Coral Gables will now have an election in November. What will be on the ballot?
The city of Coral Gables will have local elections in November after all.
Voters on Tuesday agreed that city elections should be moved from April in odd-numbered years to November of even years to coincide with state and national elections. The decision was made this week during the Gables’ first mail-only ballot election, which asked voters to weigh in on eight referendums.
The next election — which was previously scheduled for April 2027 — is now set for Nov. 3. That means election season will soon be here.
Voters this time around won’t just weigh in on city candidates. They’ll be voting on other races too, including who will be Florida’s next governor.
Here’s what to know about the upcoming election:
When is the next Coral Gables election? Are runoff elections still possible?
The next city election is now scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026.
Voters decided this week that they still want runoff elections to exist, so if a runoff election is needed, it would be held on Tuesday, Dec. 1, according to city spokeswoman Martha Pantin. However, no early voting sites will be available.
What is the deadline to qualify as a candidate for the upcoming Gables election?
There isn’t a set date yet for the candidate qualifying period, though it’s expected to be in mid-June, according to Pantin.
Anyone who wants to run for the position of mayor or commissioner must be a U.S. citizen, a registered voter and reside in Coral Gables for at least one year prior to the election. You will also have to pay a qualifying fee and submit a statement of financial interests.
Who will be on the ballot?
The decision to move elections to November shaves several months off the existing terms of the mayor, vice mayor and commissioners. Here’s who you’ll find on the November ballot:
- Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago is running for a fourth and final term. Lago, who has served as mayor of the City Beautiful since April 2021, is term-limited under the city’s charter. He’s been a member of the City Commission for over a decade and previously served as vice mayor and commissioner. As of Wednesday, no one has filed to run against him. The mayor of Coral Gables serves a two-year term.
- Commissioner Melissa Castro is seeking a second term. Castro, who was elected to the commission in April 2023 and is frequently at odds with Lago, will be facing off against first-time candidate Nestor Menendez, an of-counsel attorney at DiFalco and Fernandez LLLP, for her Group 4 seat. Commission seats have a four-year term.
- Commissioner Ariel Fernandez’s Group 5 seat will also be up for grabs, and so far, no one has signed up to run. Fernandez, who was elected in April 2023, told the Miami Herald he’ll make a decision on whether to run for reelection in the coming weeks. “Right now, my full focus is on continuing to deliver results for the residents of Coral Gables, and ensuring our residents have a Residents First government they can count on,” Fernandez told the Herald in a text message. “I believe it’s important to be a Commissioner, not a candidate, and to stay focused on the responsibilities the community entrusted to me to do.”
- The terms of Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson and Commissioner Richard Lara were also shortened, though their seats won’t be up for reelection until late 2028.
Will there be Gables referendums or other city topics on the ballot?
At the moment, no other Gables-specific referendums or items are expected to be on the November ballot. That could change in the coming months if commissioners vote to put something else on the ballot. The deadline for that would be July 24.
So, for now, expect to vote for a mayor and two commissioners, along with candidates in other county and state races.
