Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago slid easily into re-election two years ago after no one opposed him. That’s not the case this time.

He faces two opponents in Tuesday’s election. One is a friend-turned-foe and fellow City Commission member, Kirk Menendez, who has increasingly sided against Lago on pivotal votes.

The other is first-time candidate Michael Anthony Abbott, who has an open lawsuit against the city over a 2020 encounter with police that resulted in his arrest.

Lago carries the advantage of incumbency and a significant funding edge into Election Day. But he’s also more politically vulnerable. That’s due to a power shift following the 2023 election, when two outspoken critics of his — Melissa Castro and Ariel Fernandez — defeated Commission candidates he supported.

Since then, it’s been battle after battle at City Hall, with Menendez frequently siding with the five-member Commission’s newest members against Lago and Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson, who also faces a pair of challengers Tuesday.

Among other things, Menendez cast tie-breaking votes to give City Commission members huge pay raises and to fire and hire a new City Manager last February without a national search.

Lago and Anderson voted against both decisions and vowed to donate their extra pay to charity, though neither provided proof of doing so when asked by the Miami Herald.

Things have grown uglier since. Last April, Lago accused Menendez, Castro and Fernandez of assisting a failed citizen effort to recall him. A tense exchange he had with then-City Manager Amos Rojas Jr. in June led to a since-tossed accusation by Rojas that Lago assaulted him.

Lago came under further negative light this week after Coral Gables Police confirmed a private investigator, a former city cop, tailed Fernandez while he drove his son to school. Fernandez said he suspected Lago was behind the surveillance and said he’d also had his car vandalized and his tires slashed.

Menendez said he’d had his tires slashed too and intimated Lago was involved because he hadn’t condemned the action. Lago denied any involvement and said he’s repeatedly been the target of smears over the past two years.

Lago is suing over one incident in which he said he was unjustly maligned, a 2023 radio segment in which Fernandez errantly said Lago was under investigation by the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust. He was actually under preliminary review by the agency, which later dropped its inquiry.

This month, he also threatened to sue the blog Political Cortadito over a report his lawyer called “false, libelous, and defamatory.”

These and other hostilities incensed some residents and spurred five non-officeholders to run this year on variously worded promises to restore decorum and respect at City Hall. Also top-of-mind is the evergreen subject of overdevelopment, the gist of which is that everyone opposes it on the record, albeit to different degrees.

Lago, a 48-year-old construction executive in private life, has served in Coral Gables government since 2013, including as Vice Mayor. He’s a registered Republican, though the city’s elections are technically nonpartisan.

He promises, if re-elected, to increase government transparency and public safety, support “smart development” commensurate with Coral Gables’ character, lower property taxes and improve sustainability efforts. He cited the city’s lower crime rate, expanded green spaces and trolley services, open-door policy at City Hall and effort to move elections to November among his accomplishments.

As in elections past, Lago proved a formidable fundraiser this cycle, stacking $472,500 by March 21 through his campaign account with ample contributions from developers, local businesses and residents.

His political committee, Coral Gables First, had more than $149,000 left as of Dec. 31. Florida’s relatively new campaign finance rules won’t require the PC’s numbers through the end of last month until April 10, two days after Election Day.

Another PC backing Lago, Accountable Coral Gables, has raised and spent about $90,000.

That’s more than double what Menendez, 62, has raised this cycle.

A former Assistant Miami City Attorney-turned-public relations and real estate pro, Menendez won his City Commission seat the same year (2021) Lago secured the mayoralty. He’s enjoyed having the swing vote on the Commission since Castro and Fernandez won office in 2023.

Menendez, a Republican, is running on a promise to combat the influence of special interests at City Hall, though he, Castro and Fernandez last year voted against proposals to hire an Inspector General to examine alleged government corruption. They said they wanted to instead add the Inspector General through a charter amendment that hasn’t yet materialized.

Menendez told the Miami Herald that because he isn’t beholden to developers and other special interests, he can confidently back policies that “reinforce the pillars of our city government from attacks that undermine and destroy our community.”

His campaign account added $39,500 and spent more than half that sum by March 21. His political committee, The Coral Gables Way, reported no campaign finance activity through New Year’s Eve.

Abbott, a 60-year-old without party affiliation, is an accountant, logistics entrepreneur and a founding member of the Coral Gables Action Committee that previously sought Lago’s resignation.

He told the Herald he wants to tighten the city’s budget and “eradicate corruption.” He said he supports development that doesn’t negate what makes the city special and City Hall needs more civility.

According to Political Cortadito, Abbott was initially charged in 2020 with assault and battery on a law enforcement officer, but the charges were later dismissed. A confiscated memory card containing video he recorded of the encounter disappeared.

Abbott argued that the city infringed on his First and Fourth Amendment rights and sued.

Through March 21, he raised about $2,400 and spent most of it. The preponderance of his campaign funds came from his and his wife’s bank accounts.

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If the Attorney General’s Office wants Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell to prosecute more people, she says she needs more prosecutors on her payroll.

Worrell sent a letter to Attorney General James Uthmeier requesting 13 additional prosecutors and support staff to help process non-arrest cases. The Orlando Democrat said the backlog of those cases soared during the 17-month period when she was suspended on grounds she had not adequately prosecuted crimes.

“Across the State of Florida, State Attorney Offices are struggling with budgetary limitations and find it extremely difficult to fully staff our offices,” Worrell wrote.

“Similarly, the 9th Circuit has been historically underfunded due to the exponential growth in the Central Florida population over the years. Without fail every year, we request additional funding from the legislature to hire more prosecutors and staff to handle the increase in cases which naturally comes with an increase in population. While we have not been successful, we nonetheless work extremely hard with the limited human resources we have to keep the citizens of the 9th Circuit safe.”

She sent the letter a day after Uthmeier posted concerns that Worrell implemented policies that would lead to injustice. He attacked Worrell and other prosecutors around the country seeking criminal justice reforms backed by political donor George Soros, who previously supported Worrell’s campaign.

Uthmeier shared coverage of Worrell’s recent announcement that she will only pursue charges against criminals if police obtain arrest warrants before bringing cases to her office.

“Prosecutors play a vital role in keeping the community safe and pursuing justice, and Soros-backed prosecutors do not have the right to put Floridians at risk. The blanket policies announced by Monique Worrell are contrary to the essential duties of a prosecutor,” Uthmeier posted.

“As Attorney General, state law gives me general supervisory authority of State Attorney Worrell’s office, and I will direct my office to review her policies and their impact on public safety. We will use every tool available to step in and protect the people of Central Florida.”

Importantly, Uthmeier served as DeSantis’ Chief of Staff when Worrell was suspended. DeSantis named Uthmeier to the job of Attorney General after appointing former Attorney General Ashley Moody to the U.S. Senate. Worrell in November won another term and returned to her post after defeating Andrew Bain, who DeSantis appointed as her replacement.

Worrell addressed Uthmeier’s post in her letter, though noted it had not been accompanied by any official correspondence.

“It is important to note that this office received 12,118 non-arrest cases in 2024 alone, most of which were not viable for prosecution and created a backlog for unnecessary review by our limited attorneys and staff,” Worrell wrote.

“However, this non-arrest problem did not start with my administration, and in fact, dates back to at least 2013 and four prior State Attorneys. Likewise, non-arrest cases are not only a problem in the 9th Circuit, as other State Attorneys have taken similar action in refusing cases from law enforcement that, on their face, cannot be proven in a court of law.”

If Uthmeier wants to ensure Worrell’s Office pursues charges in the non-arrest cases, she said a tool available would be the budgeting of extra personnel.

“My goal is not to increase work for law enforcement but to lean on our partnership for their support in building the strongest cases possible by conducting more thorough investigations and making appropriate probable cause determinations so that we may successfully prosecute the cases submitted to our office,” she wrote.

“Thank you in advance for your consideration of this request. I look forward to hearing from you concerning this matter.”

AG Letter Regarding Non Arrest Policy 4-4-25 by Jacob Ogles on Scribd

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The Florida congressional delegation will convene in Washington to discuss the state’s recovery efforts and how to improve resiliency.

U.S. Reps. Vern Buchanan and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Co-Chairs of the delegation, called a hearing for 8 a.m. Wednesday at the Rayburn House Office Building. The bipartisan delegation leaders said it was important for lawmakers to come together after three back-to-back hurricanes — Debby, Helene and Milton — struck Florida in a single year.

“Our constituents deserve the full support of the federal government as they continue to recover and rebuild from last year’s devastating hurricanes,” said Buchanan, a Longboat Key Republican. He represents a Gulf Coast district touched by multiple storms.

“Many of my constituents incurred thousands of dollars in disaster-related expenses, and we must do everything we can in Washington to help those still suffering. Our congressional delegation is committed to supporting those still rebuilding and prioritizing efforts to prepare for future hurricanes.”

Even parts of the state far from where storms made landfall saw damage from related rain and tornadoes.

“Thousands of Florida residents are still putting their lives back together after hurricanes Helene and Milton upended them last year,” said Wasserman Schultz, a Weston Democrat.

“Getting them fully back on their feet remains a top priority. And with the next hurricane season just two months away, I’m committed to working closely with our entire delegation to make sure Florida has the tools and resources we need, including stronger recovery efforts and better forecasting and preparation, to weather the storms ahead.”

A panel of experts from Florida and Washington will testify to the delegation, including Florida Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mark Wilson, National Weather Service Director Ken Graham from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Florida Chief Resilience Officer Wesley Brooks.

Florida’s congressional delegation includes both of the state’s U.S. Senators, Ashley Moody and Rick Scott, along with 28 House members. The House delegation has 20 Republicans and eight Democrats.

The state of hurricane response has drawn criticism from the left and right in the last year. Republicans criticized the Federal Emergency Management Agency over political discrimination after Hurricane Milton, a scandal that resulted in the firing of several supervisors. More recently, Democrats have criticized the Department of Government Efficiency calling for layoffs of hundreds of forecasters at the National Weather Service ahead of hurricane season.

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