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Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Coral Gables mayor and Spanish radio station reach settlement in defamation suit
Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago and Actualidad Media Group have reached a settlement in a defamation lawsuit the mayor filed in reference to remarks made on a local Spanish-language radio station, court records show. The recent settlement ends a lengthy court battle between Lago and the station, which aired host Roberto Rodriguez Tejera's show on Actualidad 1040 AM. Details of the settlement have not been disclosed. Lago sued in 2023, saying his personal and professional reputation were damaged after Tejera and Coral Gables Commissioner Ariel Fernandez, who was then a candidate, falsely claimed during an on-air segment that Lago was the subject of a Miami-Dade Ethics Commission investigation regarding a potential conflict of interest. At the time, Lago was under a preliminary review by the commission after it was alleged that his family had financial ties to a trailer park at the center of a city annexation battle. The Ethics Commission has said it does not consider a preliminary review to be an investigation. The ethics commission later closed out the matter, writing that 'the preliminary information gathered does not support further investigation.' Lago claimed the radio station 'deliberately fabricated the narrative' that the mayor was under an ethics investigation 'to falsely suggest to its listeners that the ethics commission had found evidence of unethical or illegal behavior by Lago.' The media company argued that the statements were not fabricated. 'Even assuming, arguendo, that the Statement was not perfectly or technically accurate, the 'gist' or the 'sting' of the Statement is still true or, at a minimum, substantially true,' the company wrote in court documents. The settlement was reached last week, according to a notice filed by Joseph P. Farina, a retired Miami-Dade chief circuit court judge who has served as a mediator in the case since April. Attorneys for the two parties sent the Miami Herald the same statement on Wednesday: 'Actualidad 1040 AM would like to clarify: On February 27, 2023, it was reported on the Contacto Directo radio show on Actualidad 1040 AM that there was an ethics investigation against Mayor Lago. To clarify, the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust had opened a 'matter under initial review.' The matter was opened because unnamed concerned individuals had lodged a confidential ethics complaint against Mayor Lago. After undergoing its internal process, on August 23, 2023 the Ethics Commission determined that the complaint was 'not legally sufficient to commence an investigation' and closed the matter. The parties have amicably resolved their dispute, and Mayor Lago has agreed to dismiss his lawsuit.' Miami Herald staff writer Tess Riski contributed to this report.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The upcoming elections for Miami, Coral Gables have changed. Here's what to know
When is the next election in the city of Miami? What about in Coral Gables? Commissioners in both cities have recently changed upcoming election dates, decisions that haven't been without controversy, and one that — at least in the city of Miami — has drawn the attention of state officials. In Miami, the City Commission postponed the November 2025 election to November 2026, extending the terms of the mayor and commissioners. In Coral Gables, officials have moved up the election from April 2027 to November 2026, which will shorten terms of existing members by several months. It can be confusing to keep track of what's happening. Here's your cheat sheet: In Coral Gables: Coral Gables elections will now be held in November in even years, to coincide with state and national elections. Elections were previously held in April during odd-numbered years. The change, which was approved by a 3-2 vote by the City Commission earlier this year, will cut short the terms of commissioners and of Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago by over four months in order to move up the date of the next election from April 2027 to November 2026. The next election date is now set to be Nov. 3, 2026. During this election, voters will also be asked to decide whether the City Commission should be prohibited from moving future election dates without voter approval. In Miami: Miami elections will now be held in November in even years to coincide with state and national elections. Elections were previously held in November in odd-numbered years. The change, which was approved by commissioners and signed into law by Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, pushes the upcoming November 2025 general election to November 2026. The election postponement will give current city commissioners and the mayor — who is termed out at the end of the year — an extra year in office. The next general election is now set for Nov. 3, 2026. However, there will still be a special election in November 2025 so that voters can weigh in on a ballot question asking whether there should be stricter term limits for elected officials. And there's still a chance the election could be reverted back to November 2025. A candidate for mayor, former city manager Emilio González, has filed a lawsuit against the city that hopes to reinstate the election this fall. And some residents believe state leaders could intervene. Miami and Coral Gables commissioners who voted for the election date change say it will save the cities thousands in election-related costs and also increase voter turnout. In general, more people usually vote in local races in years when state and federal candidates are also on the ballot. However, some critics have raised concerns that national partisan elections could drown out information about local candidates, while others have suggested there are political motives behind the date changes. Some have questioned whether city commissioners can unilaterally change election dates — a decision that also changes the length of their current terms — without voter approval. Election schedules are determined by a city's charter, a document that outlines the structure, powers and functions of the city's government. Charter changes generally require voter approval. The city attorneys for both Miami and Coral Gables have previously said that the election date changes are legal. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier have disagreed with the city of Miami and said that it's up to voters to decide. Uthmeier described the plans of Miami commissioners as an 'unconstitutional deviation' and advised the city to not change election dates without voter approval. Neither the governor or the state attorney general have publicly chimed in on the Coral Gables election date change, though Coral Gables Commissioner Melissa Castro has requested an opinion from Uthmeier. In Coral Gables, City Attorney Cristina Suárez recently reiterated in a formal legal opinion that the City Commission's decision to change the election date is 'legally sufficient in accordance with applicable law' and stated that opinions from the Florida attorney general, who so far has only responded to the city of Miami, are 'non-binding and advisory only.' The city attorney's June 26 opinion was in response to Castro's request for a formal legal opinion. Castro was one of two commissioners who voted against moving the elections to November without letting voters weigh in. 'We were not the ones who put us in office — it was the voters. It was our residents. So for us to come up here without consent or voter approval, without going to referendum, and make that decision, it's very wrong, very, very wrong,' Castro said at a recent City Commission meeting. An ordinance she presented in July to revert elections back to April failed to pass. Castro also was 'censured,' or publicly reprimanded, by the mayor and other commissioners during the meeting. Her decision to write to the state's attorney general blindsided and outraged Mayor Lago, Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson and Commissioner Richard Lara. The three chastised her for contacting Uthmeier without holding a special meeting or consulting with the other commissioners. As of Friday, Uthmeier had not responded to Castro's letter. In Miami, City Attorney George Wysong insists the city's decision is 'legal and consistent with Florida law' and has pointed to what he said was a precedent set by the city of North Miami, which recently changed its elections to even years. That decision was challenged in court and went up to the Third District Court of Appeal, which affirmed a lower court's ruling that the city had the authority to make the change. In a recent legal filing, the city of Miami called the North Miami ruling 'highly persuasive' but conceded that it is 'not binding' precedent. 'No matter how you slice it, if you move the dates of the election, somebody is gonna get an extra year,' Wysong said in a commission meeting last month. Residents have countered, however, that that doesn't give the city the right to deprive them of voting on the change. The election date changes in Miami and Coral Gables are official, at least for now. Uthmeier, the state attorney general, had previously warned the city of Miami that his 'office reserves the right to consider taking all available actions to prevent this violation of law from occurring.' But the state has not yet announced any formal action against the city of Miami.
Axios
19-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Coral Gables commissioners to lower salaries after pay raise
Coral Gables commissioners are expected to slash their salaries by around 50% this week — reversing a controversial pay raise approved by their predecessors. Why it matters: Undoing the 2023 pay raise was a major campaign promise for candidates who won their April elections, including Mayor Vince Lago, who is now proposing the pay decreases. Driving the news: The new pay structure would reduce the salaries and expense stipends paid to commissioners, while nixing a $703 monthly car allowance approved in 2023 by the prior commission. By the numbers: The mayor's overall compensation would be reduced 45% to $47,908 from the current $87,000. The vice mayor's compensation would decrease 51% to $41,875 from $85,046. The three commissioners –– two of whom voted in 2023 to increase their pay — would see a 53% pay decrease to $38,922 from the current $83,046. The latest: Commissioners voted 4-0 earlier this month to approve the pay decrease on first reading, with a final vote scheduled for Tuesday. What's next: Lago wants to give voters the right to approve any future compensation changes. He proposed a resolution calling for a November referendum to require voter approval for any compensation changes apart from Consumer Price Index adjustments. The four commissioners present at the May 6 meeting said they agreed with giving residents power over their pay. The intrigue: Commissioner Ariel Fernandez, who also voted in 2023 to increase his own salary, now supports reversing that pay increase.
