Coral Gables plan expands, seeks to absorb High Pines, Ponce Davis and Little Gables
Coral Gables has expanded its annexation plans to also include High Pines and Ponce Davis, a 675-acre unincorporated enclave that’s home to approximately 3,000 residents and is located on the city’s western border, next to South Miami.
The City Commission on Tuesday voted unanimously to add High Pines and Ponce Davis to a resolution passed in August that green-lighted a renewed effort to annex Little Gables, a 205-acre piece of unincorporated Miami-Dade County that is surrounded by Coral Gables on three sides.
Mayor Vince Lago, who is up for reelection in April, said residents in High Pines and Ponce Davis have reached out to him and said they “want to be engaged.”
“I put this on the agenda because we’ve all been getting a lot of phone calls from residents who feel like they’re being left behind,” Lago said.
In August, the commission allocated $170,000 for a lawyer, land use expert and planning consultant to provide analyses of the annexation process. During a subsequent vote in September, the commission designated Lago as the representative to meet with Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners behind closed doors and “test the temperature” of their views.
The county, which is ultimately the gatekeeper of the annexation process, had voted down Coral Gables’ previous attempt at annexation in 2019.
During that vote, the county’s major concern was the fate of Gables Trailer Park. The city’s plan then had included razing the trailer park, but it did not account for the displaced residents. It remains unclear what the city intends to do with Gables Trailer Park or the residents who live there should annexation be allowed to move forward.
Lago said the current Board of County Commissioners — which is largely different from 2019 because of term limits — presents a new opportunity to get the approval.
Former Mayor Jim Cason, who was appointed to the City Commission last month, noted on Tuesday that the city first started this process over a decade ago.
“Hopefully this time it’ll work,” he said.
This story was originally published January 10, 2023 at 3:36 PM.
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