City Commission - Regular Meeting

Thank you.

Go up here, don't go down. Ready, Mr. Mayor.

Good morning.

Recording in progress.

Good morning. I'd like to welcome everyone. Thank you for being here to the August 25th, 2026 Commission meeting. As I've stated at every Commission meeting that we're blessed to be here at, this is a great opportunity for not only residents and business owners, but for employees to have the opportunity to speak We appreciate your guidance. We appreciate your support throughout the process. There's many opportunities to speak either in person, either at the beginning of the commission meeting during public comment, or as every item continues forward. Remember, once you speak on an item, whether it's in public comment, you will not be able to speak on that item again. Number two, if you cannot be here in person, we have many opportunities to speak via Zoom, or you could even send an email, or you could speak via a simple phone call. But more importantly, I'm beyond thankful to be your mayor and to have the opportunity to serve you. Welcome to the commission meeting. As we start off this morning, I'd like to welcome a very important person who serves this community for a long time, and it does it selflessly with incredible grace, our chairwoman for the school board who's here, Maritera Rojas. Thank you for your service, and thank you for always engaging with the city of Coral Gables, always being present. Thank you. Mr. Clerk, would you like to make a comment, a statement before the beginning of the commission meeting?

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I just want to let the commission know that Commissioner Fernandez reached out this morning and he informed that he will not be able to be in attendance at today's meeting. He is out of the country for work reasons, but he apologizes for not being here. Will he be attending via Zoom? He will not be able to attend via Zoom, Mr. Mayor.

Okay.

Moving on. To start off this morning, we have a very special invocation. I'd like to welcome our Assistant Fire Chief, Xavier Jones. Good morning, sir. Welcome to the city, beautiful. Not that you need to be welcome, but I think it's an opportunity to see you once again in a very different role that maybe people don't know I know about this role. If people don't follow you on social media, I highly recommend that you do. It's truly a pleasure to have you here with your vocation.

Thank you for this opportunity. I was just looking over my prayer this morning, and I was able to get it down from one hour to ten minutes, so, you know. Now let us pray. Father, we thank you that you are sovereign in all your way. Thank you, Father, that you would meet us in this meeting today, that everything be done decently and in order. Your word declares that many are the plans of man, but it's the purpose of the Lord that will prevail. Let your wisdom prevail. Lord, walk from item A to item H and let wisdom prevail. Let your word be clear. Let innovation flow. Give us soundness of mind, clarity of speech, and we'll forever give you praise. Thank you in advance for great results. It's in your name that we pray. Amen.

Thank you, Chief, Assistant Chief. It's always an honor to have you here in a different role today. Moving forward, this is something that, again, is incredibly important to everyone in this community. We're going to be, again, moving forward with the Pledge of Allegiance. I'd like to represent our Sergeant Marcos de Rosa to do the Pledge of Allegiance. It's an honor to have Marcos de Rosa with us today to lead us in the pledge. Sergeant Marcos de Rosa is a United States Marine Corps combat veteran who served for 12 years. Thank you, sir. Including during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He went out to serve 30 years with the Miami-Dade County Police Department, where he served in a variety of assignments. I remember the first time that our chief mentioned that you were joining the force. He mentioned not only your capabilities as an officer, but he also mentioned your true capabilities, which you showcase in regards to procedural manners at events, obviously celebrating our color guard and celebrating our great country. You make us look incredible, by the way. Thank you for that. Today, we're especially proud to have him serving our Coral Gables Police Department, where he continues to support and train our Honor Guard, as I mentioned. He is also the founder of Veterans Last Call, a non-for-profit dedicated to honoring and assisting veterans. Sir, thank you for your service to our country and to our community. We're honored to have you with us today and to have you on the force. Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Ladies and gentlemen. Please face the American flag, put your right hand over your heart, and follow me on the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you very much. You may take your seats.

As we celebrate our America semi-contennial moment, Sergeant, please give us a little background in regards to your prestigious and illustrious career.

Well, first of all, let me say good morning, Mayor Lago, distinguished leaders of Coral Gables. I appreciate the opportunity to be able to be here. I think this is very significant. It reflects on the leadership of Coral Gables as to what their focus is when it comes to the military personnel, the fire department, and the police officers that risk their life every day. My calling came in early on with the Marine Corps. I went into combat. I had the opportunity to be able to lead some very courageous men into battle during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. A lot of us had children being born during the time that we were fighting in battle, and our drive was to make it back home safe with our families and to be able to enjoy the freedoms that this great country of ours has given us.

Thank you, sir. We have a small token of appreciation. Again, we will always fall short no matter what we give you or how we honor you. But this is a show of gratitude on behalf of the city of Coral Gables, the commission, our city manager, city attorney, city clerk, all the employees. If I'd like to give you the small coin, if I may step up.

Fellow colleagues, please join us.

I may have a personal point of privilege. I want to take a moment to acknowledge the heartbreaking loss of four people with deep ties to the Coral Gables community. Adam Havoletti, Henry Parra, Roger Duarte, who were Coral Gables residents, and Jose Alberto Suarez, who grew up here. They were among those who tragically lost their lives in the helicopter crash in Kenya last week. Each of them made their own impact. And today, I want to remember the lives They lived and the many ways they contributed to and enriched our amazing community. Adam and Henry were Coral Gables residents and life partners who were married right here in our city at the historic Billmore Hotel and built their lives together. Adam was deeply connected to our community and to the Coral Gables Museum, which I serve on the same board. When he served on the board, Henry was a US Navy veteran. and an aviation software entrepreneur who co-founded Trax USA, a Coral Gables-based company. For nearly three decades, he helped build a business rooted right here in our community while also giving back to the people and organizations around him. They were Coral Gables through and through. Roger Duarte was a Coral Gables resident, husband and father of a young son. He and his wife, Nicole Valls Duarte, were building their life together here in the city of beautiful. A proud Gulliver Prep graduate like myself, Roger went on to become a successful entrepreneur in Miami's hospitality and food industry, founding George Stone Crab and co-founding My Ceviche. But beyond his professional accomplishments, Roger was known for his warmth, generosity, and the many friendships he formed throughout his life. He was a valued member of our community, of our Coral Gables community, and touched the lives of many people here and throughout the South Florida community he called home. Jose Alberto Suarez grew up right here in Coral Gables and was a graduate of Coral Gables Senior High School. He went on to build a remarkable career in journalism, eventually becoming a president and general manager of Telemundo stations across Florida. But perhaps one of the greatest parts of his legacy was the people he helped along the way. Also was a mentor to many in the television industry, someone who saw potential in others and encouraged them to pursue it. He cared deeply about the people he worked with and the communities he served. We are proud to remember him as one of our very own. Each of these men left their own mark on our community. They were neighbors, colleagues, friends, and members of our Coral Gables family. The lives they lived and the people they touched are part of the lasting legacy they leave behind. This is a tremendous loss for their families and for everyone who knew them. They were part of our community. And I know many people here are hurting and grieving alongside their loved ones. Our hearts are with their families and friends. We're thinking of them and holding them in our hearts during this incredibly difficult time. I would now like to ask everyone to join me in a moment of silence in their memory. Thank you. Moving to the business at hand. Now we move forward to presentation and protocol documents. Item A1, presentation and proclamation declaring September 2026 as Hunger Action Month in Coral Gables.

Madam Vice Mayor, will you lead us in this proclamation?

As we all know, hunger is something that many of us don't have to experience, but it's important that we recognize those that are and do what we can to cause an impact to reduce it. Whereas since 1981, Feeding South Florida has worked to address hunger and food insecurity by providing our community with immediate access to nutritious food and other vital resources and support. And whereas hunger does not discriminate, It knows no race, religion, or age. In South Florida, approximately 1 million individuals face hunger. And food should not be an impossible choice for the community. And whereas feeding South Florida leads hunger and poverty advocacy efforts in our community while transforming lives through innovative programming and education that provides economic growth and overall well-being. Whereas during this month, THE CITY RECOGNIZES THE CRITICAL IMPORTANCE OF ADDRESSING FOOD AND SECURITY IN OUR COMMUNITY AND ENCOURAGES ALL RESIDENTS, BUSINESSES, AND ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITY GROUPS TO TAKE MEANINGFUL ACTION AGAINST HUNGER. NOW, THEREFORE, I'VE BEEN SLAGO AS MAYOR OF THE CITY OF COAL GABLES ALONG WITH MEMBERS OF THE CITY COMMISSION TO HEREBY PROCLAIM SEPTEMBER 2026 AS HUNGER ACTION MONTH IN COAL GABLES. SO I'D URGE EVERYONE TO LOOK FOR AN ORGANIZATION that does help reduce hunger and has a food bank available. Feeding South Florida is a fantastic organization and contribute. Every bit helps. Do we have anybody here to accept the proclamation?

Come on up. Come on forward. Please join us at the podium. Thank you for joining us.

Good morning, everyone. My name is Cosmo Kumani, and I'm the Director of Strategic Gifts for Feeding South Florida and Miami-Dade County. On behalf of our team, I want to thank City of Coral Gables, Mayor Vince Lago, and the City Commissioners for recognizing September as Hunger Action Month. Feeding South Florida is the leading hunger relief organization serving Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe Counties. We serve over 1.7 million individuals annually, Locally here in Miami-Dade, we provide nutritious food and critical resources for over 553,000 households annually through a network of direct programs and partner agencies. Our work goes beyond food distribution. Through our community food pantries and mobile pantries, we ensure families have access to fresh, nutritious groceries. Our school pantry program and summer meals for kids make sure children don't go hungry in or out of the classroom. For older adults, we provide home-delivered meals. While our benefits outreach families access programs like SNAP, stretch their budgets. We also invest in long-term stability with workforce training programs that prepare individuals for careers in culinary arts, warehousing, and logistics. Together, these programs reflect our commitment not just to feeding families today, but also to building a stronger, hunger-free South Florida tomorrow. We are deeply grateful for the City of Coral Gables for this recognition and for your ongoing partnership in raising awareness, inspiring action, and helping us move closer to our community where no one has to wonder where their next meal will come from. Thank you.

Well, thank you. Thank you for our work on behalf of the most needy in our community, and we're blessed to have you here every single year. Thank you very much. Take a photo.

Yeah, take a photo. And through the mayor, I just ask that perhaps through our city news, we can inform people of how they can make donations to Feeding South Florida and make people aware of this is Hunger Action Month. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Perfect. Take a photo. Sergeant, I apologize. Please join us once again. Sergeant DeRosa.

Good morning again. Thank you very much for having me here. I would like to share with you a very special message that is directed towards the fire department, police officers, and all our soldiers that protect our freedom. As we commemorate America's 250th anniversary, it is fitting to reflect on the tradition of the honor guard and what it represents. For generations, the Honor Guard have served as a symbol of respect, service, and remembrance. They present our nation colors at ceremonies, honor those who have served, and pay solemn tribute to those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. The tradition is rooted in customs of the military where designated Honor Guards protected and carried their unit flags. On the battlefield, colors are represented and they identify with unity, spirit, and those serving together. To carry them is both a privilege and a profound responsibility. Over time, police and fire departments formed their own honor guards, carrying this tradition into public safety and civic life. Today, they serve at memorials, funerals, official ceremonies, parades, and community services. Through precision, discipline, and dignity they demonstrate respect to our flag, our nation, and the men and women who have devoted their lives serving others. Here in this beautiful city of Coral Gables, our police and fire honor guards carry on this proud tradition. Their presence at important civic events reminds us that public service is built upon values that have endured throughout our nation's history. Duty courage, integrity, and sacrifice. Those values are also reflected in the everyday work of our police officers and firefighters. Police officers are entrusted with protecting life, property, and maintaining public safety and responding when members of our community need help the most. Firefighters protect us from fires, medical emergencies, natural disasters, and countless other dangers. Both professions require extensive training, sound judgment, and willingness to place the safety of others before their own. Much of their work takes place away from ceremonies and public recognition. It happens at all hours of the day and night often during the most difficult moments in one person's life. Their service helped provide the safety and stability that allows our community and our democracy to thrive. As we reflect on this 250 years of American history, the Honor Guard reminds us that patriotism is more than a ceremony. The flag they carry represents freedom, preserves through the services and sacrifices of generations of Americans. It also represents a continuity of responsibility to protect our community, support one another, and uphold the ideals of which this nation was founded. To the members of the Honor Guard and all the men and women of Coral Gables Police Department and Fire Department, your courage and commitment to our community is exemplary. Thank you very much, and I appreciate the time.

Thank you, Sergeant. Do we have any members? I see one of members of the Honor Guard here. Let's take a photo.

Chief?

Moving on to item A2, congratulations to Firefighter Wilfredo Gonzalez, recipient of the City of Coral Gables Firefighter of the Month Award for the month of August 2026. Chief, good morning.

Good morning, Mayor. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen of the commission. So as we prepare to present our Firefighter of the Month, If you all recall, an iconic movie, Firebase, is called Backdraft. And Dennis Sullivan or Daniel Sullivan had a line in that movie, and he said, funny thing about firemen is that they're always firefighters. And I think that line is very emblematic of our firefighter of the month. First and foremost, he is a instrumental member of our SRT team, and he's competed and represented our department and has trained our department throughout his entire career. What brings him here today is that in late May, he was dining in a restaurant in the Keys when a patron next to him began to choke. He quickly... took action, did the Heimlich, and certainly prevented what would have been otherwise a significant tragedy. So for his commitment to our community and to the overall well-being of all residents of the state of Florida, Wilfredo Willie Gonzalez is our Firefighter of the Month.

Good morning, everyone. Morning. I want to thank everybody for having me here today.

I want to thank all my chiefs, captains, and lieutenants, and a special thank you to my wife and family for their support.

Good job.

Well done. Well done. Well done. Congratulations. Thank you. Thank you. Again, even when you're not in the city of Coral Gables, helping our residents and our business community, you're setting the example. Again, thank you. Because if it wasn't for you at that moment, who knows where that individual would be alive today. Well, thank you for representing us with class and dignity as always. God bless you. Thank you. Let's take a photo. And moving on to our final presentation of the morning before we go on to our first time certain item which will be f1 Item a three congratulations to detective Natalie Rivera Recipient of the city will give us detective of the second quarter award chief. Good morning.

Thank you for being here morning mayor commissioners This time I'd like to be joined with detective Natalie Rivera, please I So Natalie, recently assigned to our Youth Resource Unit, is a detective of the second quarter here in the Coral Gables Police Department. Our Youth Resource Unit runs out of the Criminal Investigations Division and really partners with the school board police and takes care of the life, families, traffic, whatnot with our students. On May 31st, 2026, A parent came to the station to report that his son has been extorted for money. The son, who has cerebral palsy, was being bullied into paying money into two classmates. The subjects would call the victim names, send extremely violent videos, threatening violence if the victim did not pay him over $900. Detective Rivera worked feverishly and quickly to stop the bullying and quickly identified the two subjects. She was able to establish probable cause to arrest the two subjects, identifying the home residents and apprehend both subjects within two weeks. Again, bullying in our schools is not tolerated by the school board, not tolerated by the school board police, and quite frankly, the reason why I got into this job was because I really can't stand bullies. The bottom line is, because of her work, because of her quick action, because of the fact that she brought her motherly instinct to what this investigation did, these two individuals' lives hopefully were interceded with the criminal justice system, but also changed and bettered the life of this child who was going to school and hopefully will become less affected by what these two individuals did. For these reasons she was nominated and elected as the detective of the second quarter, 2026.

Good morning.

Good morning, everyone. First, I'd like to thank you all. First, I'd like to thank all of our elected city officials for being here today as well as Chief Hudak and Deputy Chief Hanlon. I'd also like to thank the awards selection committee for choosing me for this recognition and Sergeant Escobar for taking the time to nominate me. I truly appreciate it. I also want to recognize my unit. I am very grateful to be part of such a great group of people and to work alongside them every day. I'm very grateful to be in the unit that I'm in, and I genuinely enjoy coming to work and doing what I do every day. It means a lot. to have that work recognized. Thank you again.

Congratulations.

All right. I have to call an out by. I know most of us, when our officers of the month and detectives of the quarter come up, they recognize their family members. Her husband happens to be the sergeant of our traffic homicide unit. So I'm going to recognize him as well, since I know you forgot him. But it's got to be fair. It's got to be fair. Sergeant Rivera, if he wants to step up as well, her sergeant. So as I've said always, Coral Gables City is a family. The police department's a bigger family. And this is one of our most productive couples that we have here in the police department. So we're extremely happy for both of them.

Wait, gee, that's not the first time. Can I please have a motion in regards to B1, regular city commission meeting, approval of minutes July 7, 2026? I'll move it.

Second.

All in favor? Aye. Aye. Thank you. Moving on to public comment.

We have one speaker this morning, Mr. Mayor.

Please close the public comment.

Will do.

Maria Cruz.

Mrs. Maria Cruz, 1447 Miller Road, 305-323-2154. This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. I think most people will agree that everything slows down during the summer months in our city. It's an occasional time for a lot of our residents. Some of ours even canceled their meetings. Even our commission went back to one meeting a month. Yet for some reason, Those in charge are not concerned. Important decisions are going to be made today. This agenda is packed with items that will impact our way of life that will forever change the city that we love. Why? What is the reason for getting all this done when some of our residents are still getting back to normalcy, trying to catch up with what took place while they were away. Is this what some of you call transparency, desire to get more community involvement, or is it to push them through before residents have time to learn all about them? What are we afraid of? Let your consciences be your guide. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Clerk. All right, moving on to the first item on the agenda, which is time certain.

Public comment?

Public comment. Jackson Homes. Can we please close the agenda for a second time? Yes. Thank you.

Greetings. Good morning, everyone, including people at home. I oppose the prospective nomination of Jose Gomez to be city manager. I find him to be surprisingly dishonest and unethical in the following respect. Many of you know that I've been pursuing strong reason to believe that there is free energy, and in fact, that there's a 60 minutes video quoting the US Department of Defense saying that there is free energy. Now we have the US government on our side saying there is free energy. Mr. Gomez, maybe a year and a half, two years ago, promised me that he would watch this video. I've sent it to him countless times by email. Finally, We had the problem in the Persian Gulf, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. I asked for a meeting. He gave me one, but he told me he never watched the video. So he was dishonest. Then he proceeded to tear into me and try and malign and defame the evidence of free energy. And when I tried to point out his fallacy, he hung up on me. So I had to call him back, begging him to rewatch the video because he was trashing. Look, how can he be fit? He's an engineer. And in violation of the principles of his licensure as an engineer, he's defaming a potential rescue for Coral Gables from sea level rise, from climate change, Even from these monster hurricanes created there, but from the, from the, from the climate change and the warm waters. Over the oceans and it dawned on me when I finally learned that that he's being. Nominated for city manager this actually may have been. purposeful on his part, trying to curry favor with you, Mayor Lago, thinking that this is going to get him his job. And I ask of you all, this is not a man fit to be the city manager of Coral Gables. He's throwing solutions to climate. He's lying, number one. Lying, and then he's throwing solutions to climate change under the bus so he can advance his career. We can do better. This needs to go to a national church. Search. It'll taint you, Mayor Lago, if you push on with this. Thank you.

All right. Thank you very much. That's it, Mr. Mayor.

Thank you. Moving on to item F1, times certain.

F1 is a resolution of the City Commission authorizing a joint use agreement with Miami-Dade County Public Schools regarding Coral Gables Preparatory Academy's non-exclusive use of Phillips Park during certain time periods for five school years, beginning with the 2026 to 2027 school year and continuing through the 2030 to 2031 school year with the renewal option of one additional five-year term.

Good morning.

Good morning, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Commissioners. My name is Chelsea Grinnell and I'm the Government Affairs Director. The resolution before you authorizes a joint use agreement with Miami-Dade County Public Schools and Coral Gables Preparatory Academy, their non-exclusive use of Phillips Park. This agreement continues a long-standing and valued partnership between the City of Coral Gables and Miami-Dade County Public Schools. The city and the school district have worked together for many years under the education compact, which was accepted by the city commission through a resolution in 2006. As part of that partnership, Coral Gables Academy has historically used Phillips Park for physical education and other student activities during the day. Since 2019, there has not been a formal joint use agreement in place. Bringing this forward now is especially timely following the recent renovations to Phillips Park and the city's $6 million investment of the park for the benefit of the community. For the first time, this agreement will also allow park users to access a school parking lot after hours and on weekends, when the need for parking is often the greatest. We are very pleased today to have School Board Chair, Mari-Therese Rojas, who is an incredible advocate for our public schools. We have Assistant Superintendent of Government Affairs, Tony Ulivari, who is formerly the principal of Coral Gables High School, and Coral Gables Prep Academy Principal, Jeanette Sierra, with us today. We're sincerely grateful for their time and their partnership. Their collaboration has really brought this process forward. It is also a good example of what can be accomplished through a positive partnership between Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the City of Coral Gables. I just want to note that we worked We worked collaboratively with all departments, the Intergovernmental Affairs Office over at the district, and the principal and the PTA of Coral Gables Prep. And we want to really thank everyone involved who was instrumental in bringing this forward. For those reasons, I would recommend the commission to approve the resolution that's before you. allowing the city manager to enter into a negotiation to execute the joint use agreement. And I'm not sure if the school board, or the chair rather, wants to say any words or the principal, but I'm sure she does.

Thank you, Madam Director. Thank you for your hard work on this. Madam Chair, it's always great to have you, as I mentioned in the beginning. It's truly a pleasure. You always not only answer my calls, but you answer everyone's call, and you're front and center in ensuring that we have the best public schools, the best school system in South Florida by far, head and shoulders. And I wanted to commend you also. I spent some time with the principal at Carver the other day. Patricia Faircloth, excuse me, I apologize, a longtime friend who also was the vice mayor in Homestead. She did an amazing job and has taken that school along with your leadership to new heights. I think we're at all A schools now in the city almost. I think we may have one that's a B plus.

Close.

Close, right there. But let me tell you, it's a lot better than when I started here 14 years ago and before you took over. So a lot of this, a lot of this, all of this, again, our work is, and these accomplishments are because of your hard work and your amazing staff that's here, your amazing staff and the teachers and the parents who obviously play a major role. So I just want to commend you for always being there because one of the things that the principal said at Carver was that you're front and center. We're talking about you and that's one of the things that we agreed upon most. And I want to thank you because you didn't have to be here today. You could have sent your team. You could have signed this agreement. But again, you said I wouldn't miss this opportunity. So thank you for being here.

Thank you so much, Mr. Mayor. You don't know how much I appreciate your words and your kindness and the fact that you don't just talk the talk, you walk the walk through the actions that you and your amazing team Uh, do here on a daily basis. So, Mr mayor and vice mayor and all of our commissioners, it is indeed an honor for me to be here representing not only as the chair of the school board, but representing this district whom I very proudly the now official once again, reelected. several years to come. So we have a lot of work ahead of us together as a team. As I always say, teamwork is what makes a dream work. We can never do it alone. And before I say anything else, I did not recognize Mr. Iglesias. It has been an absolute pleasure, sir, working with you, Chelsea, Carolina. I don't know if there's Chelsea. It's just a great team of people that are here for the right reasons. They have their heart in the right place and there is no better investment than investing in our children. They are the future of tomorrow. So I thank the entire commission because I am telling you, your return on investment is going to be absolutely phenomenal. So thank you for that. And I want to take a moment also to let everyone know that we do have a region director who's been involved with us, and that's Mr. Alejandro Perez. He's joined us as well. And our illustrious principal from Coral Gables Preparatory, Upper and Lower California. who's also been an absolute pleasure to work with. This partnership is especially meaningful because it directly benefits our students. And this is through the agreement that the middle school age students that are attending our Coral Gables Preparatory Upper Academy will continue to be able to have access to Phillips Park. And this is so that they can continue having their required physical education classes and for other events that may come up. You have no idea how significant this is for our students, for our principal, and for our parents. I want to, again, thank every single member here for your support, your guidance in this process, and for your agreement that hopefully will take place today. The long-standing partnership that Miami-Dade County Public Schools has with the City Beautiful is beyond amazing. I am so very proud because this is truly an example of what can be accomplished when local government is working collaboratively with our public school system. And again, this can only happen when we have a common purpose and that is giving our students the world so that tomorrow they can lead our country in an exemplary manner. So I just simply want to end once more by letting you all know how proud I am How blessed I am to be able to come here and have the relationships that I have with each and every one of you on behalf of my esteemed colleagues on the board, our current superintendent of schools, Dr. Jose L. Dodress, our superintendent-elect, Mr. Rafael Villalobos, who will soon be coming on board as well, and the entire Miami-Dade County public school family. Thank you. Thank you. And thank you. And looking forward to more collaborative partnerships that will be coming in the near future. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, because you have definitely put education at the forefront of your agenda. And I sincerely appreciate that.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. It's always an honor to have you here. Madam Principal. Thank you for your hard work. Again, I would like, I know you have prepared comments that you want to talk about Phillips Park and our collaborative efforts like the director mentioned before. But I want you to also talk a little bit about the accomplishments of the school. We don't tout enough. And that's one of the reasons why I sponsored this item because When I found out from staff that this had not been around since 2019, and we were about to make this significant investment in Phyllis Park, and it's adjacent to the school, I wanted to make sure that, again, not only does the residents and the business owners benefit from an amazing park, that's what we do. We do the best parks in South Florida, along with many other things. But the kids really should enjoy it. And also, for the first time, we were able to negotiate actual parking through the leadership of the chairwoman, our director, the manager, DCM, ACM, and everyone involved on your side. But I want to, I mean, the deal is a deal. The deal is a good deal for both, for both parties. I want you to highlight a little bit, if you may, after your prepared comments, highlight a little bit about the great things you're doing at the school. Talk about the school. Talk about the accomplishments. Because that's why, if you noticed when I started, I said, look at the great things. We're an A school everywhere. People, we're the envy of Miami-Dade County. There's a lot to complain about. And we spend most of our time complaining because it's easy and taking shots at people because it's much easier. But to do the hard work, to be here in this commission and do the hard work and to be on the school board and to be the principal and to be You know, the members who are here. By the way, can the employees from the school board please stand up for a second? Please stand up to be recognized. I just want people to understand. These are people who are making... Is there anybody else here from the school board? School board members, stand up. These are the people just... I just want to recognize both of you. Come on up here. I've known this gentleman since we were like five years old, just so you know. Okay, and he's climbed the ladder of the school board much to... I don't want to use the word, but much to not my liking because we lost him here at Coral Gables Senior High when he was here and he was doing an amazing job. But I guess he's got to move up because he's doing such a good job. But the school board. here in the city of Coral Gables is doing an amazing job. The proof is in the grades. The proof is in the kids that we're producing. So don't be, you know, don't, don't, don't, don't not want to boast. I want to hear you boast about what's happening in school because people need to understand this. I think something that the vice mayor talked about before, I think it was the vice mayor that talked about, let's include the facts of the school board and the great things that are happening there. So talk a little bit about your school, if you may, please.

So my prepared comments. Good morning, Mr. Mayor and commissioners. My name is Jeanette Sierra, very proud principal of Coral Gables Preparatory Academy, the former Coral Gables Elementary School, who celebrates its 103rd anniversary this year. I am honored to speak today on behalf of the over 700 students, their families, and residents of the City Beautiful. Thank you for this opportunity for Coral Gables Preparatory Academy to continue our longstanding partnership with the City of Coral Gables. With your approval of this item, the joint use agreement for Phillips Park, our physical education classes and middle school athletics program will be able to access the park and its facilities to offer a fully comprehensive physical education curriculum. Coral Gables Preparatory Academy is more than a place of learning. It is a center of academic excellence and community engagement. We are proud to offer rigorous academics, arts, athletics, and programs that prepare students for success. So on behalf of our teachers, our staff, our students and families, I thank the mayor and commission for your longstanding support of public education and respectfully ask for your approval of this item. Now off my prepared comments.

That's a nice pitch, but this is a good deal for everybody. Tell everybody out there.

Coral Gables Preparatory Academy has always been an A school. It is the only community school in the city beautiful.

Absolutely.

The best of the best are coming here in our city. Whether you want to send your kids to private school, to charter, public school, it's just as good, if not better of an option for an education. And one of the last comments that I want to make, and I make this every time when I spoke in front of the teachers the other day at Carver when they were doing Their retreat, which was an amazing event, by the way. Thank you, the school board, for doing that for the teachers in preparation for an amazing school year. I told them, teachers spend more time than we do with our kids. Literally. It may not be one teacher because there's different teachers throughout the day, but they spend more time. So they're shaping your child. So this is an investment in your child's future. So you are offering an amazing curriculum today. The proof is there. It's an honor to work with you. I only have one issue that I want to make sure that I put on the record. Over 700 students are going to start using this brand new facility. Let's work collaboratively to make sure that we keep it up to first class standards. If you see something that's wrong, even if it was not an issue with the school board, if it was an issue with us, bring it to our attention. If we have an issue with the school board, whether it's, you know, it's a lot of, it's a lot of wear and tear. You have a lot of kids and we have a lot of people using that park. Everybody wants it. People are biting to get into that park after all the work and the investment that we've made. Let's work together, work with the manager, the DCM, our staff to make sure that we're always an open line of communication to ensure that we continue to be the envy of of every community here in South Florida. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. And for the record, I'd just like to state that we are an A-rated, once again, making it seven years for the entire district. And in addition to that... Graduation rates never seen before at a 95% and more choice options for our families than anyone in the entire country. And that is what our families want. They want choices, but they want excellence. And that's what they receive when they come to Miami-Dade County Public Schools, your best choice. Thank you.

Thank you. Madam Vice Mayor.

Thank you for all you do, and I just wanted to highlight, and I've delayed this to the next agenda meeting, there is going to be a presentation on Miami-Dade Public Schools so more people are aware of the excellent options that are available. As I've said before to folks, I was a product of public schools, so were my girls, and they made a fantastic start. You have so many choices in public schools now. But if you have the information at your fingertips, which next month's presentation will hopefully provide, you'll know that if you want to focus on robotics versus IB program and have college credits before you step out of the door high school, where you can go to accomplish that. So thank you for everything that you do. This is fantastic that this has worked out. I applaud our staff for the hard work that they've done. to bring this forward today so that with the beginning of the school year already upon us here, we have a smooth transition going forward because we know how important physical education is for the mind, body, and spirit to succeed. So with that, I'll move this item.

We have a second. Thank you. Well, before I second it, I wanted to welcome you as well, Marte Terez Rojas, the chair of Miami-Dade School Board. And also, I want to welcome you as well and congratulate you for the amazing work you've done. So I can't add much more to what my colleagues have said, other than just to put it very simply, that it's a beautiful thing when the City Beautiful collaborates with the Miami-Dade County School Board in helping polish even more such a A brilliant diamond. Coral Gables Prep is an amazing institution. And another little point of personal privilege, right? I always will take my advantage when afforded to state that, once again, I'm a very proud graduate of Coral Gables Senior High School. I am a proud public school kid. And I'll repeat it at the end of the meeting that there's a 40th anniversary coming up for Coral Gables Senior High School graduates. September 19 right here at Bay 13 in the city beautiful to come on come all for a beautiful evening reminiscing what it was like back in the 80's but again, congratulations to you all it's a beautiful thing that we be able to accomplish today and I will second.

Thank you very much we have a motion a second do we have any public comment, yes, Mister mayor and Maria Cruz.

Mrs. Maria Cruz, 1447 Miller Road, 305-323-2154. I believe that this is one of the things that has been long, long in coming. I can't imagine why it's taking this long to do this. I am suggesting, if there is a way to do it, that this should not be a five year, with a five year option. We do agreements for 30 years, for life, for 99. This should be a little longer than that, so they don't have to worry, because five years go very fast. I think this should be 20 plus, okay? There's a caveat, there's a caveat. I got a phone call That's why I stepped out. Because there are charter schools in this city that would love to have the same opportunity. Our residents, our residents, if they could vote on this, you would have, if there was such a thing as a 500%, our residents are all behind what you're proposing today. But let's make sure that this does not open the door because there's somebody that wants to use the youth center even though they have a legal agreement not to, and I wanna make sure that you remember that this is for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the people that they care of are kids, the people that the kids do not have to pay to get the best education. And I am, Commissioner, I'm a proud a retired teacher from Miami-Dade County Schools. All my kids went to public schools. My grandkids are going to public school, so I can talk. This is the best, and very sorry that some people DO NOT THINK THAT IS THE BEST AND THEY HAVE TO DO OTHER THINGS. I CAN'T IMAGINE ANY CHILD IN THIS CITY OR ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTY THAT WOULD NOT GET THE BEST EDUCATION BY GOING TO A PUBLIC SCHOOL. THANK YOU.

MR. CLERK?

THAT'S IT, MR. MAYOR.

ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.

VICE MAYOR ANDERSON? YES. Commissioner Castro? Yes.

Commissioner Lara? Yes.

Mayor Lago? Yes. Thank you to our team, to the school board. Thank you for your hard work. This is a long time coming since 2019. We're very excited about the agreement, and we look forward to a collaborative effort to deliver world-class opportunities for the kids and also for the residents here. Thank you. Have a wonderful day. Before we move on to item F4, consent agenda. May I have a motion?

I'll move it.

Is there anything? Mr. Mayor, before the commission votes on the consent agenda, I just want to let you all know that agenda item D12 has been deferred.

Okay.

Okay. All in favor? Aye.

Thank you. Okay. Next item on the agenda is item F4. Before we move on, we'll take a five-minute break, bathroom break. Thank you very much. And to make sure we can address a little bit of the issues that we have here with the time clock. Thank you very much.

Recording stopped.

One, two, one two.

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One two.

One, two. One, two. 12. 12. 12. 12. Got it. Where is it coming from?

OK, good.

Sign on this.

One, two. One, two.

It's right at you.

One, two.

One, two.

One, two. One, two.

One, two.

One, two. One, two. One, two.

One, two.

One, two.

One, two. One, two.

Thank you, sir. Thank you, guys. I appreciate you both.

Thank you. Thank you. Well, you did bring the Michigan one.

Mr. Kirk, you ready?

Recording in progress.

Welcome back. Tried to make that bathroom break as short as possible. Thank you to IT. Thank you to IT for clearing up the microphone issues and the timer issue. We got it back on. That's why you guys are the best in the business. Thank you. Item F4, Madam City Attorney.

Mayor, item F4 is a resolution of the City Commission appointing Joel Gomez as City Manager of the City of Coral Gables effective January 8, 2027, and approving a salary and benefits package. Mayor, this is, of course, your item. Pursuant to the authority granted to you as Mayor and the City Code, you have negotiated a proposed salary and benefits package, which is set forth in the resolution, which does in fact set forth a salary and the standard benefits package that's provided to appointed officials in the City.

Okay. Madam City Attorney, before we move forward, can you, just for clarity, even though it is a public record and it will be pulled, just for the people who are not going to pull public records, it's the same compensation as the current City Attorney, correct?

The compensation is the current salary as the City Manager. The City Manager's salary as of today.

Thank you very much. Okay. Before we discuss the appointment of our new City Manager, I want to take a moment to recognize my dear friend, Peter Iglesias. Let me start again. Before we discuss the appointment of our new city manager, I want to take a moment to recognize my dear friend, Peter Iglesias, and thank him for his extraordinary service. I was proud to help bring Peter back to the city, and I can say without hesitation that he is one of the most capable, let me correct myself, I apologize, he is the most capable dedicated and accomplished public servant I have ever had the opportunity to work with. What I have always respected most about Peter, my manager, is that he puts the city first. He leads with honesty, integrity, and has an incredible work ethic unmatched by anyone I've ever met. We didn't always agree. A few times we disagreed. And that's okay. But even when we disagreed, there was always respect and honor. And there was never any question that we both wanted what was in the best interest of the city of Coral Gables. Peter's impact on the city is irrefutable. Miracle Mile and Hirata Plaza, I was there with him 10 o'clock at night, milling the streets in Miracle Mile. Ponce Circle Park, the Public Safety Building, Fire Station 4, the Menorca Parking Garage, the Mobility Hub, City Hall, Phillips Park, Venetian Pool, Granada Golf Course, the Country Club, our trolley system, revamping the Permitting Department, traffic calming and investments in police and fire. The list goes on and on and on. I chose those because those are truly the highlights and some of the most loud opportunities to explain. I am beyond grateful that Peter has agreed to stay with us through January 8th. It was supposed to be October. He didn't have to do that. And I think it says a lot about who he is and how much he cares about the city. His willingness to stay and help us through this transition is just one more example of the commitment he has shown to Coral Gables throughout his career as a 50 year resident of the City Beautiful. If it were up to me, and trust me it's not, Peter will be our manager indefinitely. I am genuinely sad to see him go. But more than anything, I am grateful for his leadership, his counsel, his friendship, and the many years he has given to this community. Coral Gables is a better city because of Peter Iglesias. And I don't think there's a greater legacy than that. Mr. Manager, it's been the honor of a lifetime not only to serve this community, but to serve alongside you. And we get caught up a lot in the politics because people try to make statements. And the interesting thing about it was the fact that people thought that they could pin us against each other. Mr. Manager, I walk in your footsteps. I walked in them when I went to see you when you were the building official in the city of Miami. And you told me no over and over and over and over and over again because it was not in the best interest or there was no way it could be done as per the code. You got the job as city manager here and before that as building official because of your intelligence, your hard work, your diligence, your ethics because you're a man who puts the city first. And as you move on to the next phase in your career, traveling the world, hopefully a grandfather soon, God willing, I hope that you give the city what it needs. I hope you engage in different forms because a person of your capabilities, of your intellect, and of your integrity should not retire.

Should not.

And it's the same thing I tell my father. And if there's one man that I can compare my father to, it's you. And if you know my father, which you do, and how highly I speak about my father, there's not many people who can hold a candle to my father. So I want to move on a little bit now to talk about Joe Gomez. Mr. Gomez, will you please step up? I believe that we're incredibly fortunate to have someone of Joe Gomez's caliber already here and ready to lead. Joe knows Coral Gables. He knows our team. He knows the projects on the way. And most importantly, he understands this community and the high standards our residents expect. I will always say that when I first met the DCM Joe, I was skeptical. Given the circumstances surrounding his hiring, I wasn't sure what to expect. But he quickly earned my respect. His passion for the city, his work ethic, and his commitment to getting things done have stood out. But more importantly, The respect as an engineer for his own craft, for his own license, and for the legacy that he built, not only here, but in the city of Miami Beach, running the public works department, would never allow him to falter. More importantly, I've come to know Joe as a principled man. He is not someone who will simply go along to get along. When discussions began about the structural condition of City Hall, The DCM understood the facts, relied on his professional expertise and was willing to disagree with members of the commission, especially then city manager Amos Rojas. That takes integrity. I can speak personally about Joe's work ethic. It doesn't matter the time of day. His wife's laughing because she knows. It doesn't matter what time of day, whether it's a weekend or a holiday. If I text or email Joe, I hear back from him in 30 seconds. Just relax. We're going to be here for a little bit. Enjoy the moment. Enjoy the moment.

You're not an easy person to work for.

Get off Joe and come back. Come on. Let's enjoy the moment here. It's all right. We got it, man.

No, no, it's okay. We got the point.

Let me explain to you. People don't got it. Trust me. Because people got their news from blogs and stuff like that that they don't understand it. Okay? Why don't you pan back to me? Pan back to me. Pan back to me, Billy. Mr. Clerk.

Mayor, I think we got it.

Why? Why not have a little fun?

I think that's only half of it.

No, I can keep going. Just keep going. By the way, it doesn't end. Mr. Mayor, it's a long agenda, sir. I know, I know. Thank you, Billy. This is worth the wait. Remember, don't forget, this is the public record that was used last time in the campaign against me. And obviously it failed miserably because we won by 19%. This is what public service is all about. This is residents contacting me, then me contacting the DCM. What are these? Simple issues. My garbage wasn't picked up. I have a code enforcement issue. Somebody parked on my yard. You know, I have an issue with traffic. I have an issue with a pothole. I have an issue with X, Y, and Z issue. This is the deputy city manager taking it upon himself to relieve the manager from the crazy work schedule. Let me help the manager a little bit and I'll take it on because I used to do this with the manager. And I took it. I can keep going. But I'm going to spare you because I think that, again, it's appropriate not to do this for the rest of the meeting. But this is nonstop. This keeps going. And while I do it to bring a little levity to the situation, I want you to understand I do this because it really teaches you and it really shows the work ethic of this man and how he puts the residents first. I'm going to stop now.

Thank you, sir.

But maybe I won't stop. Maybe we'll keep going for a little bit longer. It's all right. All right. So... Like I said before, that is called work ethic. That is called determination. And that is called putting the job first, putting the residents first. It doesn't matter what time of day, whether it's a weekend or a holiday. Like I said, if I text or email Joe, I hear back from him immediately. He is incredibly responsive. He works hard and he takes ownership. Even if it wasn't our fault, we take ownership. That level of commitment is something I value tremendously, and it's something that's defined my career 14 years here in the city of Coral Gables. Joe brings nearly five decades of experience in engineering, infrastructure, transportation, construction, and municipal governance. His career includes senior leadership positions with the Florida Department of Transportation, the city of Miami Beach, and the private sector, in addition to his extensive experience here in the city of Beautiful. That level of experience is difficult to match. At FDOT, Joe led an operation of approximately 650 employees responsible for construction, maintenance, and traffic operations across Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties. As public works director for Miami Beach, he managed a department of 360 employees and some of the most complex infrastructure challenges in South Florida. We already know what Joe is capable of. He has led development services, public works, parking, sustainability, and mobility as deputy city manager. He understands our infrastructure, our capital projects, and our operations, and the employees respect him immensely. There is no learning curve. Plug and play. He's here, boots on the ground. I don't believe we should conduct a national search simply for the sake of saying we conducted a national search. We already have that person front and center. If I can convince the manager to stay, you're the next best thing. If we conducted a national search, we'll be looking for someone with extensive municipal experience, a record of managing large and complex departments, knowledge of infrastructure and capital projects, strong leadership skills, and an understanding of Coral Gables. Joe checks every one of those boxes. with the added benefit of having worked closely with Mr. Peter Iglesias, allowing for a seamless transition. I have a tremendous confidence in Joe and believe he has earned this opportunity. I'm proud to support Joe Gomez as the next city manager and I look forward to working alongside him. Mr. Gomez, Mr. DCM, I ask you to please give us a few words

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Commissioners. I'm deeply grateful for the confidence you have placed in me for the opportunity to serve as the next City Manager of Coral Gables. I accept this responsibility with humility and a clear understanding of what it means to lead an organization of this caliber. Working for the City of Coral Gables has been a highlight of my professional career. This is an exceptional community, and I have been fortunate to work alongside talented professionals who care deeply about the city and the people we serve. I want to thank city manager Peter Iglesias for his confidence, mentorship, and above all, his friendship. I have learned a great deal from him, and I appreciate his commitment to ensuring a thoughtful and orderly transition. Thank you, Peter, from the bottom of my heart. I also want to recognize our executive leadership team and every city employee. The strength of Coral Gables comes from the people who serve this community each day. I have seen firsthand their professionalism, knowledge, and dedication, and I look forward to continuing our work together. As city manager, I will always lead with integrity, passion, and a steadfast commitment to our team and this community. I will listen, communicate openly, and approach every decision with the best interests of Coral Gables in mind. I recognize both the opportunities and the challenges ahead. I'm ready to build upon the city's strong foundation, maintain momentum of the important work already underway, and ensure that we continue delivering the high level of service our residents and businesses expect. Before I close, I would like to acknowledge my family, because without them, I would not be here. My wife, Maggie, whose love and support is immeasurable. Thank you, my love. Our children. Melissa, Nancy, and Alfred, and our pride and joy, our grandsons, Grayson and Hudson. I hope they will always know that their Pop was a devoted public servant who cared deeply for his community. A year ago on August 24th, my mother, Clara, passed away. It is only fitting that near the anniversary of her passing, I am accepting the most important appointment of my career. She was always extremely proud of her son, the civil engineer, El Ingeniero Civil. I'm going to say a few words in Spanish, Mayor, if you indulge me. Mi vieja, gracias por ser mi mama. Yo sé que estás muy orgullosa de tu hijo.

Thank you.

Thank you again for this extraordinary opportunity. It is an honor to serve Coral Gables, and I look forward to working with each of you as we move the city forward together. May God bless you all. May God bless the city of Coral Gables. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. DCM.

Thank you.

Mr.

Clerk, do you have any public comment?

Yes, Mr. Mayor. First speaker, Vicky Russo.

Can you hear me?

Yes, ma'am.

Good morning, Commission. My name is Vicky Busso. I'm from the Flagler section of Coral Gables. We're north of 8th Street. And I'm going to make it short and sweet. If Peter Iglesias is leaving, and he's been absolutely awesome to us, we've had issues in the neighborhood, and he's been there for us, and he's responded to everything, then I think Joe Gomez... We're here to endorse him. As I said, I represent the Flagler section, and he's proven himself to be just as awesome as Peter Iglesias, so we're here endorsing him. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much. Thank you for being here with us. Richard Cooper. Mr. Cooper, I mean, I know you're a resident. I love it. I love that you're here.

Good morning, Mayor and honorable members of the commission, Mr. Manager, Madam City Attorney, Mr. Clerk. My name is Richard Cooper and I'm speaking today in my capacity as a resident for the City of Coral Gables and as part of the constituency of our city, Beautiful. I reside at 1033 Anastasia Avenue. I believe it is important not to overlook the experience and institutional knowledge available within the city. That is what we have in Deputy City Manager Joe Gomez. Mr. Gomez knows Coral Gables, understands its operations and is familiar with our community. He understands the issues affecting our residents and has gained the experience and training necessary to know how the city functions. As a Coral Gables deputy city manager, Mr. Gomez stepped into the role of acting manager whenever the city manager has been unavailable. He understands the responsibility of the position because he has already carried them out. He knows the community, the administration, and the day-to-day operations of the city. I also want to commend City Manager Iglesias for having the leadership and vision to bring Mr. Gomez to Coral Gables and prepare him for this responsibility. The city has invested in his development, experience, and knowledge of its operations. Appointing him would provide a strong return on that investment while maintaining continuity and allowing the city to continue functioning seamlessly. His experience extends well beyond Coral Gables. As a mayor previously said, he served as public works director for City of Miami Beach and worked in the private sector as a practicing civil engineer and spent approximately 10 years with the Florida Department of Transportation. He has also worked with and interacted with municipalities and Miami-Dade County. His background in engineering, public works, transportation, and municipal government is particularly valuable as Coral Gables continues addressing major infrastructure and traffic related matters. At such an important time for the city, we need someone with the knowledge and depth of experience necessary to keep Coral Gables moving forward. As a resident, I believe Joe Gomez deserves to be unanimously appointed for the position of city manager. This is a case where what you're looking for is already in front of you. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Cooper.

Jose Abreu.

Mr. Abreu, good morning. It's a pleasure to have you here.

Mayor, commissioners, thank you for the opportunity. I'm obviously here to support my friend and colleague, Joe Gomez. Full disclosure, he's, in fact, one of my best friends. But I am also an expert in Joe Gomez's character. You see, commissioners and mayor, I first worked with Joe Gomez in early 1981. That was before MTV. SINCE THEN, WE'VE REMAINED IN TOUCH, WORKED IN COLLABORATION, BUT ALSO I WAS THERE WITH HIM WORKING VERY, VERY CLOSE WHILE HE WAS AN EMPLOYEE OF THE FLOYDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. I honestly not here to argue with any policy. The fact of the matter is that you get elected to do these things. I only got up because frankly, first speaker attack on Joe's character is just really hurtful. And I feel totally unwarranted. I would just say one thing to you. When Joe was being considered for a promotion at the Florida Department of Transportation, one of the directors asked me, he says, don't tell me about his engineering background and all that. I wanna know about his character. And I'm gonna tell you exactly what I said to Rene Rodriguez, rest in peace. I says, sir, whenever the angels or whomever were distributing integrity, Joe was first in line. I even said to him, I like to think that you and I were kind of in front of the line as well, but Joe was first. So thank you for the opportunity, Mayor.

Mr. Abreu, first and foremost, thank you. Like I said to Mr. Cooper, who were here, it's a breath of fresh air to have you. I did not know that you were attending today. Will you do me a favor for those listening? Will you tell people your background and what you've done in this community? I know you don't want to brag, but can you tell people too? Because it's important because you're making statements about the DCM and I want people to understand the level of professionalism and who you are and where you came from and what you've achieved. Please. It's kind of awkward, Mayor, but I know what you want to say.

I got one shot at this. Go. Well, I'm a civil engineer. I've been around for a little bit. I think what you're referring to is my background as the Florida Secretary of Transportation under Governor Jeb Bush. Also District Secretary for District 6 of the Florida Department of Transportation for eight years. and then ultimately director and CEO of Miami International Airport for eight years, where we deliver both the north and the south terminal. Those were eight years as well. But I gotta tell you, commissioners were like dog years. So, I mean, I don't know what else to say, but I mean, Throughout my career, and I'm still at it, you know, Joe has remained a colleague and a friend and even a competitor and even a competitor. There's nothing wrong with that, you know, and integrity. I got to tell you, I mean, I think. The speakers just before me said it all. I mean, I just don't know anybody quite like Joe. I mean, straight as an arrow. He was in charge of public hearings at one point in time for the Department of Transportation. You know how those can get? And he always found a way to balance things out. And I just love the guy, honestly. Thank you.

Amazing. Thank you. Thank you, sir.

Maria Cruz.

Good morning, again. Mrs. Maria Cruz, 1447 Miller Road. I guess I'm going to date myself sometime. I guess when I was in high school, I read 1984. And then I became very aware of what happened in Cuba, how people turn history around and make it sound good, and how we forget what we have said before, and we make it sound like This item has nothing to do with Joe Gomez. Most of our comments are not going to be about Joe Gomez. At least mine is not. I have no opposition, no concerns about Joe. I can tell you he's not perfect. I'm still waiting for an email from him, but that's okay. People are busy. This has to do with people. I guess we expect all politicians to do the same, that for a long period of time told this community that what was wrong we had been done before was that they dared hire someone without having a national search. They campaigned with it. As a matter of fact, I looked through campaign materials and I watched video in the last few days and I found this several times. Even since they were elected, what, two years ago or whatever time ago, we're still talking about how they did not have a national search. It has nothing to do with Joe. It has to do with the fact that people lied to their constituents, that people lied to the residents of this city, and that they are just according to what fits. I'm gonna give you a little story that you may comprehend what I'm trying to say. When my grandmother came from Cuba sometime in the early 80s, I guess, and we offered to make coffee She told us to save it for whenever we got visitors because, and we said, why? Oh, because there was a problem in Brazil and there was no coffee in the world. So we took her to Publix and she was mesmerized by the amount of coffee that was there that we could buy. Well, here we go. We have elected officials that twist the reality. And I'm sorry for Joe because he's caught in the middle because it's not fair to put him in the middle for him to think that we don't agree with him. He is good. If there's a national search, he could be the first choice. But you know what? Do what you promise. Have a national search.

Gonzalo Sanabria.

Good morning. Good morning, Mr. Mayor, Commissioners, Vice Mayor, and Peter Iglesias. I must pay tribute to you, Peter Iglesias, because when I first met you, it was in the late 1990s. And I was walking through blueprints to modify my home. And you were in the basement of City Hall. And next to your desk, you had red crayons. And I remember going with my blueprint, modestly asking for you to review it. And God forbid that grant came out and you made a few marks of things that I had to change. And I was perplexed about that. And then I came back to my general contractor. I showed, look what this structural engineer in Coral Gables did. The general contractor looked at it. He said, you know what? That gentleman was completely right. And you've been right ever since, Peter Iglesias. Your service to the city is commendable. I hate to see you go, and we're going to miss you. But you've been a wonderful individual. And I was very irked, as everybody knows, when you were fired and an internet person was hired. And I filed a complaint against that, as you all know. And that's the reason why I continue to try to be of service to Coral Gables. Now, there's one thing that also has to be mentioned about Joe Gomez. Joe Gomez survived 10 years under Mr. Abreu. And let me tell you, I know Jose Abreu, I love him, but man, is he a tough guy too. So if he passed that school, the Abreu school, he deserves every commendation he can. Awkwardly, this is something very interesting. They're both self-defense artists. Mr. Iglesias is a jujitsu black belt and teacher. And Mr. Gomez is karate man. So we can be safe once we're on the days. If anybody comes at us, these people will come at us and stand in front of them. So, by the way, Mr. Mayor, when you scroll those tests, and there were like thousands of tests, multiply times five because you're not the only one that has been communicating with city managers in the past. So it's commendable of the service that you all render the city. I fully support Joe Gomez. And thank you for your time.

Thank you, sir. Margarita Heidi. Good morning. Thank you for being with us.

Good morning, Mr. Mayor, Madam Vice Mayor, members of the Commission. I get it that will hide it out of 15 or 3 Capri street. And I am here hardly ever come to the commission meetings, but this is an important item. And I want to express my full support. For the appointment of Mr Gomez, whom I have known since 1994. when we worked together on projects under Jose Abreu for the Florida Department of Transportation. But more importantly, Joe is a man of character. Joe is a true professional, smart, accountable, and extremely responsive, as the mayor showed. I want to stop at your full and complete support for a new unanimous vote and look forward to working with Joe in the future, I am a almost 50 year resident of the city, the city I love thank you.

Thank you Mister God, thank you. That's it was where I will close the public comment on this is anyone else like that. Perfect will close with a comment. I think the motion.

I'll move it.

Second? I'll second. Madam Vice Mayor.

So I do have a few comments. Like you, Mayor, I've tried to convince Peter Iglesias to stay a little longer, and it's not because Joe Gomez is not qualified, but as I referred to the three people that we have in the city manager's office working together, we had the aid team. We had seamless... cohesive people working together, highly qualified and highly responsive. And so many times when I reached out to get something done and I didn't want to bother the city manager who was handling the budget and much deeper projects that we didn't want to interfere with, I reached out to Joe. People ask me, well, how did you get that done? I've been fighting with this person or that person or FPNL for the past year. Somebody showed up to my house yesterday, and I just told you about it yesterday. I mean, the day before. My secret weapon was Joe. When I tried to convince the city manager to stay a little longer... It's not because Joe was not qualified, because I wanted a few more positions filled while Mr. Iglesias still had the baton in his hand. But during this past year while you've been here city manager, it has been remarkable the amount of work that had been backlogged that you got moved forward. The team worked seamlessly. And it's a very important part of a team. Not only to have character and integrity, but have that cohesive team that can work well together. And all three people in our city manager's office, deputy city manager and assistant city manager and Peter Iglesias, work together as a solid team. When you bring in somebody from outside, sometimes you don't get that cohesive character, that integrity that you wouldn't otherwise. So when I previously expressed support for utilizing an executive search team, it was a very different day. My position was based on a simple principle. Coral Gables should conduct a thoughtful and thorough process to ensure that its next city manager has the experience, judgment, and qualifications necessary to lead this organization. I continue to believe in that principle. What has changed is my assessment of the circumstances before us. We have a very strong individual with whom the city manager has held the baton and can continue the journey without having a hiccup in it. The purpose of a search is to identify a highly qualified professional who understands municipal government. A managed complex organization can lead in difficult circumstances and is prepared to move the city forward. Increasingly, I believe that candidate, who fortunately is willing to accept this very challenging position, is within our organization, Deputy City Manager Joe Gomez. Since joining Coral Gables in 2024, Joe has assumed responsibility for some of the city's most consequential operations and infrastructure initiatives overseeing development services, which has helped propel so many projects forward and take care of residents, parking and mobility services, and public works. It's with Joe's deep experience and integrity that many of the things that I was able to do got done, including motivating FDOT to do the improvements that will break ground early next year. on many of our streets and roads, including Lejeune Road, Southwest State Street, Bird Road, and also the critical intersections along the underline where pedestrian safety is at risk. Joe has demonstrated that he can manage multiple priorities at breakneck speed. which the city operates while maintaining discipline and focus required for an effective administrator he also brings significant municipal management experience to the position before john before joining coral gables joe served as a public works director as you all know city of miami beach and managed people uh and i'm not going to repeat what others have said But an operating budget of $600 million is significant to manage. And that's what Joe has done before. So I am confident that he can manage our budget as well. That is meaningful executive experience. I've described Joe many times to people that when you say jump, he would say how high. He'd meet you out in the heat. He'd meet you in the rain. He would come prepared with plans. A drainage issue, I remember we went to a home and there was. The plans were there. The date that it was going to break ground was there. He caused results, and we resolve issues, and that's the job of a city manager. So I value the time that Joe has been able to work with you, Peter Iglesias, I'm confident that your opinion of Joe is solid because I share that same opinion too. Joe's also demonstrated that he can bring his own approach to the work, making decisions, taking responsibility and moving the city forward in his own way. That combination of continuity without stagnation and experience coupled with a willingness to lead is precisely what a successful succession plan should provide. For me, the qualities of a city manager extend beyond a resume or a LinkedIn page. A manager should treat people with respect, remain steady in a crisis, lead by example, exercise sound judgment, and above all, understand to faithfully follow the city charter. Those standards I take seriously when considering who should lead our administration. I'm also pleased to hear that city manager Iglesias intends to remain with the city through the end of 2026, although I would like to keep you forever. I know that's not possible for any one of us. This provides an important opportunity for continuity in an orderly transition. Good organizations apply. SUCCESSION. THEY DEVELOP CAPABLE PEOPLE, PRESERVE INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND ENSURE THAT LEADERSHIP TRANSITIONS DO NOT INTERRUPT THE WORK RESIDENTS EXPECT US TO ACCOMPLISH. JOE HAS COMPLETED THE BACKGROUND SCREENING PROCESS AS PART OF THE CITY'S CUSTOMARY HUMAN RESOURCE PROCEDURES PROVIDING ADDITIONAL LEVEL OF DUE DILIGENCE THAT WE CONSIDER IN THIS DECISION AND HAS PASSED THE MUSTER OF all the residents that I have spoken with about the level of expertise that he brings to the table. I do not believe government should undertake a process simply for the sake of being able to say that a process was taken. The question should always be, what are we trying to accomplish? If the objective of an executive search is a qualified, experienced municipal professional who can lead this organization, understands the challenges before us and is prepared to step into that position with continuity and competence, then we have an obligation to recognize when that individual may be already here. Based upon what I've observed and learned, I believe Joe Gomez deserves that consideration. Promoting from one end sends an important message throughout this organization that strong performance, professional growth, and a commitment to public service are recognized and can lead to greater responsibility. It also allows the city to preserve institutional knowledge at a critical moment, maintain continuity on major initiatives, and avoid a learning curve that inevitably comes with bringing someone in unfamiliar with the organization. We've seen that story before when we brought in someone new and the city has suffered the results. So I fully support GOMEZ AND MOVING THE CITY FORWARD. AND I THANK YOU FOR BEING WILLING TO TAKE THE PATON.

MR. COUNCIL?

YEAH.

THIS IS AN INTERESTING WOW, THAT'S PRETTY LOUD. THE MICROPHONE. THIS IS AN INTERESTING RESOLUTION AND IT'S REALLY A SHAME THAT THE MAYOR COULDN'T GRANT ME THE RESPECT. to go ahead and call my item before this one. My item was an item to execute a national search. But getting back to Joe, Joe Gomez was hired by the, according to the mayor, unqualified candidate, city manager, Amos Rojas and Alberto Parajus. And I think they made a great decision because As my colleagues have said, Joe Gomez has been great to work with, not only with them, but with me. But this vote right here is not a vote for Joe Gomez. This is really a promise that all of my colleagues here have promised to go through with a national search. It was always about due process. So you have the votes. You're going to be the next city manager. And I want to congratulate you for that. You very well deserve it from anybody here in the city. I want you to know that from my part. This is more about due process. And I'm confident that you're going to do a phenomenal job. And we've always worked very good together. But there's really a big double standard here. Let me take you through history just a little bit. Amos, and I quote from the mayor, Vince Lago, this is not the right way to do things. Then in another commission meeting, go through a process. And when Alberto Parjus was also appointed a city manager, and I quote, this is what the mayor said, going out and testing the waters is not a bad thing. It's a good thing. Close quote. In WLRN, carefully vetted and a hastily chosen. Quote from the mayor. In the 2025 Gables Government Committee candidate questionnaire, the mayor quoted, open quote, I will pursue a national search for our next city manager, one that allows the best and the brightest to apply, to include some of our own senior staff. Then, come to May 2025, Peter Iglesias returns. Mayor continued to publicly advocate for a future selection process even after he hired Iglesias without a national search. Now, the city is not facing an immediate vacancy for city manager. I agree that Joe is right now the best suited for this position. But we have four months to decide. We have time. The prior city managers, they were instantaneously. We didn't have time. We had to choose fast. We didn't have a city manager. Now we have time to actually conduct a national search. And I'm pretty sure that maybe, yeah, Joe Gomez would be the first one most qualified to continue leading our city. But why not engage in a national search? That is it.

Commissioner. Commissioner Lott, excuse me.

Well, first of all, Thank you for those comments, Commissioner Castro. But I need to correct you. Due process is what you said this vote is about. It is certainly not about due process. Let's be clear, due process is the legal principle that a government cannot deprive a person of life, liberty, or property without following fair procedures and respecting fundamental legal rights. So decidedly, this is not about due process. This is all about making sure that we vote based on competent evidence that we are going to be appointing the best person to be the next city manager for the city of Coral Gables. That is what this vote is all about. First, I want to thank city manager, Peter Iglesias. I will not take this moment to go over the extensive list of well-deserved recognition for a lifetime of superlative work and accomplishments. This is not your retirement dinner. And I'm also a little, and I will be for some time, hesitant to accept the fact that you're moving on. really am unhappy that you're going to be going but i can't have all i want in life if you could stay here forever i echo what my colleagues have said i would make sure you would i mean in january 2025 i came before a commission meeting and announced my candidacy for commissioner and i cited as one of the principal reasons what i believed then was a wrongful firing that you were the victim of and i made it a point to run for the following year to meet with as many residents as I could to right the wrong, to ensure that if I were elected commissioner, I could convince the rest of my colleagues, and more importantly, your wife and you, for you to come back and serve as city manager. So I'm very pleased that we were able to accomplish that. I am disappointed it's only been a year or so that I've been able to work with you, but it has been an amazing honor I have rarely experienced in all of my years of public service and in working as an attorney, such a collaborative, intelligent, and inspirational leader as you've been for your department, leading the DCM, the ACM, and the rest of the city staff in the most important position, the most important position for the employees of the city of Coral Gables, the city manager position. You've really done an amazing job, Peter. And I echo what the sentiments of the people who have come before today to speak on your behalf, so many residents, and of course, my colleagues on the commission. I also want to thank you for agreeing to remain with the city through January 8th. I believe it's very important for this organization because it does give us the opportunity to do an orderly transition maintain continuity of the work that's already been started. Started by you, by the way, years ago before you had to involuntarily be put on pause and then be brought back into the game. You've done an amazing job. I just want to make sure that the handoff to Joe Gomez is going to be as smooth as I know it will be so we can just continue with the momentum that you've brought to the commission and ensure that Joe is positioned to succeed from day one. I don't Believe it, I know, though, that Joe is the right person. Joe Gomez is the right man for the city manager position. Joe, you know I've had the pleasure of working with you as the DCM for more than a year, and in every single interaction you've demonstrated to be the consummate professional, you're knowledgeable, you're prepared. You are measured and you are above all else responsive. I'm not going to go through my texts. The mayor has already stolen that thunder. Mine aren't as long as his text, but believe me, it's like one of the speakers said, it's like times five. Oh, it was Gonzalo Sanabria. I think it's everyone reaches out to Joe. You understand our organization, Joe. And you understand how it functions very, very well. You understand that the issue the issues before us and you've already shown us for some time now that you can lead. I also took the opportunity, by the way, to go back and look at and watch the discussion that the commission had back in January of 2025 regarding our constitutional officers. And one point that was made by my colleague, Commissioner Castro, it stood out to me. Many of our most successful appointments to those positions have come from within the organization. I think there's something important in that, Commissioner Castro, very important. An organization should be able to recognize talent from within its varied ranks. When you have someone who's demonstrated the ability to do the job, understands the culture, and understands the operations, who has earned the confidence of the people that he works with, We shouldn't overlook that simply because we have the option of looking elsewhere. It's also a practical benefit. Joe has had the opportunity to work very closely with Peter Iglesias, our city manager, to learn from his experience and institutional knowledge, while at the same time demonstrating your own leadership and your own approach to how to move the city best forward. This provides the opportunity for a thoughtful and a deliberate transition. Promoting from within also sends an important message. to the men and the women who work for this city. Excellence is recognized. Professional growth matters. And there's an opportunity to advance when you can demonstrate that you are capable of taking on greater responsibility. We often talk about attracting and retaining the best people. Part of retaining the best people is showing them that we recognize the talent that we already have. The deputy city manager already knows this organization, knows our projects. He knows our challenges. He knows our priorities. He's established relationships throughout the city, and he has the institutional knowledge necessary to step into this role without losing momentum. He can hit the ground running. I've seen you do it, Joe. And I also believe that simply because you could run a national search, that doesn't replace what is most important, whether this commission has competent and substantial evidence that we have the right candidate from day one right here within our ranks. To act otherwise is to put form over substance and to miss an opportunity, such an amazing one, because we have been blessed not with one, not with two, but I'm looking at you, Carolina Vester, three, three amazing individuals running the manager's office. And so although I cannot keep Mr. Iglesias as much as I want forever with us, Joe, you are the man. Just for these reasons, I believe that Joe Gomez has earned this opportunity. I am confident in appointing him to be the next city manager. It's the right decision for the organization and the very best decision for the city. Beautiful. Thank you, sir.

Mr. Manager, would you like to share a few comments with us? Because I think that if anybody's qualified to talk about the DCM, it's a person who has spent every single day working next door to them as your offices share one wall. And I also want you, I know that today's not your last day. And if it was up to me, like I said before, that's why you can't read what you see on the blogs. I want you to talk a little bit about your time here in the city. Maybe if you want to share it or save it for your last day, that's perfectly fine. But I want to hear your words, if you may, please.

Thank you, Mayor. And I just want to personally thank you for your incredibly kind comments. It's the truth. For the trust you've placed in me. And it's been a privilege working with you.

The honor has been mine.

I've had the pleasure of working with our DCM, Joe Gomez, for almost a year and a half now. And when I came to the city, I knew Carolina Vester, but I did not know Joe Gomez. But I've heard... All the things you've heard here, I've heard before. And they're all true. We've had an incredible relationship. I think we can call each other friends. And I think he's demonstrated that he's ready to take on this challenge. I think his professionalism, his judgment, his leadership, his commitment, everything is there to lead this team. I think the team believes in him. I believe in him. And I think the city is in very capable hands. I think that having a smooth transition is very important. And we can certainly have, we have a smooth transition. We've already developed our relationship and we've worked together on so many projects and so many things right now. When I came back, I wanted to, was not going to be for a long period of time, but I did want to take care of some things I had started. And I think that the city is back. I think our team is extremely capable. One of the things that I most care about is leaving such an incredible team here. As a 50-year resident of Coral Gables, it's important to me because I love the city. And I think Joe is very capable of leading this team, and the team believes in him. So I highly recommend Joe Gomez as city manager. I think that a national search is not necessary. I think a two-year interview is better than a one-hour interview. And so we know exactly what we're getting with Joe, which is a great engineer, great person, highly qualified. And so I think I urge the commission to vote for Joe Gomez as our next city manager.

Thank you, Mr. Manager. Mr. Clerk, we have a motion and a second.

Commissioner Castro.

Yeah, so I want to make this extremely clear. This is not a vote against Joe Gomez. This is a vote for a national search. If a national search was good enough to campaign on, it should be very well good enough to govern by. Promises matter. Process matters. But most importantly, consistency matters. My vote is no.

Commissioner Lara?

Some points were made earlier about that there were exigent circumstances that caused someone, well, three former commissioners, one former two currently, to vote without conducting a national search, claiming that it was due to exigent circumstances. Well, I believe then and I believe now that the firing of Peter Iglesias was not only uncalled for, wrongful, it was also an emergency created entirely by a majority of the commission with no support for same. So you can't create the urgencies and then claim that that's the reason why you had to hire a... A former U.S. Marshal with not one day of public works experience to be leading this city. So I'd rather not get into the weeds. I had hoped that we would have a unanimous vote for the clear and obvious candidate for serving as the next city manager of the city of Coral Gables. It is not a vote or a search. It is a vote or appointing Joe Gomez as the next city manager to be clear, to be consistent. My vote is yes.

Vice Mayor Anderson.

My belief is my role here is to do what's in the best interest of our residents and our city. And unequivocally, Selecting Joe Gomez as our next city manager is in the best interest of our city and our residents. So my vote is yes.

Mayor Lagerman.

I want to do everything I possibly could to avoid an Instagram reel. Because for some reason, I seem to be the person that everybody's running against in the public office. put together I mean that Laura and I worked on for some time speech that talks about the great work that the managers done here along with the amazing work that the DCM and why we have a competent person who's gonna hit the ground running but for some reason politically now it gets caught up in all these ridiculous November election grandstanding I want to remind everybody how we got here. Mr. Clerk, please do the tape.

If cable TV can share the clip, please.

Do you have anything else to say before I say? Yes, sir. Go ahead.

Thank you for coming. Actually, what a surprise. I've never met you, but I was looking you up and I saw that the picture that I was looking at was the person coming in through the door. So what a surprise. I don't know if you caught this, but I seconded that motion. I'll put on the record, I've never spoken to you. I've never met you. I'm looking here at your LinkedIn, and it's very impressive. Retired FDLE Special Agent in Charge, Miami Regional Operations Center, South Florida Money Laundering, and Deputy Director. Very impressive, all qualities that I would like the new city manager to possess and to have, especially given the circumstances that I believe that we are in.

Do you have anything else to say before I say? Yes. Moving on to item times 1030, H1. Thank you very much.

Item H1 is a resolution of the City Commission authorizing the City Manager to execute a temporary license agreement between the City of Coral Gables and Cabana Chica LLC with regard to the retail space located at 290 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables, Florida 33134 for a term of six months, September 1st, 2026 through February 28th, 2027.

Solange, I apologize for being a little late on the 1030. I know that we have some individuals here, but thank you. And Belkis and the whole team that's here. Again, thank you very much. Oh, and we have our number one in command at the chamber. Gloria, thank you. And I want to commend you once again for all the hard work and everything you're doing. You've hit the ground running. Congratulations. Congratulations.

Thank you so much, Mayor. Thank you so much, Vice Mayor and Commissioners. Thank you for letting me be here and being part of this wonderful city.

Thank you.

Good morning, Mayor, members of the Commission. Solange Lopez, Business Community Manager with the Economic Development Department. We are here today for item H1, which is regarding the temporary pop-up retail space at 290 Miracle Mile.

If we can get the PowerPoint.

I'll be brief, but the pop-up program at 290 really aims to activate vacant storefronts on Miracle Mile and energize the surrounding block. But more than anything, it acts as a chance to bring in new concepts and new businesses that want to test the market here in the city of Coral Gables for potential long-term leases later on. And it gives new businesses a chance to establish themselves in the market. Before we talk about this new incoming tenant that we're hoping to move forward with, we have Gabriela Martinez from Perido Arte, who they were the tenant that just ended their term cycle earlier in August and had the gallery space at 290, so that she can talk a little bit about her experience with the program and the year that they were at 290 Miracle Mile.

Hi, welcome to the City of Beautiful. Hello.

Thank you. How are you guys? My name is Gabriela. I'm the manager and one of the founders of Pedrido Arte Gallery. And I wanted to first off thank Solange, Belkis, and Paige who have been very supportive the whole year-long program. This for us was an ideal opportunity to get our business, our project started. our vision out into the city and beyond. So for us, it really was a pleasure. And I just wanted to touch on some great things that we were able to do. We hosted various exhibitions of emerging and established artists all year long, including some local artists like Antonio Perez Melero, who is an established artist here in the city of Coral Gables. It's almost 90 years old, so it was a pleasure. Mario Almaguer, who was an established sculptor, and the master, Ventura Gonzalez. So, as well as, of course, Alejandro Pedrido, who had the opportunity to create various works of art in the space. Two newest series that he did, which is Cuerpos Musicales and Aves Fertiles, which were very popular. We had the opportunity to give back to our community. We gave a percentage of our sales, one exhibition to the Pelican Harbor Seabird Station. So we did workshop for children, free workshops, a lot of events. We always participated in gallery nights. For us, it was a pleasure to connect with the city. And of course, people that come from out of state, people that come internationally. We exhibited international artists as well as local artists and had the opportunity to collaborate with local vendors and businesses like Franchecos. We worked with Armstrong Jazz House. We worked with the Theater on the Mile. We have worked now at Linen Drama exhibiting. And it's really been amazing to bring our vision and our artwork to the city and beyond. We got presented in the Coral Gables magazine and their artwork edition. So it really was amazing for us to have that opportunity. We just wish maybe it was a little bit longer, but we also know we have to give the opportunity to other businesses and give them the same chance that we had.

And we'll continue to work with Perido Arte as they look for permanent locations in downtown Coral Gables. So we'll stay in contact with them and we'll hopefully be at a ribbon cutting soon.

I love it. Do we have any public comment, Mr. Clerk?

So, Mayor, if I can, real quick, for the next term of the cycle, 290 Miracle Mile is an 850-square-foot space. We're moving forward with the same terms, which starts out as a six-month term for the program with an option to renew for a full additional six months, so for a full year for the new tenant incoming. The monthly rent is going to be $2,200. And that is a reduced rent comparatively with the rest of Miracle Mile because, again, it's giving these new businesses that are just starting out a chance. More than anything, they're required hours that they have to stay operating. THROUGHOUT THE WEEK TO REALLY ACTIVATE THE SPACE. THEY'LL BE REQUIRED TO PARTICIPATE IN NOT ONLY CITY ACTIVATIONS AND EVENTS BUT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE SPONSORED EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES. THANK YOU, GLORIA, FOR GIVING THE NEW INCOMING TENANT. THEY'RE GOING TO WORK WITH THE CHAMBER TO HAVE A MEMBERSHIP FOR THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE SO THEY CAN TAKE advantage of those opportunities and networkings. And we're currently in the process of finalizing the lease agreement after this item is approved by you all. The selected tenant is going to be Cabana Chic, who is a women's apparel resort wear boutique, bringing in additional retail mix that we need for Miracle Mile and that type of activation. This program cycle had eight applicants compared to last year's four, so the program is growing and increasing in popularity. And we are very excited to see this new tenant come into the space and what they'll be able to do with it. All right.

Well, thank you very much. Great work. Something exciting. I'm happy that the Chamber's collaborating front and center. Congratulations to the artists and designers. And most importantly, thank you to our amazing team at the City of Coral Gables. Velkies, your team, again, always does a great job. Thank you, Solange, for being front and center on all this. So thank you. Public comment?

None, Mr. Mayor.

Can I have a motion?

I'll move it.

I'll second.

Commissioner Lara.

So my daughter was just commenting that she wishes there were some more women's clothing stores in or around the Maricopa area. So I'm thinking, yay, this is perfect timing. So again, when is it open?

So once this item is approved here, we'll work this week to get the licensing agreement finalized, and we're hoping for an early September opening date.

Thank you. Yes. Vice Mayor Anderson?

Yes.

Commissioner Castro?

Yes.

Commissioner Lago?

Yes. Thank you very much.

I apologize. Didn't mean to give you the motion. You caught me off guard there.

No worries. Thank you very much. Great job, team. We'll move on now to time certain 1045, E14, and E19.

E14 is an ordinance of the City Commission amending ordinance number 2022-26, which granted approval of a planned area development for the multifamily project referred to as 301-341 Madeira, ON THE PROPERTY LEGALLY DESCRIBED AS LOTS 4 THROUGH 24, BLOCK 1 OF REVISED PLATIC CORAL GABLES SECTION K, CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA, TO MODIFY CONDITION RELATING TO UNDERGROUNDING OF UTILITIES BY REPLACING THE UNDERGROUNDING REQUIREMENT WITH AN OBLIGATION TO CONTRIBUTE $300,000 TO THE CITY, PROVIDING FOR REPEATED PROVISIONS, SEVERABILITY CLAUSE, AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. E-19, THE RELATED ITEM. IS A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION AMENDING RESOLUTION NUMBER 2022-126, WHICH GRANTED CONDITIONAL USE APPROVAL PURSUANT TO ZONING CODE SECTION 2-400, DISTRICT OVERLAY SECTION 2-405, RESIDENTIAL INFO REGULATIONS FOR THE MULTIFAMILY PROJECT REFERRED TO AS 301-341 MEDERA, LOCATED IN PROPERTY ZONED multifamily 2 legally described as lots 4 through 24 block 1 of revised plat of coral gables section k coral gables florida to modify condition 4b relating to the undergrounding providing for an effective date so this the resolution e19 will not be voted on today it's just on for your information and i know the applicant is here

Good morning, Mr. Mayor, Commissioners. My name is Mario Garcia Serra with offices at 600 Brickell Avenue and 901 Ponce de Leon Boulevard. Here today representing Urban 301 Madeira, the owner and developer of the 301 Madeira multifamily project, which is presently under construction. This project was approved in 2022, subject to certain conditions of approval. As has happened to other projects, as we have gone through the construction process, we have come to the realization that one of the conditions of approval is not feasible. In particular, condition number 4B required the installation of all overhead utility lines, the underground installation of all overhead utility lines between the northern boundary of the project running three blocks south along South Sado Street. What was not realized at the time was that these lines and the poles which serve them also serve as connecting points for overhead transmission lines which run east-west through six blocks in total. This means that the scope of work would have to be greatly expanded and or a majority of the poles would simply be replaced with new poles, thereby defeating the original intent behind underground installation. In a meeting of the project, Dr. Tech, the FPL, and the city manager, the conclusion was reached that this underground installation was simply not feasible. And in lieu, my client has proffered a $300,000 public benefit payment to the city. This project is bringing much needed new housing stock to this part of the city, as well as a new public park. We would ask that you approve this modification so that we can complete the project. Many thanks.

Thank you, sir. Staff, Mr. Manager?

Thank you, Mayor. We have looked at this project. I've even spoken to FNL. This is part of the undergrounding, but it'll be a feeder system with poles instead of underground. Most of the feeder system, I would say only about 20-25% of the feeders in Coral Gables will be underground. the rest will be hardened above ground. This is one of those areas. So we agree that this is better served by having the proffer of $300,000 by the developer that we can use in other areas to further any city projects. Perfect.

Mayor.

Yes.

I'd like to move this and I and have the money directed for the North Flagler District to be able to handle the streetscape there. It's an area that we haven't addressed yet. We've done working on Ponce Phase 3. We need the additional funding for Ponce Phase 4. And being that this is a feeder line, I'll just make a note that it's something that we may need to discuss again in the future, because the size of the poles would have to go in on feeder lines. are much larger than the ones you typically see. And I've seen one, or actually it's two, now put on another set of feeder lines and the neighbors have nicknamed it the sequoias. It's massive. So although we do this for beautification, we may need to look at it again on feeder lines and come with a better solution and plant appropriate trees underneath there, like the bridal veils, you don't see what's above on the feeder line. So with that, I move this, and thank you for coming forward and offering to provide a benefit for the community in lieu of that. Thank you.

Second. I have just one comment on that front. Currently, this project is using a site down the street as a staging area. I wanted to find out that that staging area is owned by the city. Correct, that lot?

Are you referring to 301 Mallorca, maybe? Is that what we're using for staging? I'm not familiar with where we're staging.

I think there's an empty lot that I've seen when I've driven by. There's an empty lot down the street, Mr. Manager. I'm not sure.

Mayor, I will look into that.

Okay, just to find out, because I want to see obviously when the project is done, I want to Collaborate with the developer to make sure that we leave that site of course I think it's a it's a it's an empty site that we got about a block away from from ashore that we have on that same street.

Mayor any any site that's used by any developer would have to be not only left left but improved prior prior to the to the end of the project. Perfect.

Okay. Thank you very much. You have a motion to sign a public comment.

Yes. Mr. Mayor. Okay. Maria Cruz.

Good morning. Good morning again. Mrs. Maria Cruz, 1447 Miller Road. I have two comments. Number one, I think it's amazing that the people that are going to be affected by this development are not the ones that are going to benefit from what they're not doing. I think once again, the city officials know what's best and not the people that are going to be affected. That's number one. Nobody asked them, is that what you want with that money? We're going to move it someplace else, maybe where we can get more votes. Number two, I... Really, when I see figures, when I see money figures, I get concerned because we're told time and time again, you don't know what you're doing because, you know, I'm in the business, construction business, and, you know, prices change and look at what's happening. So we vote something now and tomorrow we need more money, but yet we have a fixed amount here. I guess we know that whatever it was going to happen is not going to change. That's why we agree with the developer that this is a reasonable amount. It will not change. I am sure that our elected official, the expert in construction, will not come back and say, oops, you know, we didn't think that it was going to go up, but, you know, nowadays things go up, so we need more money. But those are my three comments. Number one, the people affected are the ones that need to decide where the money is going to go. And number two, we should consider when we agree to money that, OUR EXPERT IN RESIDENCE MAY COME BACK AND TELL US THAT THAT WAS NOT ENOUGH BECAUSE WE DIDN'T TAKE INTO ACCOUNT, YOU KNOW, THE THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN CONSTRUCTION.

NEW SPEAKER THAT'S IT, MR. MAYOR. NEW SPEAKER THANK YOU.

MR. GARCIA-CERO? JUST FOR YOUR URGE TO CLEAR THE RECORD BECAUSE I GET DRAGGED INTO EVERYTHING. I DON'T KNOW WHY I WAS BEING DRAGGED INTO THE CONVERSATION. I GUESS IT'S ELECTION SEASON. The money didn't change here, right? The money didn't change. What happened was the scope increased. Correct.

Dramatically.

Dramatically. And it was not caused by the developer or the city.

It's FPL requirements.

Yeah. So I know there's a constant effort here to confuse residents and to blame other people, especially as election season comes in a desperate fashion. the desperation that we see here right now. So I just want to put on the record because people in this community deserve better, especially people here who are not here to defend themselves when they're slandered by somebody else or people just plainly lie on the dais. I think it's more incompetence than actually lying, but Again, at the end of the day, you just can't say you're incompetent and then lie on the record. At the end of the day, I just wanted to put that on the record because I think it's harmful for our community to see somebody do that over and over and over and over again here in an effort to make a ridiculous point. So thank you very much. I appreciate that. Thank you very much.

All right, Mr. Clerk. Vice Mayor Anderson?

Yes. Yes.

Commissioner Castro?

Yes.

Commissioner Lara? Yes. Mayor Lobby?

Yes.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, sir. E19, correct?

We're not voting on that one today. It's when it comes back on second.

Perfect. Thank you very much. All right. We will go on now to 11 o'clock times certain. We're going to take a two-minute break. Two-minute break. Everyone can use the bathroom, and we'll see you.

Recording stopped.

Thank you.

Recording in progress.

Back. Now we move on to items E3, E4, E5, and E17 that are time certain for 11 o'clock. Madam City Attorney.

E3 is an ordinance of the City Commission amending the future land use map and mixed-use overlay district map of the City of Coral Gables Comprehensive Plan pursuant to Zoning Code Article 14, Process Section 14-213, Comprehensive Plan Text and Map Amendments and small-scale amendment procedures from religious, institutional to commercial mid-rise intensity and to include within the boundaries of the North Ponce Mixed-Use District Overlay Block 21, revised plot of Coral Gables Douglas Section, Coral Gables, Florida, providing for repealer provisions, severability, and providing for an effective date. E4 is an ordinance of the City Commission making zoning district boundary changes pursuant to zoning code article 14 process section 14-212 zoning code TEXA MAP AMENDMENTS FROM ONE FROM SPECIAL USE TO MIX USE TWO AND TWO TO INCLUDE WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF THE NORTH PONTS MIX USE DISTRICT OVERLAY BLOCK 21 REVISED PLAT OF CORAL GABLES DOUGLAS SECTION CORAL GABLES FLORIDA PROVIDING FOR APPEAL PROVISION SEVERABILITY CLAUSE AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE E5 IS IN ORANGE TO THE CITY COMMISSION GRANTING APPROVAL OF A PLANNED AREA DEVELOPMENT PURSUANT TO ZONING CODE ARTICLE 14 PROCESS SECTION 14-206 GENERAL PROCEDURES FOR PLANNED AREA DEVELOPMENT FOR MIX USE PROJECT REFERRED TO AS CRYSTAL RESIDENCES including a private school and property legally described as block 21, revised plot of Coral Gables-Douglas section, Coral Gables, Florida, superseding ordinance number 1909 and ordinance number 2962, including required conditions providing for appeal provisions, severability clause, and providing for an effective date. And then E17, Mayor. IS A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION REQUESTING MIXED USE SITE PLAN REVIEW AND ENCROACHMENT AGREEMENT PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 14 PROCESS SECTION 14-203 CONDITIONAL USES FOR A PROPOSED MIXED USE PROJECT REFERRED TO AS CRYSTAL RESIDENCES INCLUDING A PRIVATE SCHOOL AND LIVED WORK UNITS ON PROPERTY LEGALLY DESCRIBED AS BLOCK 21 REVISED PLATFORM GABLES DOUGLAS SECTION Coral Gables, Florida, superseding ordinance number 1909 and ordinance number 2962, to permit the current accessory school as a principal use, including required conditions, providing for repealer provisions, severability clause, and providing for an effective date. Because certain of these items are quasi-judicial items, I'm going to ask the city clerk to please soar in. Any individuals will be testifying today. And also, Mayor, we can consolidate the public hearing for all of these. Yes.

Thank you very much. Those who will be testifying on this item, please stand and raise your right hand. Do you swear or affirm that the testimony you'll provide today will be the truth and nothing but the truth? Thank you.

I don't see a turn.

We got.

So the applicant man, I know I'm waiting for the applicant you ready Good morning.

Good morning. Mr. Mayor commissioners doors of our with offices at three three three southeast second Avenue We're excited to be here back before you today for what we hope are the final approvals for this important project in your North Ponce area and It's a project that will not only deliver new housing opportunities and help activate the North Ponce area, as we discussed at our last hearing, but also it's a project that helps secure the future of Crystal Academy, a vital nonprofit institution in this community that serves many families and many children. As you all know, this project has been thoroughly reviewed since it was originally submitted in 2021. It's received favorable recommendations at all levels of review throughout the process, including from your city staff who's recommending approval from your city planning and zoning board who also recommended approval. And from the board of architects who approved this project, but this probably even more important today. We had some photos to show you. We're trying to get them up on the screen, but in recent weeks, the crystal academy building. has experienced significant structural issues. Over the last couple of weeks, we've had issues with the roof, which is leaking and has had to be tarped. Also, there's been significant water damage within the building and the flooring, which is collapsing. We have been working with Crystal Academy to try to repair those, but this project is important now more than ever, and we hope to have your approval here today so we can move forward and really create a true permanent home, one that is Up to the quality and the standards that's needed for an institution of this nature at our last meeting the Commission asked us to Provide specific feedback and address several items Before coming back and our team has worked hard to ensure that each and every one of those items That you requested has been addressed and I like to go over them one by one to show you how we've responded to To your questions 1st, as requested by the mayor, we revised our public benefit commitment commitment to not only include the exterior built out of crystal academy, but also to include the full internal build out of the school as well. So that public benefit contribution covenant has been updated to include all the interior work for crystal academy as well.

So quick question right now. Where do we stand in regards to the total square footage of the interior of the school?

So that is the second item that I wanted to address. Mr Mayor, we have increased the square footage of the school by 35%. We have a plan that will show you, but we have increased the square footage from 5000 square feet to 6700 square feet while still maintaining the internal pickup and drop off. That was one of the items that we work with the neighborhood on outside of.

When you talk about the construction from a vanilla shell, obviously, to a finished product.

Correct. All of the cabinets, all the bathrooms, all the internal walls.

I want to make sure that everything is taken care of. Again, we're not talking about ultra luxury, but we've got to talk about products that, again, can withstand the wear and tear of an educational facility. And also, let's talk candidly here in educational facilities with special needs children. So it has to be able to handle certain things a little bit differently.

Yeah, we are going to work. Our design team is going to work with Mary Palacio from Crystal Academy to make sure that all her needs are addressed when we design that interior plan. And we hope to start on that as early as next week once this project is approved.

Is it safe to say that the interior manager rounded off to 7,000 square feet just to round it off to a number? $200, I want to be... CONSERVATIVE $200 A FOOT FOR INTERIORS. I JUST WANT TO QUANTIFY THE UPGRADE IN REGARDS TO WHAT WE'RE REQUESTING, WHAT I REQUESTED FOR THE STUDENTS AT CRYSTAL ACADEMY. YOU THINK THE NUMBER IS GOING TO BE AROUND $1.5 MILLION OF ADDITIONAL CONSTRUCTION WORK?

WE'VE ESTIMATED THE INTERIOR WORK TO BE APPROXIMATELY $1 MILLION.

I HOPE YOU CAN BUILD IT FOR THAT. IF NOT, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THERE'S A COMMITMENT IN PLACE THAT IF, AGAIN, WITHIN REASON, within reason and the manager with the time that we have here, I'd like for the manager to engage on that because again, I think that's important to make sure that If we do vote in favor of the project today, that that gets addressed. This is a project where I think it needs to last for the next 30 years. It needs to be something that, again, uses a level of quality. I'm not talking about luxury. What I'm talking about is just the wear and tear, the durability. And you're going to see that, especially with special needs children. So I want to make sure that we give them what they need because this, to me, in my opinion and the opinion of my colleagues on the commission, this is an asset here in the city. And I want to make sure that we treat it like that. But I want to commend you for stepping up to the plate. Mr. Manager, what do you recommend?

Mr. Mayor, I think that the estimate is about $150 a square foot, which is a, I think, appropriate estimate for high-level construction from a durability point of view. which is what I believe what you're talking about. People don't understand that school has to be durable, and it's not necessarily gold-plated fixtures. It's durable fixtures and durable construction and reinforcement of drywall and all those things that you're talking about. I think a million dollars would probably be about $150 a square foot, which is right about there.

Thank you, Mr. Manager. If your team, again, depending on what happens today, could work hand-in-hand, obviously, with a manager on that interior, I'm not talking about the rest of the project. I'm just talking about just that piece of the project for me is incredibly important. I want to make sure that we deliver something exceptional. And at the end of the day, not only am I proud of it and the city's proud of it, but that you're proud of it. Thank you.

And Mr. Mayor, we'll work with your city manager. Once we have an internal plan designed and the finishes selected, we can work with the manager to review those prior to submitting for building permit. Perfect. Thank you very much. The 3rd item or some requests by the vice mayor regarding tree preservation and landscape enhancements as you know, we've already committed to relocating the large oak to the southwest corner of the property along these ponds, but as requested by the vice mayor, we have further committed to relocate an additional onsite oak onto East ponds. We've created a bump out where that tree can be accommodated. We are going to begin root pruning. for that tree prior to construction, hopefully very soon, so we could have both trees ready to relocate. And I think, Madam Vice Mayor, with the additional building setback that you requested on East Ponce and the additional landscaping, this new tree specimen there will really contribute to creating a nice green canopy along East Ponce, which I think was your intent.

Thank you.

We've also committed to plant additional landscaping along the north side of Phoenicia Avenue, so we're working with the women's club to make sure that both sides of the street are treated the same from a landscape perspective. Um, and finally, in response to comments from air residents and your direction and a mice mayor, we've committed to perform an additional traffic study, uh, and to implement any traffic calming or pedestrian safety enhancements along Phoenicia, uh, at the corners. Uh, we have an exhibit where we're going to be providing crosswalks there at those 2 intersections now across from the school on the side of the property. Uh, so I think you can see we've. Uh, address each of the items that this commission directed us to, uh, to study further. Um, this project cannot be coming at a better time for crystal academy. Uh, our entire team is dedicated to ensure. Uh, that this project gets done and that crystal academy is preserved here for generations to come. We've done a lot of changes to this project since time of the Planning and Zoning Board. This project has been refined. It's been reviewed by all your departments, by all your boards, by city staff who are recommending approval, and we ask that you approve the project with the revised commitments that we made today so we can move forward. Thank you for your time.

Thank you very much. You want to have questions after both are presented, or do you want to do it now?

We can wait for both.

I just want to make sure we hear from both sides.

Through the Mayor?

If we're going to have a conversation, let's let the Vice Mayor go first.

Quick statement. I did have a question for you. Maybe this will help resolve some issues. We did talk about residential parking permits. Were you able to include that with I can t you have a historic building there. Residential parking permit signs.

It's currently not a condition, but we have no objections to providing for that additional residential parking were fully parked internally and are not planning on using any of that on street parking. We could have that is an additional condition of approval. I know some of the residents at the last meeting at our neighborhood meeting asked to have some additional permit parking there.

Yeah, and in particular, these historic buildings have no place else to park but the street, so I'd appreciate you taking that up and help alleviate an issue there. And your commitment to take care of the hardwood trees, I'll just highlight for the record, too, that our staff has designated additional trees on the Phoenicia side to be moved into the public realm. I know you have it covered, but I just want to make sure that the The public knows that the healthy gumbo limbo's are items that the our staff has requested to be moved into the public area and preserve those as well. And then there's an additional comment I want to make because I've had the opportunity to have a conversation with Senator that we toured the facility and I said use this as an example this project as an example of why Using our city zoning code is the appropriate way instead of Tallahassee Preempting us because we get to do these wonderful things for our community and have community benefit we don't get have that opportunity with local projects and It's truly A BLESSING THAT PROJECTS AND DEVELOPERS LIKE THIS COME FORWARD WILLING TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS IN OUR CITY AND MAKE SURE THAT THE FUTURE IS SECURED FOR RESIDENTS IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO NEED SPECIAL SCHOOLS SUCH AS CHRISTOPHER ACADEMY. SO IT'S A VERY, VERY HONORABLE MOMENT. THE COMMENT I GOT BACK WAS UNFORTUNATELY NOT EVERY CITY IS COAL GAPLES. SO THANK YOU FOR THIS.

Thank you very much. Commissioner Castro.

Since this is a quasi-judicial item, I want to go ahead and city attorney put on the record that there has been ex-party communications.

Okay. Is there anything else you want to add about that or just?

No, no. I mean, everything's a public record. It's been mostly emails.

Okay.

And so as long as you are able to remain impartial and free from bias, you can continue.

Okay. Thank you very much. Thank you. Our zoning director, please. Oh, I'm sorry.

Good morning. Um, different Garcia plans on director. I could have a PowerPoint please. We can show a site plan and show the changes and be able to visualize that. Do I have a PowerPoint. Okay, and the changes are laid out for you and the car memo of the commission. On page 2. here we went over them perfect thank you the location is block 21 in douglas section and that's the aerial there are four requests that you'll be voting on today the change of land use zoning code map amendments as well as planned area development and the conditional use We all know that code deviations are nine stories instead of eight stories, and then a slight decrease in the transparency. And the benefit would be 6,700 square feet for Crystal Academy, no cost for nine years, the park in the corner for public use after hours, as well as a public pedestrian pass-through, as well as a cart yard, and their property. And then the Galleon Intersection Traffic Community, we talked about the traffic circles and crosswalks. This is the site plan that's been updated since you saw it last. You see the park in the corner, the northeast corner of the property. The school has been enlarged to be 100 square feet. The drop off is still interiorly located. The live works are wrapping around the entire building. And I think everything else is pretty much the same. So the changes from first reading were the removal of the Arcade and Antigua and East Ponce, the setback to additional landscape on Phoenicia and Galliano, to relocate those additional trees pursuant to a tree relocation feasibility study that we'd done during permitting of the crosswalks and traffic circles on Galliano, Antigua, and Phoenicia, and expansion of Crystal Academy. and then to provide interior build-out of Crystal Academy. That's laid out for you in the applicant's offered covenants as far as the details of how much paint and the cabinets and the fixtures and the plumbing fixtures. So staff determined it's consistent with the comprehensive plan. Does it provide more housing in an area that needs it? Recommend approval with conditions. And the conditions are outlined in the ordinance for the PAD as well as in the conditional approval. To sum it up, it is a maximum height of nine stories or 93 feet, the square footage of 6,700 square feet for Crystal Academy, the removal of the arcade and stoops to be reviewed and approved by the city architect. Courtyard and the covered walkway in the park be publicly accessible The tree relocations including the oak trees per location the tree relocation of the bill city study and then off-site improvements This is a little bit different from we saw last time the landscape on the north side of Phoenicia which was requested but also pedestrian crosswalks and traffic circles and Staff had gotten a lot of complaints about crashes and traffic issues, needs to have a calming along Phoenicia and Antia. The way it's drafted today in the ordinance after discussing with the applicants, we want to revise that so that they are going to persuade the county to have a four-way stop either at the East Ponds or and Phoenicia or East Ponce and Antia. So that would not require the raised crosswalk as proposed in the ordinance if they're able to get one of those intersections to be a four-way stop, which would be more preferable for staff as far as controlling the traffic coming in there. I think that's it. Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Mr. Winker? Thank you, David Winker, 4720 South Lejeune Avenue. I'd like to, if it was okay with you, I'd like to go after public comment.

Okay, thank you.

Mr. Clerk, Mr. Mayor, would you like me to start public comment? Yes.

First speaker, Maria Cruz.

I guess it's good afternoon at this time. Mrs. Maria Cruz, 1447 Miller Road. Here we go again and again. For some reason, we trust. We trust what the developers promise because they can always come back and change it. I was impressed when our leader, asked for some stuff at the last meeting, which was July 7th. Today is August 25th. And it was as simple in my mind, start working on internal planning design. Well, today we heard that as early as next week, they're going to start working on that. So look at all the amount of time it took. But now They're going to do it, and we trust that they will do it, because if not, they'll have some excuse why they couldn't do it. I'm also very interested in seeing, going to what was said today. Now, we're going to save a tree, but of course, we're going to bump out so we can use the city property that what could have been parking to have the tree of their property. That's very important. I wonder how many neighbors, how many residents can do that. Move whatever they want to the city side. Okay. Something is wrong. There's a little saying, when something smells, there is something. We keep talking about the academy. This building is not for Crystal Academy. This building is ed development. A developer that's going to make a lot of money on this property and to pull on our heartstrings. Wow. If we're going to call it Crystal Project, the Crystal Academy will be there. And you know what? The kids will not suffer. Most of the kids that are there now will most likely age out by the time they're back in that building. They have to be moved someplace. And today we heard there's problems with the roof. There's other problems. So the best thing that could have happened is for them to find the place where they're going to be and get going instead of trying to repair what is going to be turned down anyway. You know, that doesn't make sense. We're repairing what has to be turned down because we still haven't found a place to put them in while they're being built, while their building is being built. You know, very confusing, very, extremely confusing. And, of course, we keep talking about helping kids. Our kids are going to go there. Most of the kids at Crystal Academy are not residents of Coral Gables.

Dr. Barbara Bloom.

Hi, good afternoon. I'm a resident of North Gables. I actually am a native Floridian. I've been in North Gables now for 12 years. We love the area. I am not completely opposed. I know that this is going to happen. but I think there are several issues that need to be addressed that haven't been directly. As everybody knows, this area is mostly very small apartment and condo buildings, low rises. Very few have parking within their buildings. Commissioner Anderson, at least you did bring that up, but I think it's also very important that it is going to start to have more people parking on the streets, especially with the live-work issue, which I'll bring up in a minute. If they do do residential parking, that will help. However, if you go a few blocks away, people can park wherever, and it's going to spread the parking issue further along. I'm across from Phillips Park and the school, and I'm very familiar with all of those issues. One of the things that I wanted to bring up is the live work issue. I think two things are going to happen with the building. One is you're going to have increased traffic and the other is you're going to have the parking issues. I'm very opposed to the live work. It is so not representative of the residential area. The live work, most people that are coming to be clients or coming there for whatever they're doing with their work, Most of them are going to try to park on the street. As a rule, most of the buildings that have been built do not have adequate parking within the facility, no matter what they tell you. So you're going to have that issue. But another issue that I find is that the live work is going to bring in not just Gables residents as clients, but they're going to be bringing in a lot of non-residents. I do think that not only will it cause more traffic going on all day long and parking issues, We need to consider that there's going to be security issues. You're going to have a lot of unfamiliar people going in and out around that area that you wouldn't have normally. It's a very quiet area. People walk their dogs. You see people with their babies, with their strollers. A very, very different feeling. Additionally, the only other thing I wanted to say about the live-work part is that this is a school for autistic kids. I don't think that it's very beneficial to the school residents, the school students themselves. if you're going to have a lot of unfamiliar people coming in and out of the surrounding area of the building. If this is going to take place and you're going to have crystal residences, I really hope that you will eliminate the live-work part. And that's a very important issue. Thank you.

Thank you. Manuel Santamaria. Good afternoon, sir.

Good morning. I live at 111 Salamanca Avenue. I am a progress in the fire city beautiful and have a couple of opposition that I want to emphasize, and I know it's been said before, it's not to be repeating, it's to make clear that it's very important. And the main one is that developers are leveraging the know work of Crystal Academy to appeal to motion rather than sound urban planning. And they say that this project is going to secure for the Crystal Academy, but there's no guarantee that the Crystal Academy will be there for all this time. Even the developers have said that if they leave, they just give the space to someone else. And it's hard for me to say this because I have a very dear relative with Down syndrome and within the spectrum, but emotional leverage cannot replace responsible zoning enforcement. Also, our city, the streets are very narrow and we will have very limited parking. I live on a street that requires parking permit, and enforcement is not really a thing. So whenever you go there, there are cars without the permit, and you rarely see the meter maid or anybody looking into that. And I say this also because to be realistic, most of the residents will have two or more vehicles, so they will overflow to our streets, and They're just so narrow that they cannot take this burden. This project directly threatens our local heritage. If we systematically tear down our historic spaces, whenever a lucrative development arises, we destroy the very soul of the city beautiful. And the garden of our Lord, that's a sacred space and deserves absolute protection. And then my last point that I want to talk about, it's... This rezoning creates a slippery slope because if you approve it now, what will happen when a new developer comes and buys houses around the Prado entrance and they will request for a rezoning to build a building that is not in accordance with the current zoning? Or what will stop a new developer to redevelop the abandoned Cora Gables MRI building at 760 ponds? and build a box store, you know, so this will create a bad present. And so I ask you today to do the right thing and vote no on this repurpose and rezoning. Thank you.

Thank you. Tom Wells.

Good afternoon. I'm Tom Wells. I live at 1310 Corway. My law firm is also located at 901 Ponce Leon Boulevard. I'm here today to speak against the commission giving zoning code exceptions to crystal residences for a local developer who contributed over $20,000 to Mayor Largo's campaign in 21 through 24. A Chicago developer who contributed $10,000 to a PAC that only supports Mayor Largo and two other elected officials who follow Mayor Largo's vote and personally attacks anybody who dissents. The local developer gave Commissioner Lara $3,000 in our runoff election also. The PAC contribution was made 12 days before Mayor Lago's majority vote on the zoning code exception for crystal residences. By requiring a zoning code exception, this development is per se incompatible with the surrounding area. CORE CABLE ZONING CODE WITH ITS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, FUTURE LAND USE ELEMENT, AND HOUSING VISION STATEMENT REQUIRES A PRESERVATION OF THE BASIC COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND LAYOUT OF THE CITY BY GEORGE MERRICK TO PROTECT THE DISTINCT OF HISTORIC AND ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER OF THE CITY FOR THE SAFETY, HEALTH, COMFORT, MORALS, CONVENIENCE, PEACE, PROSPERITY, APPEARANCE, AND GENERAL WELFARE FOR THE CITY RESIDENTS. MORE IMPORTANTLY, AS COMMISSIONER LEHRER TALKED PREVIOUSLY ABOUT DUE PROCESS, you do not have the necessary information to grant the requested zoning exception today. The traffic study attached to the agenda was prepared in 2022. It does not discuss the Aurelian, a 12-story apartment building located at 114 Calibria with 161 residential units and a 248 car parking garage. It also does not discuss Ponce 8 that was previously referenced, a 16-story live local apartment building with 201 residential units. By making Ponce de Leon Boulevard one lane south of 8th Street, traffic departing from the office buildings on the east side, like my building, Ponce, are forced into the residential areas where Crystal Residence is proposed to be located. Your job is to make decisions that are in the best interest of residents based on current facts. Because the traffic study is woefully inadequate and outdated, you cannot make that informed decision today. As we heard, the lobbyist is going to redo the traffic study. So you shouldn't make this decision until you're informed as to the traffic study. As to making informed decisions, You really should have an independent committee to select and negotiate a city manager. One of the few things that Commissioner Lara and I agreed on the election was an independent committee to do that. By giving the city manager an annual retirement benefit, 25% pay salary.

Mr. Wells, excuse me. That is not relevant to the issue that we're discussing right now. Please stick to items E3, E4, E5, and E17. Thank you, sir.

So my discussion is about making decisions without necessary information.

Mr. Wells, if I may. Madam City Attorney, will you please inform Mr. Wells?

Yes, Mayor. As we've mentioned before, the public comments should be kept to the topic that is being discussed, and we are now discussing the items that you just listed regarding 110 Phoenicia. I think Mr. Wells can maybe, you know, include his remarks within the topic. THAT WOULD PROBABLY BE APPROPRIATE.

NEW SPEAKER THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

NEW SPEAKER SO IN ALL DEFERENCE I'M TROUBLED BY MAKING DECISIONS WITHOUT BEING PROPERLY INFORMED. IT'S A TRUE FAILURE OF LEADERSHIP. NEW SPEAKER THANK YOU.

NEW SPEAKER NOEL HUBB. NEW SPEAKER ANTHONY ATWOOD WOULD BE NEXT.

NEW SPEAKER MR. ATWOOD. NEW SPEAKER SIR GOOD MORNING AND FIRST AND FOREMOST THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor, Madam Vice Mayor, I am not a resident of Coral Gables. I live at 9337 Southwest 37th Street, Miami, Florida, the great state of Westchester. I was born, though, in Coral Gables. doctor's hospital. I am a hurricane. My great uncle was the fire marshal of this community and I'm here to speak on this project. I've been asked to. I am a lecturer in national security issues at the university, and I am the director of the Miami-Dade Military Museum. We're located at the zoo, which was once a very large military base. About this project, there are a number of issues that just jump right up. Um, Number one, the project violates the North Ponce neighborhood conservation overlay district. Number two, it violates the historic city plan unanimously approved by this commission. Number three, it violates zoning code section 1-103, the compatibility requirement. Number four, it contradicts the city's own North Ponce planning process. Number five. The infrastructure cannot support it. Number six, the planned area development benefit claim is, you might say, hollow. There's also an elephant in the room that perhaps no one has even mentioned. The Garden of the Lord was built by veterans of World War II and Korea. There are significant aspects, memorials, plaques, brass plaques, to those people. They cannot speak here today because they're all dead now. And we, the living, must carry on in some way until the balloon goes up once again. And you may rest assured it will. There is no doubt in my military mind it's coming. And when that happens, we will need our heroes and our heroines once again. So I know that what I've said is probably off the beam. I apologize for any inconvenience to you. But I hope you will respectfully remember why the city stands, what it stands for, and the humans who built it. Thank you for your time.

Thank you for being here. Aye, aye, sir. And thank you for your service once again. We're grateful for you.

Noelle Hub?

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon. My name is Noelle Hub. I'm from 1201 East Ponce. i stand against this project it's not compatible to the neighborhood you were discussing the landscaping for phoenicia and each pons and galliano my understanding is that all the black olives on anthea are going to be ripped out supposedly we just got the award of 58 percent tree canopy but yet here we are tearing it out the live work is not compatible, as the woman said before. There's gonna be outsiders coming for traffic. The beautification project on Ponce de Leon was done after the traffic survey, which you did. So it's not relevant anymore because you've closed ponds all over the place, gotten rid of parking spaces to do these bump outs. You're funneling people onto our streets. I can't tell you how many construction trucks go by my building every day between dump trucks and concrete trucks to get to the other project down the street. We have nowhere to park. It's nuts. You're getting rid of our trees. You're putting this massive project right on our streets. You're destroying our community. My family's been here since 52. We owned a property for 64 years. And it's a historic property. So I know the historic rules and everything. My mother did battle with you guys. She actually won. But you're not saving anything. You're destroying this city. And I'm sorry to see it go.

Thank you. Lynn Blustein. Maria de Leon Fleites.

Hi, Lynn Bluestein, 4330 Southwest 15th Street. I am here today to support someone I consider to be a local hero, and that is Bonnie Bolton. Sergio Pino purchased the property in November 2021. The original intention was residential development, not preservation of the garden or church. The garden and historic trees weren't part of the plan. The property was bought purely as a developmental site with the existing religious and garden use seen as something to be cleared for new construction. In less than three years, his wife filed for divorce and he was involved in a murder-for-hire plot to have her killed. As agents were closing in to arrest him at his Coral Gables home, Pino fatally shot himself on July 16, 2024. This whole sordid story reminds me of all the Indiana Jones movies put together. While he was trying to save sacred spaces and relics and antiquities, there were always dark forces trying to steal them and destroy them. It didn't end well for the adversaries. I think this is a story as old as time. I invite you to take a brief moment and think back in your life of the time or times when your heart has been broken by someone or something. If you are human, this has happened to you. And now I would like you to be aware that you are breaking the hearts of thousands of people who would urge you not to desecrate and destroy the garden of our Lord. It is possible that the destruction and desecration of the garden of our Lord will follow you into whatever your futures may bring. And I also want to say that it is perfectly okay to change your mind and change your vote at this time. Think about it for a second. And I'll sign off with one of my favorite sayings. Just because you can doesn't mean you should. Thank you.

Maria de Leon Fleites. Absolutely. Cheryl Ackerman.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon. My name is Cheryl Ackerman. I live at 816 Sorolla Avenue, Pearl Gables. That's North Gables. I'm opposed to the zoning changes. And I've been here before and not comfortable with it. I am a villager and we work towards saving historical places. The garden is one of those places. And as many people have already stated, there's many reasons to save it.

Thank you. Thank you. Elvis Cruz.

Elvis Cruz. This proposed upzoning violates the North... Mr. Cruz.

Sir. Would you please put your address on the record?

631 Northeast 57th Street. This proposed upzoning violates the North Ponce Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District and other aspects of your zoning code. The property currently has a four-story height limit, but they want to more than double that with a nine-story building. The project sits among single-family homes and a low-scale neighborhood. If any of us lived in a single-family home, we would not want a nine-story building erected across the street. We've seen this movie many times before. The developers have it backwards. Instead of designing a project to fit the zoning, they want you to change the zoning to fit their project. This is another money-motivated manipulation at City Hall. But this one has a twist. They're using the school as political leverage. The school does fine work, but being overwhelmed by a nine-story building is not a good situation for any school. It would be so nice if city governments placed a higher value on preserving residential quality of life than on enabling developer profits. Please preserve the character and scale of this historic Coral Gables neighborhood by denying this subzoning. Thank you.

Thank you. Maria de Leon Fleites.

Good morning. If we could have the PowerPoint presentation, please. Mayor, commissioners, thank you. My name is Maria de Leon Fleites and I live at 825 Messina Avenue and have been a Coral Gables resident for 43 years. I speak as an architect, an adjunct faculty member at the University of Miami, and a neighbor who cares deeply about this community. My primary concern is the loss of the Garden of Our Lord Meditation Garden. a cherished sanctuary of reflection, beauty, and community connection. With city stewardship, it could once again become an open public garden. Destroying it for this development would be an irreversible cultural and spiritual loss. Second, the proposed nine-story height is fundamentally incompatible with its surroundings. The zoning here allows four stories. A jump from 4 to 9 stories is not a minor adjustment. It dramatically changes the scale, shadows and character of the neighborhood. There has been confusion about nearby taller buildings. Those buildings are located along Ponce de Leon Boulevard, Douglas Road and within the Douglas entrance campus. Areas intentionally planned for greater density. The streets surrounding this project, including Antia and Phoenicia, remain residential in character and were never intended to absorb a nine-story tower or a 12-story tower that's going up on the other block. Showing here is an aerial graphic illustrating all the buildings taller than four stories within a five-minute walk, which is in a typical neighborhood is a five-minute walk. It clearly shows that the taller buildings are concentrated along those major corridors that I mentioned before, while the surrounding neighborhood remains predominantly four stories or less. Everything that is green is four stories or less, and only the buildings within the colored areas are taller than that. Although I oppose the height, my primary mission has always been to save the garden. To that end, I developed a 12-story study that preserves the same number of units and required parking while protecting both the garden and the 200-year-old oak tree. While the current proposal would relocate the tree, transplanting a specimen of that age carries significant risk and would remove it from the historic setting where it has stood for generations. The mayor told me he was 110% behind the idea if the developer accepted it. We met with a developer last week and he declined to consider the alternative. It made one fact clear. Preservation was possible, but the developer rejected the only option that saved the garden. Finally, this project would eliminate valuable green space and remove mature canopy trees, including heritage black olives that have shaded this neighborhood for decades. These trees cannot simply be replaced. It will take generations to recreate what already exists today. I urge you to reject this proposal. Coral Gables deserves development that respects its heritage, protects its trees and green spaces, and preserves the character that makes our city unique. Thank you for your time.

Victor Flates, thank you.

Good morning.

Morning. Good afternoon.

Good afternoon. Victor Flake. I reside at 825 Messina Avenue. I'm here today to voice opposition to the Crystal Residences Project. I was listening to the last meeting where there was an observation mentioned that opposition was waning. This is not the case. I've had the privilege of walking this neighborhood twice a day for the past couple of weeks, as well as regularly when I visit my daughter at 49 Phoenicia. This project does have its beneficiaries. Clearly, they are benefits to the developer, the city through enhanced tax base, and of course, Crystal Academy. All well-deserved. I'm not going to dispute that. Supporters cite that there will be benefits to the neighborhood, but these benefits escape me. The scale of the structure is not beneficial. The loss of the garden and its artifacts is not beneficial. Again, I walk this neighborhood regularly. This neighborhood is healthy. There is considerable pedestrian track activity and everyone is friendly. If this project is to be a benefit to the neighborhood, open the garden to the public and restrict the scale of the structure. I believe in the goal of city leadership to enhance the lives of its residents. You can do so by keeping the garden and limiting the scale of structures in this neighborhood. Thank you for your time.

Bonnie Bolton. You can request your presentation, ma'am. It's ready for you.

Okay. Put it up, please. All right. First, where's my presentation?

And I need the clicker.

First and foremost.

Ma'am, can you please state your name and address for the record?

I'm sorry. Bonnie Bolton, 42 Phoenicia Avenue here in Coral Gables. First and foremost, I must mention that the petition form letters presented by the developer do not mention that the project includes demolition of the Garden of Our Lord, moving the 200-year-old tree, and chopping down old-growth specimen trees on the Swale, on East Ponce, and on Antia. And I want to thank Nicholas Cabrera for serving as the motivation to investigate the petition form letter fraud. I counted each form letter twice. It is flagrantly obvious. Approximately 318 came from the city of Coral Gables and approximately 173 came from the city of Miami. They were submitted by David Butler of Greenberg-Trorig. George Navarro boasted about those petition letters at the Special Masters and at every subsequent hearing. He stated they came from the neighborhood, when in fact a majority did not. We had separate letters for the Special Masters and the Zoning Board. We had over 170 letters. for the zoning board hearing. And for the special masters, we had an equivalent amount. At the Planning and Zoning Board meeting, Ignacio Alvarez, a member of the board, states, this burial site keeps coming up. Is this a cemetery? And George Navarro states, quote, I just want to answer the question. No, it doesn't. This site was alleged to be a cemetery four years ago. The state of Florida came and certified that it is not a cemetery. I received a letter from the state of Florida yesterday stating that the garden is still a cemetery and there is the form sent by the state of Florida yesterday. That's fraud, Mr. Navarro. And I want to mention that quasi-judicial decisions must be based strictly on competent, substantial and truthful evidence. If an applicant's attorney lies during a quasi-judicial hearing, their deceptive statements can invalidate the entire application and subject the attorney to immediate ethics investigations. Mr. Navarro stated the state had said that it was certified not to be a cemetery. I provided proof to the contrary. I'm also submitting an arborist report. which states that a tree is at least 163 years old and cannot be moved because of damage to its roots. Also, I am submitting articles which state that some of the trees and bushes in the garden today came as seeds from Gethsemane. I am submitting articles also stating that the garden was always open to the public. It changed after I had the Herald write an article about the garden. And I am submitting an affidavit which details additional fraud perpetuated by Mr. Navarro. And I need to mention the $10,000 donation to the mayor from Steve Fifield days before the commission vote for the first reading of the zoning change. Thank you. Thank you very much. That was a violation of my due process, what George Navarro has done.

Okay. Just for the record, one additional minute from the three minutes. I have no idea what violation of due process that was. We'll move forward.

I line that the state certified it to be not a cemetery. I provided the proof. Okay. Thank you very much. Please sit down.

Thank you so much. Good afternoon.

Hello, everyone. Good afternoon, and here we are again, many years now, fighting the good fight. On behalf of the Historic Preservation Association of Coral Gables, please accept these remarks in opposition to the project as presented. Please consider the project 110 Phoenicia Avenue in context with the area. The area was designed as a low scale garden apartment district. The enclave was planned by city founder George Merrick as part of his garden city precept. The proposed project scheduled to be built on the site where the Garden of Our Lord St. James Lutheran Church and Crystal Academy now stand does not conform to the present zoning code and it violates several city ordinances. So here are my top 10 reasons in opposition. Number one, there's a zoning violation. As you've heard over and over, the block is zoned special use religious with a four-story max height. Number two, it's incompatible with the neighborhood. Surrounding structures are one to four stories tall, and there's also single family homes that are directly adjacent. Number three, there's historic sensitivity. Six historically designated structures on Phoenicia Avenue and on Tia Avenue and the neighborhood is being studied for a historic district designation. As a matter of fact, just recently the final draft of this survey was submitted and This survey has inventoried 556 historic resources and outlines a framework for preserving the neighborhood character. Number four, there's also the two additional landmarks, which is the Coral Gables Woman's Club and the Douglas Entrance. Number five, it violates section 1-103, which, again, it's the zoning code Should be compatible to the area and number 6 violates to additional city ordinances, which is the North Ponce neighborhood conservation overlay and also the. Historic city plan. These ordinances are the city's strongest legislative tool, and it creates a binding municipal law. So these ordinances are being violated. And then again, just to finish, I know we're a long meeting, but The number seven, it contradicts the community vision workshop. Number eight, infrastructure won't support it. And number nine, the PAD request is misleading, using Crystal Academy as a public benefit. And so for all these reasons, please accept and, well, please deny the project as presented. Thank you.

Thank you.

I also would like to read, if it's OK with the mayor, a statement from Miss Elizabeth Fink Schumacher. Is that OK? It's a short. OK. It's very short. I know she's met with a few of you last month. But it says, good afternoon. I am Elaine Fink Schumacher. the granddaughter of H. George Fink and the first cousin, twice removed, of George Merrick. I was raised in Coral Gables and I served as the organist at St. James Lutheran Church for three years while I was in high school and college. It was a life-changing experience. I would not be the person I am today without the positive impact of this church and the experiences I had in the garden of our Lord. I am here to ask the city to deny the four zoning changes which the developer is requesting at the garden of our Lord. Please preserve the garden of our Lord as it is and where it is. Thank you.

Thank you.

Robin Burr.

Good afternoon, Robin Burr. I live at 18500 Southwest 244th Street in Homestead, Florida. I am a longtime Resident of Coral Gables 32 years. I am a member of the Coral Gables Women's Club for 26 years. I don't want to see this project go through because it's going to affect the Women's Club and how it is going to maintain itself without parking and Our historic club actually rents our facility to maintain it and the children's dental clinic. And we need that income in order to proceed. The children's dental clinic has given $4 million of free dental care over the years. And actually, some of the children from the Crystal Academy have been patients there. One of the things that no one has really addressed until I heard Maria Cruz say something today is, what about these children being displaced during the time that they're going to be building? It's going to be three or four years. And everybody's tugging on our heartstrings that the children are, you know, they need continuity and a place that is their own, but they're not gonna have a place for quite some time during the construction. The other thing I wanna point out is that the trees, yes, I'm hearing that now they're finally gonna be moved. I don't know if anybody realizes how difficult that is. I live in the Redland now. I'm part of the agricultural community, and I have a very good friend named Jody Haynes who works for Signature Palms, and they move trees for a living. A tree, I discussed this with him, and he said a tree of this nature, or the two trees of this nature, would require over a year to be moved, so you can't just move them overnight. It's not going to happen. And it's highly unlikely they would survive. So it would cost probably somewhere between half a million to a million dollars, a year of time or more, and you may not have success. So I think that alone should constitute saving those trees. Thank you. I hope that you will agree with me and vote against this project at its current pace. presentation. Thank you.

Thank you for being here. Good afternoon.

Good afternoon, everybody. My name is . I live in 888 Douglas Road, just five minutes away from here. I live in Coral Gables and I love the city. I love the green areas that it has already. But there is something that everybody must know and respect about the progress of the city. That is something that we can't stop. Yeah. Every city has their issues. Every city has their conflicts. This is part of it, part of the life. And if the city wants to progress and continue doing the way that it has been developed, you know, this construction is respecting all the regulations and designs that the city is requesting for it. And I think there is nothing that could stop it, you know, for develop this project. And besides the population and also the school, school is a good issue, you know, that we support the kids with all things that there is a few population, you know, there is some minors that they cannot go to regular schools. And that's important, even if they belongs, THE CITY OR IT CAME FROM OTHER COUNTIES. THAT'S A SERVICE THAT THE CITY IS OPEN TO DO EVEN TO THE WHOLE MIAMI-DADE. APPRECIATE IF YOU AGREE OR SUPPORT THE SPIRIT. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, SIR.

Good afternoon.

My name is Omar Packard. I reside at 911 East Ponce de Leon Boulevard. I've lived in Coral Gables for more than 40 years. I never expected I would have to come before this commission this many times to defend the neighborhood I call home. We have been discussing this project for more than five years. At this point, I think the issue is very simple. The community does not want this project in its current form. and the developer has made no effort to find a compromise or work with the community. Instead, we keep hearing about Crystal Academy as if opposing this development means opposing the school or its students. It doesn't. Crystal Academy exists today. It serves its students today. Denying this development does not mean denying these children an education. The Garden of Our Lord has been part of this neighborhood for more than 75 years. There is a way to protect it, preserve Crystal Academy and still allow development. We nearly reached that point through the planning and zoning process. What is missing is the willingness from the developer to compromise. And there's still serious questions about the supposed public benefit and traffic impact. This commission has a choice. You can continue to bend the rules to accommodate a wealthy developer from Chicago, or you can stand up for the residents who actually live here. Protect the garden of our Lord, protect the neighborhood. Please vote no. Thank you.

Judith Packard.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon. My name is Judith Packard. I live at 911 East Ponce de Leon Boulevard. I've lived in the North Ponce for more than 43 years. And I'm speaking today because I care deeply about what happens to this neighborhood and to the corollables we leave behind. The Garden of Our Lord is not just another piece of property. It's part of the character of this community. For more than 75 years, it has been a garden, place of beauty and part of the neighborhood's identity. When you walk through the Ponce North area, you can see what makes Coral Gables different from every other city in Miami-Dade, the trees, the open spaces, the historic architecture, and the sense that this place was designed to be more than just a building, excuse me, more than just buildings packed onto lots. And we have protected that character before. As I mentioned before, residents fought to preserve the Douglas entrance. They fought for the Alhambra Water Tower. They fought to protect the Biltmore Hotel. Those places survived because people were willing to stand up and say that some things are worth more than their immediate economic value. That is the decision before you now. This is not a choice between development and doing nothing. It's not a choice between the Garden of Our Lord and Crystal Academy. And it certainly does not have to be a choice between progress and preservation. There's a solution where the Crystal Academy can continue serving its students, where a developer can build, and where the Garden of Our Lord can remain part of this community. That solution requires compromise and, most importantly, a willingness to listen to the people who actually live there. But after five years of community opposition, we are still being asked to approve essentially the same proposal. Four Gables has never been great simply because we allowed things to be built. It became great because previous generations understood that development has to respect the place where it occurs. The Garden of Our Lord is a true treasure of Coral Gables, an irreplaceable gem that belongs to our community. Today, I'm asking you to stand with the residents of this community, uphold the standards that protect Coral Gables, and reject this proposal. Please vote no. Thank you.

Alexis Santos.

How are you?

Good afternoon, Commissioners. My name is Alexis Santos, and I live in 1300 Ponce de Leon, 308. I think about what people will see here 20 years from now. I hope it's a beautiful building, a permanent school serving children with autism and special needs, and public spaces people actually use. I think the next generation will appreciate that we invested in this property's future. That's why I support this project. Thank you, and I hope you guys will support it as well. Appreciate it.

Thank you. Walter Fontiveros. Good afternoon.

Hello, my name is Walter Fontiveros. I live on 1201 Southwest 42 Avenue. I believe Corregables takes important decisions seriously. This project has been studied, debated, redesign, review, and review again. At some point, the process has to miss something. We trust our planners, experts, boards, and courts to review these issues, and we should respect the outcome. A new design introduced five years later feels like a stalactite to me. These one words, our recommendations say, I respectfully ask you to vote yes. Thank you. Thank you, sir.

Hello, 235 NTI Avenue, Apartment 2. I'm here to support the Crystal Academy project. I know this has been a long ongoing thing for five years. I think the longer they prolong it, the longer it will take for these students, these kids, autistic kids, to have somewhere to go, the sooner it is approved, the sooner it could start getting built on. All of these things have been redesigned, rebuilt, have been reviewed, and I think it's time for it to move forward to serve the community in a better way. Thank you.

Thank you. Domenica Fajardo.

Hello, good afternoon. My name is Domenica. I live here at 271 Majorca Avenue, Coral Gables, 33134 for almost five years. And no boat doesn't preserve everything as it is. Crystal Academy has served children with autism here for 16 years. This project gives the school a new proposed built home rent-free for 99 years. Without the project, that certain doesn't exist. To those that vote no, what exactly are you saving? three and private property that used to be a garden. I hope all of you put these kids as your priorities and Budding Jazz secures the school's future. Please approve it. Thank you.

Thank you. Marisol Rivera.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon, my name is Marisol Rivera and I live 1014 Salcedo Street, Coral Gables. I keep hearing this project destroy green space, but the garden today is private. The public can use it. The project created roughly 20,500 square feet of ground level open space, including a park, car yard, pedestrian connection, and wider sidewalk. 36% of the site versus 20% required. To me, creating green space the public can actually enjoy is an improvement. That, to me, is the definition of a public benefit. I support the project. Thank you.

Thank you. Carolina Lindau.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon. My name is Carolina. I live in 4105 Southwest 11th Street, Coral Gable, 33134. I have been here several times because I truly care. Traffic was one of my concerns. So I look on the plan. School drop off, pickup, and circulation are internalized. The project has 301 on-state parking space and That's a crosswalk on why there is light work. The crazy proof a process. This has gone through has a review every single detail many times. The city staff agrees and support this application. and the plans address my concerns, and I support the project.

Thank you. Thank you. Veronica Mayrategui? You have to do.

My address is 800 Douglas Road, number 904. I support this project because I believe the developer has listened to the community and made meaningful compromise. They are preserving the tree, contributing to the school, and creating public green space. It may not be perfect for everyone, but I believe it offers a fair balance between development and the interest of our community. At the same point, we have to recognize a good compromise. When we see one, I believe this that the moment it's time to move forward. Thank you.

Thank you. Good afternoon.

Good afternoon. How are you? My name is Aura Quintero, and I live 335 Navarre Avenue, apartment number 5, Coral Gables, 331-34. 110 Fonation is privately owned, and its owner has expenditures going through. The city requires reviews and legal process. If the community believes this property must remain exactly as it is forever, the first solution is to acquire and preserve it. Not prevent a private owner from using it indefinitely. Hiring about the place doesn't make it public property and it's a positive program. By the way, this shouldn't be about neighbor versus neighbor. It should be about right and wrong. This one is right. Please. Thank you.

Thank you. Giancarlo Vergara.

Good afternoon, sir.

Good afternoon. My name is Giancarlo Vergara. I live in 235 Antigua Avenue, apartment 7. I fear this neighborhood should stay exactly as it is, but cities change. The question is whether that change is thoughtful. This project adds housing in proof and aging property and secure Crystal's Academy future. To me, that's a thoughtful growth and deserves to be approved. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Maria Gracia.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon. My name is Maria Gracia. My address is 800 Douglas Road, 608-331-34. I ask myself one simple question. Will this property contribute more to Corregables 10 years from now than it does today? For me, the answer is really yes. Let's focus on the beautiful school, the important work it does, the safety of the students, and the thoughtful review that has gone into this project. We may not agree on every detail, but I believe this is a positive step for our community and the right things for Coral Gables. Thank you.

Thank you.

Karen Altman.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

Karen Altman at 291 Navarre Avenue. Good afternoon, everyone. I walk my dog through this neighborhood almost every day. What matters to me is what this project feels like at street level. It adds wider sidewalks, landscaping, public plaza, outdoor seating, and gathering spaces. These improvements make the neighborhood better for people who experience it every day, in my opinion. While I respect the opposition's concerns, it is important to me that you know that there are many of us who support the plan. We keep showing up just like they do. I support it. Thank you.

Thank you. Mayor, I'm going to go to Zoom next. First speaker is going to be Joseph Fidel.

Mr. Fidel.

Mr. Fidel, if you could please unmute. Mr. Clerk, you want to come back to me? Thomas Mooney will be next.

Mr. Mooney. Mr. Mooney. Good afternoon. Mr. Mayor and members of the commission. Um, I wanted to thank you again for all your time and effort process in the project.

Yes. Right. Can we ask him to please turn on his video? Oh, sure.

And also provide us with your address.

It says that the video is disabled by the host.

Awesome. And okay, okay, we had you there for a second. There you go. There you go. All right. Please raise your right hand. You swear a firm testimony you'll provide today will be the truth and nothing but the truth, sir.

I do, and for the record, my name is Thomas Mooney. I reside at 601 of our Avenue. I'm a 26 year resident of the city of Coral Gables. I have spoken. On this matter, basically, at all the levels of the review, so I won't take a lot of time. I just wanted to again, express my strong support. for the project. It's a very good project from both an urban planning standpoint, adaptive reuse standpoint, and most importantly, from its ability to be able to accommodate a major cultural institution, the Crystal Academy. For transparency purposes, my son did attend the Crystal Academy for both therapy and school from 2010 through June of this year. And he has since moved on to a new opportunity at the Miami Learning Experience, but myself and my wife will always be members of the Crystal family. One other thing I would like to mention in addition to our support, our strong support for this project is that It should not be lost on everybody that Crystal Academy is still going to be responsible for the maintenance of the facility, the upkeep of the facility. There still will be financial obligations on the part of Crystal. And their financial obligations are not just with the existing facility, which is very challenging, but even with a new facility, they will still have some responsibility. So with that, again, I want to thank the mayor and commissioner for their time on this and encourage you to finalize the approval today. Thank you. Thank you. Luis Ortiz.

Good afternoon. Can you hear me?

Yes, sir, we can hear you. If you could please turn on your video.

Yep, I'm doing that.

When was the next person. You want to go back to Mister Fidel.

And Mister Fidel yes, can you hear me, yes, sir, yes, sir. My name is Joseph for now, sir, before you continue we're going to ask you to please turn on your video.

You cannot start your video because it is disabled by the host. Is there something you need to do or something I need to do?

Can you hear me? We can hear you, sir. Just give us one second. Yeah. Okay. So Mr. Mayor, they can speak, but it won't be considered testimony for the meeting. Let's move forward.

There we go. Okay. There we go. All right. Hi, guys. Fidel, can you please? Good afternoon. My name is Joe Fidel. I reside at 504- Please raise your right hand, sir.

Will you please raise your right hand? Oh, there we go. Thank you.

Do you swear from the testimony you'll provide today will be the truth and nothing but the truth?

I hope so. Thank you. I reside at 504 Menorca Avenue, and I've been a resident of Coral Gables for more than 47 years. honorable mayor, vice mayor, and members of the commission. As a longtime former resident of this North Ponce neighborhood, I lived there for more than 20 years, I strongly oppose the proposed Crystal Residences development. This commission holds a solemn obligation to defend the master plan, zoning standards, and historical legacy of Coral Gables. Approving a massive nine story complex on this site completely undermines those responsibilities. To be clear, I do not oppose development. I would fully support an appropriately scaled project such as for example, traditional town homes or a lower rising multifamily building that respects the community. However, the commission must deny this project and require an architectural redesign that scales down the building to preserve a significantly larger portion of the quote unquote historic garden of our Lord. I urge a no vote based on these critical observations. One, overlay violation. The North Ponce Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District section 2-404 explicitly protects low rise garden style aesthetics of this quote unquote historic district. A nine story concrete tower directly violates this protective framework. Two, structural incompatibility. Under the zoning code, section 1-103, new structures must harmonize with the neighborhood. Forcing a nine-story building adjacent to one to two four-story homes, much less across the street from the historic Coral Gables Women's Club, defies the legal definition of architectural compatibility. Three, disregard for planning. This proposal completely ignores the community vision workshop consensus where residents, many of whom have spoken already, strictly called for a two to four story height limit and the preservation of park space. Four, infrastructure strain. Relying on an outdated 2022 traffic study fails to account for current neighborhood gridlock on our narrow historic streets. Finally, hollow HAD benefits. This project falls short of the required 20% open green space requirement. Restricting public access to a private schools playground on weekdays is not a genuine community benefit. In conclusion, the choice before this commission is start. This developer asked the city to sacrifice its strict height limits and zoning integrity in exchange for a private school's restricted playground. That is a poor trade for the people of Coral Gables. Please deny this application. Sincerely, Joseph Fennell.

Thank you, sir. Mr. Mayor, we're going to try one more time with Mr. Luis Ortiz.

Good afternoon. Thank you very much.

What is your address, sir?

We're asking him. Sir, yes, sir, we can see you. Let's go ahead and raise your hand. Do you swear or affirm the testimony you'll provide today will be the truth and nothing but the truth?

I do.

Thank you, sir.

Okay, my apologies for earlier, but I guess that's Murphy's lot work in any case, I am at 32 collaborate avenue and just a couple blocks north of where this project is proposed and hearing both sides i've been i've been online for the entirety of the meeting. One can argue this project either way. There are benefits and detractions to it. But one of the major ones I find are in the presentation of the attorney when he showed the floor plan. And it basically takes what is now a garden, and there was testimony to it being sacred or not, but taking a garden and internalizing it. I think it becomes a benefit to the residents, even though it's being presented as an amenity to the community. I also believe and agree with the person who stated that oak trees are very delicate, especially one that is this old. So it just makes it difficult to move a tree such as one that's in question. In my synopsis of this is that I believe that it's not wrong for the city to consider an alternative and ask the developer to preserve the garden, make it part of the public realm, um thereby giving something to the city rather than detracting it and what i mean the city not only the city at large but also the residents because i've also heard concerns about the density and the height of the proposed project there is precedence of this type of development occurring However, I believe that the garden is a non-starter and the city should ask the developer to integrate or preserve the garden in its form, enhance it, and actually offer it like many cities in the Northeast do, offer it to the public. Thank you very much.

Sir, did you provide your address?

Yes, 32 Calabrian Avenue.

I didn't hear it. I apologize. Thank you.

One more hand raised right now. Zuli Pardo.

Can you hear me?

Yes, ma'am.

Hello?

Yes, we can hear you. We can hear you. Hello? Yes, give us one second.

Hello?

Yes, we can hear you.

CG TV, I am. I mute it. There you go. Okay. Ms. Pardo, we can hear you. You can hear me? Yes. Okay. Please turn on your video.

Okay. Video.

All right. Please raise your right hand. These were affirmed. The testimony you'll provide today will be the whole truth and nothing but truth.

I do.

Thank you.

Thank you for affording me this opportunity. My name is Zuly Pardo. I have resided at 49 Campina Court with my family for over 45 years. I live just north of the proposed project. So to reiterate what my previous comments from in emails, even though the proposed development, Crystal Residences, has positively evolved towards a more residential appeal, the design continues to lack adequate school and public open space amenities, resources that provide community well-being, convenience and overall quality of life. There exists a unique opportunity to further promote creative development that provides substantial benefit, specifically the internal courtyard. The project's internal courtyard is a design requirement and should not be characterized as a substantial public benefit. The courtyard is hidden in the middle of the residential complex and may only be accessed from a covered paseo lost to neighborhood residents who are either not aware of its existence or simply do not know it's a public amenity. Rather take advantage of the existing lush canopy in the northwest portion of the property to create a street accessible passive green space park of significance for the enjoyment of the whole community. The park would provide continuity with neighborhood character and help soften the project's intensity. Secondly, school public green space, a time-shared green space, disadvantages the school without providing a true public amenity. The arrangement compromises the school's needs, example, outdoor learning, facility maintenance, extracurricular activities, without actually delivering a high-quality, fully accessible green space for the neighborhood. School yards are designed for students, not the broader community. That design can provide dedicated green spaces for both the school and the surrounding neighborhood. Because the project will not break ground until the summer of 2027, from my understanding, your leadership has a vital window to administratively guide a design worthy of both Crystal Academy and the community. urban growth need not come at the expense of inspired environmentally conscious design. Thank you for your time, Mayor, Vice Mayor, City Manager Iglesias, and Commissioners. I appreciate it.

Thank you. That's it, Mr. Mayor. Thank you. I will close the public comment. Mr. Winker.

Thank you, David Winker, law offices at 4720 South Lejeune Avenue. I have a PowerPoint presentation.

And a cable TV could please put up a Mr. Winkers presentation.

I've come here many times and spoken about many different problems with this upzoning, from its violation of the city plan, its incompatibility with the surrounding garden apartment neighborhood, to the misuse of the pad. Today, I want to speak about something a little more serious, and that topic is fraud. It was not until the developer, Fifield, came into the picture that we started to see people coming to city hearings to support the project we had not seen in the community before. people that needed to look at their phones before reciting their addresses, people who couldn't pronounce their own street names, people no one else in our community recognized. I've spent numerous hours within the North Ponson area talking to residents, and I've yet to meet anyone who wasn't politically connected or connected to Crystal Academy that supported this project. And why would they? Why would someone support more traffic, increase density with limited public benefit? So I and others within the community decided to investigate and see just who these people were. And what we found was shocking. Almost every single address that we checked was fraudulent. There's been countless lies tied to this project. Now there seems to be an additional one. That lie is that there is community support and a community benefit in this project. In reality, this was a fight between neighbors and fraud. Here's the evidence we collected. I'm going to go through each of the speakers. This is a video from a previous meeting. Most of these speakers spoke again today and gave the same false addresses. How do we know that? I'll start with Aurora Quintero. This was from the last meeting.

How are you?

Thank you for being here.

My name is Aurora Quintero, and I live on 335 Navarro Avenue, apartment number 5. I live here for two years, and I drift this street every day.

Hi, my name is Daniel Silverman. I live in...

So this is the actual person that lives at 335 Navarre Avenue, apartment five.

Hi, my name is Daniel Silverman. I live in 335 Navarre Avenue, apartment five. I've lived here for about a year and I do not know anyone by the name of Aurora Quintedo. I have not gotten permission for her to use this address or represent this address in any shape or form.

Next, Anna Holman, you saw her speak again today.

Hello, my name is Anna Holman. I reside at 235 Antia Avenue, apartment two, Coral Gables 33134. One of the things I admire most about Coral Gables is that every generation has left something behind.

Who actually lives at this apartment?

I'm Rafael Valera. I live at 235 Antilla Avenue, apartment 2, and I did not give Ana Olma permission to use my address.

Domenica Fajardo. She spoke again today. This is a video from the last meeting.

My name is Dominica. I live in 271 Majorca Avenue, Coral Gables, 33134. And I regularly walk through this neighborhood.

As you can see on the Miami-Dade Property Appraiser's official search tool, this address does not exist. Vanessa Salas.

Good afternoon. My name is Vanessa Salas. I live in 1300 Salcedo Street, Suite No. 4. I'm here to support this beautiful, unnecessary project.

She again spoke today and gave the same address. Here's who actually lives at 1300 Salcedo Apartments.

Hi. Hello. My name is Aida Palacio. I'm the owner of this apartment, 1300 Salcedo Street, apartment 4, as you see. I'm not related to Vanessa Salas. I don't know who she is, and I didn't give any permission to talk on my behalf. So please stop doing what you're doing.

Next is Maria Mariette Gay. And I'm actually grouping her with someone named Maria Essenwanger. Today, she gave her name as Maria Gracia. They both give the address of 800 Douglas Road with two different apartments, different unit numbers. And contact was made with the administration of 800 Douglas Road. We provided both names and apartment numbers, and the administration did not recognize either of the names. Furthermore, they informed us that this was a commercial building housing only businesses. There are no residential apartments in this building at all.

My name is Maria Mariate.

I provided an additional clip of Ms. Esselwanger from a separate commission meeting to demonstrate two things. First, this group of speakers provides different false addresses at different meetings, showing that this wasn't a mistake and that these individuals knowingly provide false information. Secondly, These same people commonly attend multiple meetings throughout this process, showing this pattern continued across the entire timeline of the project under five fields ownership.

My address, well, my name is Maria Mariatehi. My address is 800 Douglas Road, Apartment 904, Cota Gables. I would like to express my support for this project.

Good evening. My name is Maria Sembanger. My address is 800 Douglas Road, 608 Coral Gables, 33134. Okay, I'm here to support.

This is the video of the previous hearing on January 13th, 2026. where Maria so wonder gives a different good afternoon.

Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Maria some anger. My address is still 40. Salomon got a new variables. This is where our public space.

Again, that address doesn't exist. Giancarlo Vera Guerra, who again spoke today. This is a video. Good afternoon.

My name is Giancarlo Vergara. I live in 235 Antigua Avenue, Apartment 7. One of the reasons I love Coral Gables is because it's never been a city afraid to dream a little bit bigger.

Here's who actually lives at 235 Antigua Avenue, Apartment 7. Hi there. My name is Benjamin Atiyah.

Just recently was informed that someone is using this address where I live, 235 Atiyah, Apartment 7.

His name is John Carlos Mercado, and I do not recognize him at all. Karen Lopez again spoke today.

My name is Karen Lopez. I live at 291 Navarra Avenue here in the Gables. I've watched downtown Gables evolve over the years.

The address provided by Ms. Lopez did not include a unit number. However, this building contains four units. We made contact with the occupants, all of whom said Ms. Lopez does not live there. One occupant agreed to provide a witness statement.

My name is Noel Salcedo. I live in 291 Navarrete Avenue, Miami, Florida, 33134. And I never see that.

Next, Kevin callous.

And it was Kevin casa reside at 1, 2, 0, 8, South street, apartment, 18, 3, 3, 1, 3, 4.

In this instance, we made contact with the manager of the apartment complex confirmed. She had never seen Mr callous and had.

I am the owner of this building. My name is Sobeida Perez. This person has never lived here. Never. Andres S. 1208 Salcedo Street, Coral Gables, Florida, 33134.

Next. Mora Alsamora. Mr. Winker. Yes. We get the point.

I think we have a right to finish. This is vital information.

Okay.

We get the point. Do you have anything else that you'd like to add for the record? Yes.

So it continues.

Let us finish.

There's more. And so I'd like to do, I'm going to do.

My name is Doris Alsamora.

One more, and then I'll bring it to a close. Alexa Santos. This is a very important one. And I think the most important one. You'll probably recognize her. She's been to countless meetings supporting this project. Not only does she falsify her residency in Coral Gables, she's also helped produce around 500 signed letters in support of this project. Letters that have been proudly displayed by Fifield's legal team at every meeting and flaunted on the news. In the following clip, you'll hear Ms. Santos say that she and her friends each signed one of these letters. That friend is Maria Essenwanger, who you've already seen as one of the individuals who provided fake addresses on multiple occasions during commission meetings. I find it deeply problematic that someone who has openly misleads the public providing fraudulent addresses collecting letters to support. Because of this, I believe the authenticity of these 500 letters has been called into question.

Hi, how are you guys? My name's Alexis Santos and my address is 1300 Ponce de Leon Boulevard, apartment 308. You may remember me. from coming here and reading a letter from my friend. I helped collect approximately 500 signatures in support as well. Well, now I have recently moved here. I fell in love with the neighborhood and couldn't think of a better place to be. And being here to support this project as a neighbor of Crystal Academy is just priceless. So I'm happy to tell you that I am not only collected 500 signatures, now I can sign my own and I have it here and I also have a friend of mine that signed hers today as well.

So who is Alexis Santos? In looking into this, we can see the connection with all the other people that are part of this ring that are coming in and falsely providing this information and perjuring themselves. I mean, it's a crime. But what's more important is I don't think these people have shown up to perjure themselves on their own. I think someone's paid them to be here. And when you look at the connections of everyone through the Facebook page, as part of this, I was involved in a project involving the Colusa infill project in Kendall. And I was able to find the video where this same group of people comes in support of that. Just take a second.

Thank you, David. Sir, to your right. Michael Marino, waving in support. The young lady in front of you. Lisette Arango, waving in support. Thank you, you both could sit down, and the gentleman behind you, you could sit down. Sir? Giancarlo Vergara. Giancarlo Vergara, waving in support. Yes. Thank you. You can sit down.

Natalia Dvalotki.

Natalia.

In support.

In support, thank you.

Anna Homan, in support.

In support, thank you.

Vanessa Salas, support and waive.

Thank you, Vanessa.

Enelia Diaz, support.

Thank you. Soyla Leguerica, support. Soyla, thank you so much.

Maria Zambangar, support.

Maria Zambangar, thank you so much.

Maria Mariatti, support.

All right. Germán Dinoco, support. Thank you, sir.

Cristina Merino, support.

Thank you, ma'am.

Alexis Santos, support.

All right. Thank you. Javier Rotaldez, support. Thank you, sir.

Matthew Stock, wave in support.

Why? I'm not going to go through each of these people, but here they were. They were here again today. Here's them from the last meetings. Why is this important? What's the commonality to this besides being a completely unrelated project with the exact same people? The commonality of this individual right here, Tim Hyman, who you've seen at most of these meetings, I don't see him here today. He's been at every meeting, every community meeting. And I believe he's the connection between this. He's not registered as a lobbyist. But it brings me to my conclusion. I believe that pattern is clear. There's obviously a coordinated effort to fraudulently fake organic Coral Gables residents support for this public benefit that simply does not exist. How can we trust that this project when we already see such a lack of honesty and integrity connected to this? Is this commission going to protect our community or will we continue to reward a project built on lies? We ask that the commission in light of this widespread fraud defer voting on this matter until such time as an investigation can be completed. We ask that the matter be referred to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the State Attorney's Office. These people, again, did not show up and lie about where they live on their own. Someone paid them to be here, and it is important that we figure out who that was. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Okay, Mr. Winker, first and foremost, I don't want to do the applicant's job for him, but you do understand that this is not competent substantial evidence. Anybody can come here and say what they'd like.

We substantiated it. It deserves an investigation. It deserves to be investigated.

I'll let you finish. When you're ready to finish and you provide the necessary respect here, then I'll keep moving forward. But there has to be order and decorum in the room. I know you want to have a free-for-all. That's what we had in the past, but we don't have that here now. Everybody has a voice and an opportunity to speak, and I've given everybody the opportunity. I just ask you to give me the same respect. Now, first and foremost, you know it very well that that is not competent substantial evidence. At the end of the day, anyone can come here and say whatever they like. The body has to make a decision. based on the evidence, not on 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 100, 200 people showing up here, either on the side that we're going to vote in favor of or the side we're going to vote against. Again, you know that very, very well. The decision here has to be made based on the facts. Moving forward, mission of ours. But I don't want to go back and forth with you.

But I just want to make sure that we're clear. Because those are facts. This is substantial.

And you're doing a good job on behalf of your client, but these are facts. A person's opinion coming up here, whether they're in favor of a project or they're against a project, is not competent, substantial evidence. It's not. You as a lawyer know that, and you cannot argue on that here. I'm not a lawyer. We have two lawyers on this panel along with our city attorney. And you know that very well because you've used that argument in the past when you've been up here and you've said that things are not competent, substantial evidence. And you said it very clearly. And I wish I had that clip to play it back.

And I disagree. The law is clear. Resident testimony is relevant evidence. That's all there is to it. Two, we're asking for an investigation. You have people taking an oath and lying about where they live. They didn't do it on their own. We need to find out why this is happening. Why is this fraud happening within our community? And it needs to be addressed. I feel like it's something that needs to be taken care of. Again, on its face, it's a crime. They perjured themselves. But we need to go a step further. This is a reason they did it. And I would ask that you guys call for an investigation of who paid them to be here. Thank you.

Mr. Winker, on point number one, you're incorrect. On point number two, I will personally, like I've done before here, when we've had issues where, for example, on my recall, where hundreds, hundreds of signatures were incorrect, were false, and were falsified. That's why the recall was thrown out. I personally will go through the city attorney and ask for my colleagues in the commission to support me, which they will, to call for that investigation. But one thing has nothing to do with the other. Yes, sir.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. So, you know, quasi-judicial hearings such as this are based on a set of standards in your code. There's a specific criteria that's provided in your comprehensive plan and in your zoning code. Your board of architects has reviewed that code. Your planning and zoning board has reviewed that code. The special magistrate has reviewed this project under that code. Historic preservation board has reviewed this. Your professional planning staff who are experts in the field and who are familiar with applying this criteria on multiple projects has reviewed this project and found that it meets every single criteria and regulation in your code for approval. I could tell you two factors that are not part of those criteria. One of them is whether this property is in fact a cemetery, which I normally would not even entertain, but I feel that based on the history of things being said that conflict with facts, I would like to mention that in 2021, when this property went through a very, very detailed review process for historic designation, we had our expert at the time contact the... Give me a second. I need to put this on the record. Sorry. I normally would not do this. Department Funeral Cemetery and Consumer Services for the State of Florida, who reviewed the address that we provided, which was 110 Phoenicia Avenue. The property is the subject of this application today. And we were advised at the time by MyFloridaFCO.com, which is the State Department in charge of cemetery registrations. Please be advised there is no record or documentation in regard to the named cemetery. So this was something that was done. It's not relevant to these proceedings in any way, shape, or form, as that was part of a historic process that was reviewed. Regarding the petitions and the testimony, there is substantial competent evidence, part of this record that has been provided by our experts, by your experts in terms of your city staff, that show that we meet all of the criteria for approval. One of those not being whether Residents are in support or in favor. This is not a popularity contest, and Florida law is very clear on that, as Mr. Winker knows. The boards that do review these applications have all found that this is a compatible project. It's a good project. The public benefits that have been negotiated are substantial. And if you recall, when we first started this process in 2021, the room was packed with people in favor and opposition. And here we are five years later, and the appellants are continuing to come out and delay this process. But the number of people against this project, they're not there. Not even that, there is no substantial competent evidence to say that we don't meet any of these standards. So I say this to say the hundreds of families that have come out here to speak in favor of Crystal Academy, that are who this project benefits have come out here and spoken. You've heard from residents that live in the area, and we know live in the area because we know them, that have come and spoken in favor of this project. We have done everything this commission has asked. This project stands on its merits and warrants your approval based on the criteria of your code. The appellants have tried to find every way possible over the last five years to delay and delay this application, and we ask that you please give certainty to Crystal Academy, give certainty to their future, and move this project forward without further distractions. Thank you very much.

Thank you. As we move on now to a conversation amongst the Commission, before we do that, can I have a motion and a second? I'll move it. Second. Second.

Mayor, if I may, just to clarify, there are several items, but I understand the motion has been made. I'm going to assume it's on the first item that we have on, which is item E3. And I would suggest that you consolidate your discussion on all the items. Yes, please.

That's what we're doing. Madam Vice Mayor.

So I concur with the Mayor that just like when you had false signatures on any petition, that that is something that must be looked into. But I can assure you that I am going to ignore any statements from anybody that falsified their information. But what does need to be known here is what has been ignored. Heard a lot of statements about the building being incompatible. Yet we had a proposal for a 12-story building being brought forward by the opponents. That would be incompatible. That would be more likely to be on Ponce de Leon Boulevard. And if you go down to the corner of Galliano and Sedonia, one block away, you have an eight-story building. That eight-story building sits identically in the same street, Galliano, that the Crystal Project, the school side, will. And on that side of the building, and I'm sure that I'll be corrected if I'm wrong, it's also eight stories, and it goes up to nine as it gets closer to Potts. Height-wise, incompatibility is not the issue here. We cannot go back to the days of George Merrick to determine what the height is there. We have to take the zoning as it is currently, not what it was back in 1925, but what it changed to be before I came on this dais. I also have to take into account the new reality of what's happened after I was elected. Items such as the RTZ zone that has been expanded before and because of public transportation that's available can be expanded here. That would override our zoning code, would end up with narrow sidewalks, would end up with no community benefit. Same true with the Live Local Act project, such as one we have down on 8th Street. zero control from this commission can be had on providing community benefits as is provided for this project. It's been a very, very long road on this project, five years. But at the last meeting and the last day, we now have yet another proposal to try to redesign something that's been in the process for five years. The statements about whether a tree can be moved or not is something that we have experts that have opined on this. There's a plan to properly move the trees. We have examples throughout our city of other trees being moved. And the fact that it's being moved out into the public realm makes it also a community benefit. Because now you're going to have what was in the garden style land, a greenway of shade trees being preserved for the future. To suggest that town homes could be built on this property is something it's not zoned for, not adjacent, not across the street. So someone came and spoke about parking. The person looks down on Menorah's. Menorah's has four historic buildings, 102, 114, 118, and 122. Each one of those buildings creates tremendous pressure on that street, and so does Phillip Parks. You cannot compare that to Antia, where you have one historic building on Antia, one single family home on Antia. And with the residential parking permit program that this developer is willing to put in, for these residents, they will have secured parking. So instead of Crystal staff having to park in the street and the customers having to park in the street, they now will have their own parking lot area. I cannot turn back time. I have to take the facts as it's currently laid out. We cannot go back five years. And we have to recognize the fact that Tallahassee wants to see projects moving forward. This project had had five years. There's been extensive communication between residents and the developer. That is why you've now moved from a setback of a MX building to an MF building with substantial green space around it that otherwise wouldn't exist. These are the reasons why this is an appropriate project And on top of that, you get a tremendous community benefit that you'd never, ever get an RRTZ project or a live local project. Thank you.

Commissioner.

Yeah, there is separate, a lot of different points I want to go ahead and raise. But before I do, I want to go ahead and I want to call Chief Hudak to the podium because I have very, very, Very important question regarding the testimony of attorney David Winker. I believe, not I believe, during the last commission meeting when this item was presented, all of these, because it's a quasi-judicial item, were sworn under oath. Am I correct, city attorney?

Yes, we ask that all the individuals who will be testifying to be sworn in so they were sworn in.

Okay, so given those facts, is this a crime?

Contentionally, I would say it could be construed as a crime in a public setting. There's different levels of perjury that are investigated, depending on whether it's in a court of law, open series, something like this. The issues that would have to get drilled down into would be what that person was testifying about. For most of the ones that I have been a part of that I've seen, It's been someone's opinion to the board about whether this should be built or not be built. I don't know of any, and we would have to go over all of the statements that would conflict that were presented today to see if there was a factual misnomer, if you will, that that person testified to. In other words, it wasn't somebody from the state. It wasn't somebody that protected or pretended to be someone who was giving a factual basis for this board to decide on. So it would be a long drawn out investigation, not a very high priority because we would not handle that as we have in the past. It would get referred to Tallahassee and we would have to go through all those. It's akin to somebody lying about their age. If I told you I was 60 years old and I'm 65, is that technically perjury? Yes. Is that something that would rise to the level of a prosecution? No, I don't believe it would. but also would it affect the outcome of this board's decision or any board's decision factually about the age of the individual? So, again, most of these that I have seen and being witness to it has been about that person's idea of what it is, similar to if somebody else filled out a form or a survey form and it wasn't the actual person that did.

Thank you so much, Chief.

The second point I'm going to go ahead and raise after I went ahead and I saw the testimony of Attorney Winker is, number one, I was in disbelief of what I was watching. I especially don't think things like this happen in Coral Gables. But to stand before a commission, raise your hand, swear to tell the truth, and then provide false information, that is not public participation. That is a direct attack on the integrity of this process. You cannot swear to tell the city the truth and then give those false information and then expect us to pretend, hey, it doesn't matter, it's okay. You're here trying to influence us, influence our vote, but it's okay. It's not substantial evidence. Before we change the zoning of an entire block, the record needs to be clean. credible, and truthful. Today, I cannot say that is it. For right now, I'm going to just withhold on the rest of my comments. Thank you.