The Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust has gotten a complaint about Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago and his intense interest in the annexation of Little Gables, where his lobbyist brother represents the largest property owner.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ladra knows Lago said that nobody in his family had any business interest in the area. But that was a lie. He was very dramatic about it, pulling out an affidavit at a public commission meeting in August and signing it, “under penalty of perjury,” in front of the City Clerk.
“For the record,” he said, declaring himself the lead negotiator on the annexation process. “Neither I nor any member of my immediate family have any property or business interest in any property or business located within the boundaries of the area commonly referred to as Little Gables.”
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He got up and handed the affidavit to City Clerk Billy Urquia. “The city clerk will notarize it. This will be a public record,” Lago said.
“People have made very strong allegations that I own a property in Little Gables, that I have a business interest in Little Gables, that I have accepted money from lobbyists in Little Gables to bring this back,” he said. “I am putting it on the record that that is furthest from the truth.”
Wellllll. Not furthest.
The mayor’s brother, Carlos Lago, is the registered lobbyist for Titan Development Partners, the business that owns the mobile park in Little Gables that could become another Old Spanish Village. In fact, there are some old plans floating around that would turn it into a “Moorish village.”
Carlos Lago has been registered to lobby for Titan Development with the city of Miami since 2014.
Wait… take a look at the fine print on the mayor’s affidavit. There’s a footnote that says “‘Immediate family’ is defined in accordance with the Miami-Dade County Ethics Code (Sec. 2-11.1(b)(9), as spouse, domestic partner, parents, stepparents, children, and stepchildren.”
Um, that’s missing a few words.
According to the county’s municode found here, “Miami-Dade County Conflict of Interest and Code of Ethics Ordinance,” (Sec. 2-11.1(b)(9), says “the term ‘immediate family’ shall refer to the spouse, domestic partner, parents, stepparents, siblings, half-siblings, step-siblings, children, and stepchildren of the person involved.”
Siblings, half-siblings, step-siblings.
Did the mayor miss that? Or did he knowingly and intentionally delete those words when he made that big public todo about not having any business interest in Little Gables?
Because he couldn’t have signed it if it said siblings.
And doesn’t this mean that he actually does have a conflict of interest? Me thinks the lady doth complain too much.
The city is reviewing the annexation of Little Gables — for the umpteenth time in 34 years — because it is a public safety matter, Lago said. And he is right that Coral Gables Police and Fire could respond quicker to that area more often than not. It’s an enclave, an unincorporated island surrounded by the cities of Miami and Coral Gables on all sides. Having the county respond there is not the most efficient way to provide services.
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Little Gables should definitely be annexed into the City Beautiful already.
But Lago, who did not return several calls and text messages over several days — and he was told what it was about — should not be involved in any part of it. He should recuse himself from any further votes or even discussion on the annexation.
And he should stop lying.
“There is no hidden agenda,” he said Aug. 24. “There is no benefit on my part.”
Keyword: My. Because the benefit is on his brother’s part.
Affidvait from Vince Lago on conflict of interest by Political Cortadito on Scribd
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