Coral Gables vacating landmark city hall amid structural issues and political infighting
A respected engineer’s finding that support columns and beams in Coral Gables’ landmark City Hall could be structurally unsound has set off a scramble by city administrators to vacate the historic 1928 building amid angry accusations by Mayor Vincent Lago that the move is “political theater.”
Veteran South Florida structural engineer Douglas Wood has told the city that the building will be fully safe to occupy in a few days once the support elements are shored up, a job that is now underway
But municipal officials are nonetheless rushing to find temporary office space by January for all personnel housed at City Hall, including the city manager’s staff, the city attorney’s office, the city clerk and city commission staff.
The manager’s team has already been moved temporarily to the city’s emergency operations center in the police and fire headquarters downtown while corrective structural work is done in their City Hall offices. City commission meetings have been moved to the same public safety building starting Tuesday.
Coral Gables City Manager Amos Rojas, Jr. on Tuesday cited the need to protect employees and visitors from “construction dust” from unspecified work as the basis of his decision to move everyone out of the City Hall building for an indefinite period that could last several years.
Rojas’ decision comes as mounting political tensions among the city commission’s five elected members, which include Lago, have increasingly led to bitter confrontations, mutual recrimination and at least one state investigation.
The jousting over City Hall also happens as the city has been rocked by the discovery of extensive and unauthorized renovations at another landmark city building, the 1926 Biltmore Hotel, that removed or covered up historic features in the lower lobby and some exterior portions of the historic structure.
On Tuesday, commissioners agreed to summon Biltmore operator Tom Prescott to the December meeting while city administrators prepare a report on the issue.
All five commissioners appeared to share a consensus that Prescott acted improperly and will have to restore the lost architectural elements at his own cost, though Lago came under fire from commission critic Ariel Fernandez, who claimed the mayor had tried to downplay the issue.
The latest source of strife: Wood’s discovery earlier this month that some columns and floor beams in the three-story City Hall building could be deteriorated enough to pose a hazard. Work to shore up those elements “as a precaution” will be completed next week, he told the city.
But matters came to head Tuesday in a heated two-hour discussion during a commission meeting at the public safety building.
Commissioner Fernandez, a vehement Lago critic, insistently charged the mayor and the city’s fired former city manager, Peter Iglesias, of neglecting longstanding structural deficiencies in the three-story building and keeping commissioners in the dark.
Fernandez said that Wood, a consultant for the city, repeatedly warned administrators in letters over several years that structural issues at City Hall required prompt attention, but that officials put off action and hid the problems from elected officials.
“It was never presented to us that there is a structural problem at City Hall,” Fernandez said.
Lago noted that it’s long been known that City Hall needs extensive renovations and that planning and budgeting for the project is under way. The city recently installed a new roof on City Hall and is now working on a plan to replace leaky windows as it gears up to hire an architect to oversee the renovations.
Touting his credentials in construction management, his profession, Lago also appeared initially set to challenge Wood, showing photos he took of the building’s structural underpinnings that the mayor contended show the building’s structural elements to be “clean” and sound. Lago noted that shoring up structural pieces while buildings continue to be occupied is a common and safe practice.
Wood told commissioners he first warned of potential structural issues two years ago and had been awaiting a decision.
“It’s been under consideration since then as to how we proceed,” he said.
But earlier this month, he discovered something new requiring urgent attention — a stone support column in front of the commission chambers entrance with a large loose chunk. After chipping into it Wood said he realized it had no internal reinforcement and could be structurally deficient. Though original construction drawings indicated the column was reinforced concrete, Wood said it’s in fact solid stone that appeared to be coming apart.
He recommended that no meetings be held in the chamber until shoring up of the column and floor supports is completed. He also identified two other suspect support elements nearby in the building that also required strengthening.
Lago, who said he has worked with Wood on several private projects, backed off once the engineer made it clear there would be no danger in personnel staying in City Hall until the city is ready to undertake renovations.
“We’re being cautious,” Wood told commissioners. “After we get that shored up, it will be stable and safe.”
It’s unclear given Wood’s reassurances why Rojas decided to vacate City Hall.
On Tuesday, Rojas alluded to “environmental” concerns from construction dust in the building that could pose a health hazard to city employees and the public. But he did not specify what construction projects would produce the dust or why it could not be contained. A city spokeswoman could not provide further details.
“I am not going to put city employees back in that building until environment conditions are safe for them,” Rojas told commissioners.
Noting that renovations likely won’t start for four years, Lago then assailed the decision to vacate City Hall as theatrical antics ginned up by his political rivals.
“There is no reason to move,” Lago said. “The building is safe. We have a lot of work to do before we can even consider construction. No one is going to tell me a story that we need to vacate and the building is a catastrophe. We should not use scare tactics for political wins.”
To bolster his case, Lago asked former city manager Iglesias to the meeting. Iglesias said the city has known about the need to renovate the City Hall since 2011 and that the city budget has allocated money for the project over several years — an indication that no one tried to hide anything.
But Fernandez disputed Iglesias’ assertions, saying the manager never mentioned structural issues on numerous occasions in which they spoke about the city hall renovations. Iglesias and Lago emphasized that the city had been planning to vacate City Hall for renovation work and move employees into a temporary consolidated location, but not until plans and contractors are in place, something that won’t happen for at least a couple of years.
Differences between Iglesias and Fernandez contributed to the manager’s firing in February.
Fernandez, elected to the commission in 2023 as a reform candidate, is one of three commissioners who have formed a bloc that has wrested majority power on the board from Lago, who has been mayor since 2021.
Fernandez and commissioners Kirk Menendez and Melissa Castro moved to abruptly fire Iglesias, who had long enjoyed Lago’s backing but fell afoul of the new majority amid questions about his brusque management style and what critics claimed was his mishandling of city leases. Lago called the firing the result of “personal vendettas.”
The three commissioners then opted to skip a search for a replacement and approved the immediate hiring of Rojas, former head of the U.S. Marshal’s office in South Florida, to replace Iglesias, over strong objections from Lago and Vice-Mayor Rhonda Anderson, who said the process was improper.
Rojas subsequently accused Lago of assaulting him during a heated private discussion, an allegation that an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement concluded was unfounded.
On Tuesday, Lago said the manager “doesn’t speak to me.”
Anderson, who has mostly sided with Lago on commission matters, said she, too, felt sure that City Hall is safe.
“I don’t see a need to vacate the building. We’re costing the city an enormous amount of money by moving everyone,” she said. “It’s no shock and awe to me that the building needed work.”
A subsequent discussion on the Biltmore was also marked by tussling among Lago and his commission critics. Lago wanted the item to be heard at 4 pm., the only time Biltmore managers would be available. But Fernandez, Menendez and Castro insisted on hearing it immediately after the City Hall discussion, contending that Lago was hoping members of the public would not be present later in the day.
Lago assailed Fernandez for a mass email of photos of the renovated areas that the commissioner labeled “shocking.”
Fernandez defended the email while lighting into Prescott.
“For me seeing those pictures was a shock. It completely defaces the lower lobby of the hotel. I told Prescott, you have destroyed our historical gem,” Fernandez said.
In a brief apologetic recorded video shown during the meeting, Prescott said he would do everything possible to set things right at the Biltmore.
But Fernandez said Prescott has done extensive prior work either without or in violation of permits at the hotel, including an unauthorized “speakeasy” bar installed in the resort’s Country Club building, and other interior renovations.
City administrators said they intend to do a full top-to-bottom review of the hotel buildings but added without providing details that they have been unable to gain access to some areas.
This story was originally published November 13, 2024 at 5:30 AM.