Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago could soon face a recall election if a group of local activists has their way. Led by resident Maria Cruz and lawyer David Winker, a box brimming with petitions seeking Lago’s removal was delivered to City Hall on Friday. The recall committee collected approximately 1,700 signatures, just over 100 more than the required 5% of Coral Gables' registered voters in the last election, according to a report by NBC6.
Maria Cruz, chair of the recall committee, stated, "Coral Gables is the city I love and I can not stand to see what he’s done here," NBC6 reported. Allegations against Lago suggest he may have financially benefited from an estate lease deal with developer Rishi Kapoor while the company had projects pending before the City Commission. In another vein, Mayor Lago has refused to go on camera but released a statement claiming the recall effort is driven by special interests and accuses the recall proponents of deceptive tactics.
Lago's assertion, detailed in his statement, paints a different picture: "…this municipal recall effort is being pursued by special interests who want to control the future of our city. These pay-to-play interests are falsely portraying the recall as a resident-driven process, but the reality is far from that," suggesting instead that the residents were duped by illegal tactics. Despite his allegations of dark money from out-of-town developers, Lago has yet to substantiate these claims with evidence.
Criticism of Lago’s tenure as mayor is palpable among the community. "The mayor who is not a strong mayor thinks that he’s so powerful he can get everybody to do his calling,” Cruz told NBC6.
The Miami Herald announced via X that the group claims to have collected enough signatures to move the recall effort into its next phase. Now, it's only a matter of time before the signatures are vetted by the Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections office.
Coral Gables mayor recall group says it has enough signatures to advance to next stage https://t.co/IzuRVpFs3w
— Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) April 13, 2024
If the petitions hold up under scrutiny, those advocating for the mayor's recall insist Lago will have to directly address the accusations. The next step would involve gathering twice the number of signatures previously collected, potentially setting the stage for a special election in Coral Gables—a vote that could ultimately unseat Mayor Vince Lago.
