POLL: How would you rate the Coral Gables government’s responsiveness to community concerns — including those of residents, business owners and other stakeholders?
Any time I have reached out with a concern, i.e., street light outage or issue with trash in the swale that didn’t belong to me, the response was professional and quickly resolved.
For a long time I have been complaining about lack of enforcement of city code on Ponce and Miracle Mile regarding bikes, scooters and ska
teboards. Now add robots making pedestrian’s
Life unsafe. Rhonda Anderson has answered with some ideas that sadly have had no results and other officials like Lago do not bother or pass complaints to Police Chief which in turn doesn’t do much about it while it all becomes increasingly dangerous.
Code Enforcement is a joke! Just look at the junkyard on the HIGHLY visible corner of Segovia and Riviera. The neighbors have complained for years and nothing is ever resolved.
I think that rusted out yellow van in the driveway on the Riviera side is particularly “ornamental” 🙄
But Code Enforcement is selective.
Take the house in the 1400 (north side) with all the 3, last I saw, campaign (not exactly political) signs and cutesie clutter on the front yard…)
Our politicians have no true political vocation to serve the city and its citizens. What they do is use their position as a means of livelihood and relevance.
I went to city hall to complaint about the peacocks (as many as 15 at a time) in the neighborhood and they said the city cannot do anything. I was referred to the county which said they are not responsible either.
I went back to city and was told “Sorry there is nothing they can do.” Really? If it’s outside my property they won’t wait for the peacock to come, they don’t have the time to sit and wait! So don the peacocks have to walk into City Hall?
I went to city hall to complaint about the peacocks (as many as 15 at a time) in the neighborhood and they said the city cannot do anything. I was referred to the county which said they are not responsible either.
I went back to city and was told “Sorry there is nothing they can do.” Really? If it’s outside my property they won’t wait for the peacock to come, they don’t have the time to sit and wait! So don the peacocks have to walk into City Hall?
It does seem there is selective code enforcement in the City. At our old house on Romano Avenue virtually EVERY TREE in the yard has been cut down and removed. Even the 85 year old Poinciana tree that was about 60 feet tall in the front yard. You can even look on Google Maps or the Zillow listing and see that all the trees have been removed. I have plenty of pictures myself. I looked up permits for the property. NOTHING about any tree removals? I remember we used to have a poinciana tree in the back yard, too, and it was dying – we had to have a certified arborist come and look at it in order to get the permit to remove it. So what happened to all the trees in our old yard? How were they removed without permits? Why is nothing done about it? Especially when the City is so proud of their “tree canopy.” OLD TREES like that need to be saved at all costs. Personally, I hated the tree. It was messy, it dropped red flowers in July during the rainy season. It continually dropped seed pods and started “volunteer” trees around it. We had to spend a fortune to trim it every other year for hurricanes, too. But I would never think of getting rid of it. So how did the new owners get rid of it and all the other trees in the yard?
Incompatible development is ruining our city…basic services such as fixing potholes and broken sidewalks are lacking or nonexistent…the slow response in filling police and firefighters’ proper levels of first responders is concerning…the lack of understanding by our elected officials as to why Miracle Mile is struggling…the lack of proper maintenance and upkeep of our historic structures…are some of the reasons why my answer is “poor”.
The City handed over the Bagel Emporium property to Dade County, which has only one elected commissioner who represents us on the county commission. Neither the neighbors or the City will have any control over the development on that property. Soon we will look like Brickell with overdevelopment and traffic pouring through our neighborhoods. And don’t think it’s just the properties near the site that will be affected. You can’t get on US1 from Hardee as it is, so everyone will be going through the neighborhoods down Maynada, Ponce and South Alhambra. A big giveaway to developers.
The question of whether Coral Gables is “responsive” misses a deeper nuance. In my experience, the City’s responsiveness is among the quickest I’ve seen anywhere. Ironically, it’s so good that it can create unintended consequences. It has created a culture of entitlement.
Not every complaint or request should be met with white-glove treatment. When residents come to expect immediate and exhaustive attention for every minor issue, it risks diluting resources, slowing down broader priorities, and shifting focus from what truly matters.
Responsiveness should be about balance: listening, addressing real concerns quickly, and prioritizing wisely. Coral Gables excels at the first two. Administration and electeds may need to have a larger conversation about the third.
The Mayor only cares about himself, he’s a petulant child. And his 2 puppet commissioners simply follow his commands. They don’t care about resident concerns. The few times I’ve reached out, Lago simply argues to defend his point of view and couldn’t care less about the issues affecting our neighborhoods if they’re not aligned with his views.
Stop the construction !!!!!!!! October 10, 2025Reply
I am so sick of the ugly, hateful, negative politics in Coral Gables. The Mayor is a pompous king who has been totally rude in his answers when contacted. He will not listen to us and thinks he knows more than we do. If someone would have run against him, we would not have him as a Mayor. His 2 sidekicks are also as useless in their support of the citizens who live here as he is. Again and again, NO MORE CONSTRUCTION. The people who live here do not want it but you and your greedy friends who are developers override everything we request. This city does not look like Coral Gables anymore with big cold buildings that block our sunshine and green spaces. I wish someone would do a recall on Lago. STOP THE CONSTRUCTION ! Stop the construction, stop the construction, stop the construction. Do you think he finally heard us. No, because he is deaf to the people who he is supposed to work for.
Continuous disregard for residents especially the attitude of Mr Lago when anything does not go along with his wishes—clear example was his display of the Israeli flag in his office window after it had been decided by the Commission that nothing was going to be done regarding the international situation in Gaza
I’m voting fair because our city significantly lacks public green spaces. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is a prime example of a beautiful, well-sized park that offers ample greenery and a serene environment. However, as it is a private garden, access is limited, and not everyone can enjoy its benefits.
The community needs larger public parks with abundant greenery to promote outdoor activities, enhance biodiversity, and provide a space for residents to connect with nature. Green spaces are essential for our mental and physical well-being, and they foster a sense of community. It’s crucial that our city prioritizes the development of more expansive parks to improve our quality of life and ensure everyone has access to nature.
My tree trimming company was fined $2000 for improper tree trimming of four black olive trees in my yard. I had to then pay an arborist $850 for a written report (mostly pictures of the trees) as to corrective action to take. This was back in July. Since then, virtually nothing has happened. The city has yet to give me a permit to do the work. the tree trimming company still has not been paid for the work he did, and my arborist is still waiting to supervise the corrective trimming the city said was needed. By now the trees have regrown foliage and one cannot tell that anything harmful was ever done to the trees. This whole affair was a waste of money and effort for all concerned. I even emailed one of the City commissioners about this issue, but never received an acknowledgement or a reply.
Code Enforcement is a JOKE! Its selective and unfair
illegal construction without permits, illegal Airbnb, illegal studios for rent, illegal trash dumping, just to name a few!
This Post Has 19 Comments
Any time I have reached out with a concern, i.e., street light outage or issue with trash in the swale that didn’t belong to me, the response was professional and quickly resolved.
For a long time I have been complaining about lack of enforcement of city code on Ponce and Miracle Mile regarding bikes, scooters and ska
teboards. Now add robots making pedestrian’s
Life unsafe. Rhonda Anderson has answered with some ideas that sadly have had no results and other officials like Lago do not bother or pass complaints to Police Chief which in turn doesn’t do much about it while it all becomes increasingly dangerous.
Code Enforcement is a joke! Just look at the junkyard on the HIGHLY visible corner of Segovia and Riviera. The neighbors have complained for years and nothing is ever resolved.
I think that rusted out yellow van in the driveway on the Riviera side is particularly “ornamental” 🙄
But Code Enforcement is selective.
Take the house in the 1400 (north side) with all the 3, last I saw, campaign (not exactly political) signs and cutesie clutter on the front yard…)
Our politicians have no true political vocation to serve the city and its citizens. What they do is use their position as a means of livelihood and relevance.
I went to city hall to complaint about the peacocks (as many as 15 at a time) in the neighborhood and they said the city cannot do anything. I was referred to the county which said they are not responsible either.
I went back to city and was told “Sorry there is nothing they can do.” Really? If it’s outside my property they won’t wait for the peacock to come, they don’t have the time to sit and wait! So don the peacocks have to walk into City Hall?
I went to city hall to complaint about the peacocks (as many as 15 at a time) in the neighborhood and they said the city cannot do anything. I was referred to the county which said they are not responsible either.
I went back to city and was told “Sorry there is nothing they can do.” Really? If it’s outside my property they won’t wait for the peacock to come, they don’t have the time to sit and wait! So don the peacocks have to walk into City Hall?
It does seem there is selective code enforcement in the City. At our old house on Romano Avenue virtually EVERY TREE in the yard has been cut down and removed. Even the 85 year old Poinciana tree that was about 60 feet tall in the front yard. You can even look on Google Maps or the Zillow listing and see that all the trees have been removed. I have plenty of pictures myself. I looked up permits for the property. NOTHING about any tree removals? I remember we used to have a poinciana tree in the back yard, too, and it was dying – we had to have a certified arborist come and look at it in order to get the permit to remove it. So what happened to all the trees in our old yard? How were they removed without permits? Why is nothing done about it? Especially when the City is so proud of their “tree canopy.” OLD TREES like that need to be saved at all costs. Personally, I hated the tree. It was messy, it dropped red flowers in July during the rainy season. It continually dropped seed pods and started “volunteer” trees around it. We had to spend a fortune to trim it every other year for hurricanes, too. But I would never think of getting rid of it. So how did the new owners get rid of it and all the other trees in the yard?
Incompatible development is ruining our city…basic services such as fixing potholes and broken sidewalks are lacking or nonexistent…the slow response in filling police and firefighters’ proper levels of first responders is concerning…the lack of understanding by our elected officials as to why Miracle Mile is struggling…the lack of proper maintenance and upkeep of our historic structures…are some of the reasons why my answer is “poor”.
The City handed over the Bagel Emporium property to Dade County, which has only one elected commissioner who represents us on the county commission. Neither the neighbors or the City will have any control over the development on that property. Soon we will look like Brickell with overdevelopment and traffic pouring through our neighborhoods. And don’t think it’s just the properties near the site that will be affected. You can’t get on US1 from Hardee as it is, so everyone will be going through the neighborhoods down Maynada, Ponce and South Alhambra. A big giveaway to developers.
The question of whether Coral Gables is “responsive” misses a deeper nuance. In my experience, the City’s responsiveness is among the quickest I’ve seen anywhere. Ironically, it’s so good that it can create unintended consequences. It has created a culture of entitlement.
Not every complaint or request should be met with white-glove treatment. When residents come to expect immediate and exhaustive attention for every minor issue, it risks diluting resources, slowing down broader priorities, and shifting focus from what truly matters.
Responsiveness should be about balance: listening, addressing real concerns quickly, and prioritizing wisely. Coral Gables excels at the first two. Administration and electeds may need to have a larger conversation about the third.
The Mayor only cares about himself, he’s a petulant child. And his 2 puppet commissioners simply follow his commands. They don’t care about resident concerns. The few times I’ve reached out, Lago simply argues to defend his point of view and couldn’t care less about the issues affecting our neighborhoods if they’re not aligned with his views.
👍Totally agree
I am so sick of the ugly, hateful, negative politics in Coral Gables. The Mayor is a pompous king who has been totally rude in his answers when contacted. He will not listen to us and thinks he knows more than we do. If someone would have run against him, we would not have him as a Mayor. His 2 sidekicks are also as useless in their support of the citizens who live here as he is. Again and again, NO MORE CONSTRUCTION. The people who live here do not want it but you and your greedy friends who are developers override everything we request. This city does not look like Coral Gables anymore with big cold buildings that block our sunshine and green spaces. I wish someone would do a recall on Lago. STOP THE CONSTRUCTION ! Stop the construction, stop the construction, stop the construction. Do you think he finally heard us. No, because he is deaf to the people who he is supposed to work for.
Why ask folks to leave a reply when our replies will not even be read! Pointless and a big waste of people’s time!
Continuous disregard for residents especially the attitude of Mr Lago when anything does not go along with his wishes—clear example was his display of the Israeli flag in his office window after it had been decided by the Commission that nothing was going to be done regarding the international situation in Gaza
FAIR
I’m voting fair because our city significantly lacks public green spaces. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is a prime example of a beautiful, well-sized park that offers ample greenery and a serene environment. However, as it is a private garden, access is limited, and not everyone can enjoy its benefits.
The community needs larger public parks with abundant greenery to promote outdoor activities, enhance biodiversity, and provide a space for residents to connect with nature. Green spaces are essential for our mental and physical well-being, and they foster a sense of community. It’s crucial that our city prioritizes the development of more expansive parks to improve our quality of life and ensure everyone has access to nature.
My tree trimming company was fined $2000 for improper tree trimming of four black olive trees in my yard. I had to then pay an arborist $850 for a written report (mostly pictures of the trees) as to corrective action to take. This was back in July. Since then, virtually nothing has happened. The city has yet to give me a permit to do the work. the tree trimming company still has not been paid for the work he did, and my arborist is still waiting to supervise the corrective trimming the city said was needed. By now the trees have regrown foliage and one cannot tell that anything harmful was ever done to the trees. This whole affair was a waste of money and effort for all concerned. I even emailed one of the City commissioners about this issue, but never received an acknowledgement or a reply.
Code Enforcement is a JOKE! Its selective and unfair
illegal construction without permits, illegal Airbnb, illegal studios for rent, illegal trash dumping, just to name a few!