By Coral Gables Gazette staff
Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago renewed his criticism of local news media at the City Commission’s January 27 meeting, launching into an extended diatribe over what he described as unfair and damaging coverage of his conduct at the previous commission meeting.
While the mayor singled out a new target during this meeting, the Miami New Times, he repeatedly broadened his criticism to include local media more generally, injecting political overtones and even referencing foreign press as he expanded his grievances against what he characterized as a hostile fourth estate.
Lago’s tone oscillated between earnest and sardonic. At times, he warned of what he described as corruption and personal damage inflicted by the media. At others, he appeared amused, recounting stories about foreign officials lamenting their own press coverage and drawing comparisons to what he labeled “mudslinging” by publications covering Coral Gables, including the Gazette.
Throughout the meeting, the mayor framed discussions around imagined headlines he said might result from commission actions, occasionally laughing as he announced them from the dais. He also stated that he intentionally raised certain issues and publicly named individuals he accused of misconduct in hopes that journalists would pursue stories he believed were deserving of coverage.
Over the past year, Lago has repeatedly criticized local media outlets, questioning their motives and financial interests. At the meeting, however, he introduced a new phrase into his critique, one long associated with national political rhetoric.
“So this is the typical intimidation by a liberal blog, liberal media who is trying to destroy everything that has to do with who I am, my family, my business,” Lago said, referring to a recent New Times article about the city’s editing of the January 13 commission meeting video.
Mayor makes allegations against New Times
Despite repeatedly questioning the relevance and credibility of the Miami New Times, Lago spent more than half an hour discussing its reporting. Numerous outlets, including the Gazette, Miami Today, blogs such as Political Cortadito, and even Aesop’s Gables, one of the few digital publications the mayor has publicly praised, covered the disorderly Jan. 13 meeting. Nonetheless, Lago focused his criticism on the New Times.
“Why did the New Times publish that? Because they’re pay for play just like the AI Gazette and just like the coffee website,” Lago said, referring to Political Cortadito. “You pay them and they’ll write whatever they want. They’ll smear anybody. It doesn’t matter.”
The mayor provided no evidence to support his allegations that the New Times or other outlets he routinely labels “pay for play” received compensation for their coverage. The New Times has denied the claim.
Lago then appeared to contradict himself, arguing that the “real reason” the publication was critical was because the city had been enforcing standards for newspaper racks. He presented photographs of New Times newspaper stands that showed some of them to be rusted, empty, or poorly maintained.
“They’re upset because for years I’ve been holding them accountable,” Lago said. “So what do they do now? They’re trying to intimidate me. But I’m not going to be intimidated by the New Times.”
Discussion of the article continued for another 15 minutes, with Lago repeatedly asking city staff to comment on the condition of newspaper stands and reiterating that he believed the publication was targeting him in retaliation. The New Times subsequently published a follow-up article detailing the mayor’s extended remarks, with an off-color headline, as is their custom.
More media commentary from Lago
Despite spending a significant portion of the meeting criticizing journalists and news coverage, Lago returned to the subject several more times.
Recounting what he described as a humorous anecdote from a recent visit by a Sister City delegation from La Antigua, Guatemala, the mayor said officials from both cities bonded over their shared frustration with press coverage.
“There’s an Antigua Gazette, like the Coral Gables Gazette,” Lago said. “They wrote an article saying that four elected officials came here to learn how to do corruption. How to spread corruption to other cities.”
Lago said Guatemalan officials laughed after reading coverage from outlets including the Gables Insider, the Gazette, and Political Cortadito. “They were like, ‘I can’t believe this happens here. It happens over there,’” he said.
He added that he wished the article could have been shown during the meeting and said the city manager would share it with commissioners.
Moments earlier, Lago had recounted a conversation with the mayor of La Antigua, whom he described as “probably in his 40s” and also a general contractor. “Funny how that works out,” Lago remarked, seemingly noting the similarities between them.
According to Lago, his counterpart explained that transitioning from cash-based parking revenue to electronic collection resulted in a 300% increase in revenue. He further claimed that the first building permit approved under the new administration generated more fees than the previous decade combined.
“Talk about corruption,” Lago said, before mocking what he described as the Guatemalan newspaper’s focus on alleged wrongdoing by public officials.
Mayor seeks coverage of recall resolution
While much of Lago’s commentary focused on negative media coverage, he also urged journalists to report on a recently approved city resolution calling on the Florida Legislature to impose due diligence and reporting requirements on organizations leading municipal recall efforts.
Lago said the resolution stemmed from a failed recall effort against him that ultimately triggered an investigation. He named a Coral Gables resident, leaders of the Miami-Dade County Fire Union, and others, alleging that signatures were falsified and that those involved should be held accountable.
“I’m putting all the names out there hoping that somebody writes a story,” Lago said.
This Post Has 14 Comments
this is good ——–media is the watchdog but it makes many mistakes and it needs to be pointed out and criticized so long as there is basis for the finger pointing and criticisms and the debate and exchange of ideas is always good and healthy trust me on this been there and done that
“How to Know When It’s Time to Step Down From A Leadership Role”
~By SUCCESS Staff/August 16, 2025
Lago needs to go.
WOW … we now have a “local Mayor” into “bashing the media” as our state and national politicians do instead of … accepting, and positively responding to, what just could be valid opposing opinions.
We’ve fallen quite far down as the “City Beautiful”
Have you ever heard of the 75% rule? or the 75%political rule..It goes like this , 25% of people like you and can’t be convinced not to like you..another 25% like you but can be convinced not to like you..Another 25% don’t like you but can be convinced to like you..And the last 25% of people don’t like you and can’t be convinced to like you…That means that your best % approval rating can only be 75%…..That being said there are always going to be people that don’t like you,always…Coral Gables has grown at a steroid type level due to the population mobilization caused by covid in 2020..Land prices have exploded and everybody wants to move to Sunny South Florida..Developers realize this and thats the land boom we have witnessed in Coral Gables…Billions of dollars have poured into Coral gables….Immediately people blame Vince Lago for the massive expansions..Reality is that Vince cannot stop or even slow progress..You can’t..And of course people assume that there must be some funny business at city hall.Of course some people trash talk the mayor(the 25%),But of course show no evidence whatsoever of any malfeasance,just inherant jealousy and baseless assumptions..I have lived in Coral Gables for 58 years and I can tell you the best mayors we have ever had have been Cason and Lago..The other ones had self interests and were clowns…We should be praising Vince Lago for his leadership…He has been a great Captain of the ship Coral Gables and has steered us through many turbulant waters…George Merrick would be proud of Vince Lago and the work he has done…
Newspaper racks??! It’s the 21st century! Those racks are museum items. Get rid of them. The Miami New Times is free online. Save paper!
It seems that the mayor does not understand the foundation of democracy: freedom of press and freedom of speech! Without it, a state will end in tyranny!
Lago is tiresome. Who cares what the media publishes? It rattles him so much so the media continues to publish, and not all of it is necessarily BS. We have serious issues in our city and I wish Lago would focus on this instead of wasting his time.
As if Coral Gables Magazine, with its mercenary clown editor and incestuous relationship with local real estate and developer firms, isn’t the Lago regime’s personal mouthpiece. The hypocrisy is typical of this idiot.
Pay to Play political media has been around forever. I recall in the 1980’s the City of Miami awarded a highly contested cable TV franchise to TCI then the largest cable company in the world. Local lobbyist Dick Knight and Stephen Ross ginned up the local Cuban “periodiquitos” of the era Patria, Zig-Zag and others to create a controversy forcing the City Commission to reverse themselves and create a partnership with their client a local cable operator Americable. The forced marriage was a fiasco leading to TCI having to pay Americable millions to walk away. Today’s “pay to play journalism” is no different. Buy pages of advertising and the editorial page comes with it.
Jose Menendez, twist your rhetoric all you want. Lago has made us look like fools. He is aggressive, autocratic, disrespectful to others who see things differently, and thinks he knows more than us. You and the mayor do not understand how much we want him out of our city. I contacted him once, and the cold curt response I got told me all I needed to know about this narcissist fool. He needs to close his mouth and start working for us. He needs to stop attacked and complaining about others. Work on a building moratorium and stop pushing his agenda on us. Most if this city WANTS HIM OUT, with his 2 puppets. We are sick of him.
What lago, anderson have done to this beautiful city into a mini Manhattan. I no longer enjoy driving in downtown Gables since there is so much traffic, poor parking and tall buildings. The crowded and overbuilt city is it’s new name.
Jose Menendez – your statement that “Reality is that Vince cannot stop or even slow progress” is inconsistent with Coral Gables’ history. For example, “Coral Gables: From Bankruptcy to Beauty” tells how Bill Kerdyk, Sr. cast the sole dissenting vote and then rallied residents to stop a developer from building several high-density buildings in the Cocoplum subdivision despite the 4-1 Commission approval in the late 1960s. That was before real estate developers could buy influence and Zoning Code exceptions for incompatible developments (e.g., 110 Phoenetia Avenue project destroying the Garden of Our Lord and the garden-apartment area), instead of officials being concerned about the quality of life of residents. Another key anti-development vote was in the early 1980s when Mayor Dorothy Thompson (together with then Commissioner Valdés-Fauli) voted to restore The Biltmore Hotel rather than selling it to condo developers. Imagine if the current majority-voting pack faced those decisions! We need to elect people focused on residents, density, traffic, police, fire, infrastructure demands, preventing incompatible developments and quality of life instead of trying to build another Brickell Avenue. To do that, we need MORE INFORMED VOTERS. You have a voice to preserve our history and protect our quality of like in the upcoming vote-by-mail referendum.
The fact is, The Miami Times is a worthless rag.
That said, Lago is a problem child with a sensitive ego. He is NOT his father.