Remember how Ladra told you earlier this month that Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago may have an ulterior motive to push for the annexation of Little Gables, and how the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust got a complaint about his brother’s connection to the trailer park owner?
Well, that may have pushed Lago to put the annexation on a fast track.
On Tuesday, the mayor will bring a resolution to the city commission that says, outright, and before all the data is in, that the annexation is beneficial to the city, and tells the city manager to keep taking the necessary steps to make it happen.
Read related: Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago may have conflict of interest in Little Gables
City commissioners initially directed the city manager and city attorney in August to “reinitiate the annexation process” for the Little Gables area abutting North Gables. In January, they added the High Pines/Ponce Davis area adjacent to South Miami to the city’s annexation efforts.
Possible annexations: Little Gables on the left and High Pines/Ponce Davis area on the right.
“The specific steps included taking action to retain professional consulting services to assist City staff with the annexation process, meet with the Board of County Commissioners following the November 2022 election to ascertain support for the annexation, analyze the additional City resources necessary to support Little Gables and High Pines/Ponce Davis if annexed, analyze a sample of one hundred (100) recent home sales within Little Gables and within High Pines/Ponce Davis, and report findings to the City Commission at an appropriate time to determine next steps.”
Apparently, the first steps have already been very encouraging, according to Lago’s agenda item. Ladra can’t help but wonder which commissioners they met with and if they registered as lobbyists.
“The analyses conducted thus far indicate there are long-term benefits to annexation that will accrue to the City as well as the areas of both Little Gables and High Pines/Ponce Davis,” the resolution says, and Ladra, for one, can’t wait to see these analyses conducted thus far.
“And the City Commission wishes to direct the City Manager and the City Attorney to take the next steps in furtherance of the annexation process.”
They need to hear it again? It’s like the mayor is saying, “C’mon, get a move on.” This is obviously a priority for him. Tiene tremendas ganas que pase.
Could it be because his brother, Carlos Lago, is the lobbyist on record for the largest property owner in Little Gables, the trailer park that the city wants to boot 200 people from and build high-density residences? Ladra has seen drawings — that were allegedly also turned over to the ethics commission — for a “Moorish Village” of townhomes, apartments and retail to be built on that land.
Can you imagine how much it would go up in value?
Read related: Little Gables annexation dreams dashed by staged ‘grassroots’ effort
Tuesday’s resolution directs the city manager and city attorney to “take the next steps in furtherance of annexation efforts.” But it apparently includes a lot more than just having community meetings about it. The city administration is expected to prepare and send “petitions to ascertain support for annexation,” and schedule a public hearing to authorize the “submittal of annexation petitions.”
That’s a lot of involvement. Certainly more effort than the city has exerted in the 30 or so years Little Gables homeowners have asked for annexation. Why so much interest now?
At the very least, Mayor Lago should recuse himself from any vote or discussion on the annexation of Little Gables, which could make his brother’s client rich. Instead, he’s sponsoring the resolution?
Hope the Ethics Commission is taking note.
The meeting begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 405 Biltmore Way. It can also be watched online on the city’s website.
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