Incumbent Mayor Vince Lago soundly defeated City Commissioners Kirk Menendez and Michael A. Abbott to retain leadership in the Coral Gables mayoral election on Tuesday.
Vince Lago received 55% of the vote to 38% for Commissioner Kirk Menendez. Michael A. Abbott came in a distant third place with 7% of the vote.
Lago has been the Mayor of Coral Gables since April 2021. He also won re-election in 2023 to go along with his victory yesterday.
The race picked up some extra steam after Menendez operatives were allegedly passing out fake code violation notices over the weekend.
It all proved to be a big gimmick at the end of the day. Although Lago said he's still looking into the notices with the State Attorney’s Office and the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics.
In a race for Coral Gables City Commissioner - Group II, Commissioner Rhonda Anderson received 58% of the vote to beat Felix Pardo with 38% and Laureano Cancio with 4.5%.
Anderson has been the Vice Mayor of the City of Coral Gables since May 2023. She was first elected to the Coral Gables City Commission in April 2021.
In the race for Coral Gables City Commissioner - Group III, Richard Lara earned 47% of the vote over Tom Wells with 39% and Claudia Miro with 14%.
