Coral Gables voters kept Mayor Vince Lago, picked a close winner for one commission seat and turned down two changes to how City Hall works.

All 16 city precincts are counted, according to Miami-Dade Elections results. The results stay unofficial until the canvassing board certifies them. This was the city's first election held in November instead of April.

The races

Lago won 11,298 votes, or 56.8%. Laureano Cancio got 25.7% and Jackson Rip Holmes got 17.5%. Lago's new term is his last in a row under the city's term limits, so he cannot run for mayor again in 2028, the Gables Gazette reported.

In Group IV, Menendez has 50.3% and Castro has 49.7%. The 121-vote gap is about 0.6% of the votes cast. That is just above the 0.5% line that sets off an automatic machine recount under Florida law, so a recount is not expected unless the gap shrinks.

In Group V, Whiting beat Gonzalo Sanabria, 10,801 votes to 8,479.

The four ballot questions

Voters split on the four questions on the city ballot:

  • Public works bids: Failed, with 44.3% yes. It would have raised the cost at which the city must use formal bidding for public works from $25,000 to $300,000.
  • Candidate residency: Passed, with 92% yes. Candidates must live in the city for one straight year before qualifying ends.
  • Four-year mayor term: Failed, with 46.7% yes. Mayors keep two-year terms.
  • Parks: Passed, with 82.4% yes. Selling, trading or leasing city parks, golf courses or open park space for 10 years or more now needs 60% approval from voters in a special election.

Lago said the parks measure protects places like Granada Golf Course, Salvadore Park, Centennial Park and the War Memorial Youth Center, the Miami Herald reported. The Gazette noted that the candidates Lago backed won, even as voters rejected the two changes that would have given City Hall more room.

What happens next

Voters who need to fix a mail ballot signature or back up a provisional ballot have until 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5. Under state law, county canvassing boards send in their first unofficial returns by Saturday, Nov. 7.

The city posts updates on its election results page.

Catch up on recent Coral Gables votes, including the $5 million Richard Serra sculpture decision and the Ponce Circle Park redesign, plus our Election Day guide.

Shops along Miracle Mile in downtown Coral Gables
Miracle Mile in downtown Coral Gables. Source