In a move echoing the sentiments of local voters, a group entitled End the Corruption has officially submitted 1,719 signatures to oust Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago, alleging misdeeds tied to a multimillion-dollar real estate scandal, WSVN reports. This figure surpasses the needed 1,650 valid signatures required to propel the recall process forward, representing a significant step for those dissatisfied with the current administration.
The group's actions were validated Friday after the city clerk's office conducted a preliminary tally, clearing the way for the county elections department to verify the signatures, as documented by the Miami Herald. In an atmosphere brimming with anticipation, "How do I feel? Very relieved, very grateful," were the words of Maria Cruz, chairwoman of the End the Corruption committee, in a statement obtained by the Herald, following her delivery of the signatures to City Hall.
David Winker, the attorney representing the political group, echoed the city's discontent, suggesting that the absence of competition in Lago's last reelection didn't signify satisfaction among residents. “And I think that this is residents kind of clapping back a little bit saying, like, no, we’re unhappy with the direction that the city is going,” Winker told the Miami Herald. As laid out by the rules governing recall proceedings, should the signatures hold up under scrutiny, the group will be granted an additional 60 days to gather support from 15% of the city’s electorate, translating to roughly 4,950 signatures, to secure a special election.
Mayor Lago took to Instagram to denounce the recall initiative, claiming that it was an endeavor led not by the residents of Coral Gables but rather by "special interests who want to control the future of our city." “These pay-to-play interests are falsely portraying the recall as a resident-driven process, but the reality is far from that,” he asserted, in a late-night statement. Amid these contentious circumstances, the city's spokeswoman, Martha Pantin, disclosed that law enforcement is probing the signature-gathering process, backed up by confirmation from Lissette Valdes-Valle of the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, the latter confirming joint efforts with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in an email.
In the meantime, Winker remains steadfast, unaware of any formal inquiry involving the recall proponents and open to any legal examination. “No one affiliated with the recall has received any inquiry from law enforcement,” Winker said, expressing confidence in the recall's adherence to the law to the Herald. The campaign against Lago was ignited by accusations of “misfeasance and malfeasance” linked to his business associations with Rishi Kapoor, a Miami-based developer embroiled in a purported $93 million real estate investment fraud scheme, causing the End the Corruption committee to begin collecting signatures in mid-March to initiate their call for a recall election.
