoff event.
Lago’s campaign reported $3,432.71, while Coral Gables First reported $3,432.70.
Each filing also identified Loews Hotels as the underlying event-location expense, in the same amount as the corresponding BYG reimbursement. Those hotel entries provide supporting transaction detail and are not counted as additional expenditures.
The two reimbursements totaled $6,865.41.
Corporate ties connect three donors at one address
The reports also show a cluster of contributions associated with 135 San Lorenzo Avenue, where three donors gave a combined $7,000 on Oct. 14.
Oscar Barbara gave Whiting $1,000. A contributor listed as Quantum gave Menendez $1,000. Alexdex Corporation gave Coral Gables First $5,000.
The connection extends beyond a shared mailing address.
Florida corporate records identify Oscar A. Barbara as president and director of Alexdex Corporation, headquartered at Suite 740 at that address.
Barbara is also a principal of Luxcom, a South Florida real estate development and homebuilding business, and is listed as manager of Quantum Home Builders LLC.
Alexdex itself appears as a manager of additional Quantum-named real estate entities, establishing corporate relationships among the businesses.
Alexdex also contributed $3,000 to Coral Gables First in September 2022, bringing its two identified contributions to $8,000.
The precise legal identity of the donor listed only as “Quantum” in Menendez’s report remains unresolved. The records establish relationships among Barbara, Alexdex and several Quantum companies, but do not identify which specific entity made that contribution.
The shared address and corporate connections warrant disclosure. They do not establish coordinated political giving.
Former ambassador and development family among overlapping donors
Another contributor appearing in three campaigns is Charles Cobb, who gave $500 each to Whiting and Menendez on Oct. 5 and to Lago on Oct. 6. Cobb is the former U.S. ambassador to Iceland and a real estate executive associated with Cobb Partners. His business career has included leadership of Arvida Corporation and Disney Development Company, along with service as chairman of the University of Miami Board of Trustees.
The matching name, mailing address and occupation support the identification of the contributor as the former ambassador.
Another group of contributions involves Gil Development, a family-owned South Florida residential development firm.
A donor listed as Augusto Gil gave $1,000 each to Whiting and Menendez on Oct. 7. Gil Development Inc., using the same business address, contributed $1,000 to Lago that day.
Other overlapping donors included the Miami Realtors Political Action Committee, which gave Whiting $1,000 on Oct. 1, Castro $1,000 on Oct. 5 and Lago $1,000 on Oct. 7.
Political contributions to competing candidates and separate committees are permissible. These transactions document overlapping financial support, not an agreement among candidates or contributors.
Whiting spends $21,575; Menendez spending slows
Group V candidate Dominique “Nikki” Whiting raised $12,394 through 24 contributions while spending $21,575.
Nearly all that spending — $21,274 — went to DRC Consulting, including $9,666 for a fourth campaign mailer, a $5,000 general consulting fee and $5,000 for a half-day video production shoot.
Her estimated remaining funds fell approximately 15 percent to $51,796.
Whiting has raised about $119,449 cumulatively, compared with Menendez’s $131,870. The gap between them has narrowed.
Her latest filing codes all contributions as checks. It does not resolve questions previously raised by the Gazette concerning cash-coded entries in earlier reports and two $1,000 contributions reported from the same donor, Jose Vizcarrondo.
Those records require reconciliation before they can be characterized as filing errors or violations.
Group IV challenger Nestor Menendez raised $7,700 through 13 contributions and spent $7,664, leaving his estimated remaining funds virtually unchanged at $46,503.
That represents a substantial reduction in total spending from the preceding seven-day reporting period, when he spent $36,970.
Menendez paid Big Tuesday Media another $4,000 for media consulting.
Coral Gables First has also used Big Tuesday extensively. Across the 2026 filings reconstructed by the Gazette, the two organizations have paid the firm approximately $167,038 combined so far this year.
Use of the same vendor by a candidate campaign and a separate political committee does not, by itself, establish coordination.
Castro, Sanabria and the other mayoral candidates
Commissioner Melissa Castro, Menendez’s Group IV opponent, raised $3,025 and spent $6,555, reducing her estimated remaining funds to $8,674.
Groundswell Strategies received approximately $4,592 for direct mail and other campaign services, while Opportunity Media Advertising received $1,900 for radio advertising.
Castro also reported a $193.52 in-kind contribution from herself for phone-bank services, excluded from her monetary fundraising total.
Her estimated remaining balance is less than one-fifth of Menendez’s.
Group V candidate Gonzalo Sanabria raised $2,000 and spent $6,472, leaving approximately $1,610.
His largest reported expenditures included $4,470 to Riesco and Company for professional fees and $950 to Apex Strategies for fundraising consulting.
Hello Gables, a separate political committee affiliated with Sanabria, reported no contributions and $3,975 in spending during the same period.
The two accounts reported combined expenditures of $10,447, but their finances remain legally separate.
Mayoral candidate Laureano Cancio reported no new contributions and spent $179.28 on printed signs. He had approximately $329 in estimated remaining funds.
Jackson “Rip” Holmes reported a $65 loan to his own campaign and a corresponding $65 expenditure for a walking list. He reported no outside contributions.
A fuller picture of the money behind the election
The latest campaign-finance reports show a substantial change from the financial picture presented two weeks earlier.
Lago’s campaign now holds the largest estimated balance among the seven candidates, while the separate Coral Gables First political committee has substantially more funds remaining than any single candidate account.
In the commission races, Whiting, Castro and Sanabria spent more than they raised during the two-week period. Menendez’s receipts and expenditures were nearly equal.
The records document contributions from companies with city contracts, individuals involved in development matters, political committees with multiyear financial relationships and donors who spread contributions among competing candidates.
They do not establish that those gifts bought influence, determined city decisions or resulted from illegal coordination.
With the Nov. 3 election approaching, the disclosures provide Coral Gables voters with a more complete accounting not only of how much money is flowing into local politics, but of the people and organizations providing it.
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.
