Coral Gables’ city manager is leaving. What to know
Coral Gables City Manager Peter Iglesias is resigning.
His last day will be Oct. 2, according to a letter Iglesias sent late Wednesday to Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago, Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson, and Commissioners Melissa Castro, Ariel Fernandez and Richard Lara.
Iglesias served as city manager from 2018 to 2024, when a slightly different version of the City Commission fired him in a 3-2 vote by Castro, Fernandez and then-Commissioner Kirk Menendez. He was reappointed a year ago in a vote by Lago, Anderson and the newly elected Lara.
Iglesias, in the letter, said his role was meant to be “transitional,” with a goal to provide “steady leadership, support the organization and move forward the city I am proud to call home.”
“I am announcing my resignation now to provide the City Commission with sufficient time to identify a successor and allow for an orderly transition,” Iglesias said. “The effective date follows the approval of the Fiscal Year 2026-27 budget, allowing the next city manager to begin with an adopted financial plan in place and ensuring continuity for the organization and the community.”
Iglesias did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Iglesias, an engineer and longtime Gables resident, was initially hired by the city in 2016 to be the assistant city manager of operations and infrastructure. He became the city manager in 2018, running day-to-day operations in the city as the top administrator in the Gables. Prior to that, he worked in the city of Miami as the senior director of building, planning and zoning.
He was fired in 2024 over allegations of insubordination, in part because of comments he made when he expressed opposition to renewing the lease for Fritz & Franz, a popular German bierhaus, as the Herald previously reported. Lago and Anderson defended Iglesias in that meeting.
After he was fired, retired U.S. Marshal Amos Rojas Jr. was hired in a February 2024 vote by Fernandez, Castro and Menendez to be city manager without a national search, much to the chagrin of Lago and Anderson. Iglesias was then rehired in May 2025.
Lago, who led the effort to rehire Iglesias, at the time described his reappointment as an “interim” decision to help lead the city and bring stability as it prepared for various changes and challenges ahead.
What commissioners are saying
Anderson told the Herald late Wednesday that the “residents of Coral Gables owe City Manager Peter Iglesias a profound debt of gratitude for his many years of service.”
“During Covid and periods of political turmoil, he managed our city with poise and integrity,” Anderson said. “We are truly blessed to have had a manager with his exceptional professional qualifications and unyielding ethical standards. It has been an honor and a privilege to work with Mr. Iglesias.”
Fernandez, who led the previous firing efforts of Iglesias, said he found the resignation timing “suspicious” and that, while he didn’t agree with the reappointment of Iglesias last year, he “made every effort to work with him to ensure a Residents First government in Coral Gables.”
“We worked together to deliver on a leaner budget last year and on several projects that were important to our residents. … I wish Peter all the best and look forward to appointing a new Manager that represents the interests of Residents and not of special interests,” Fernandez said.
Castro, in a lengthy statement, said she’s known Iglesias since she was 14 and has “watched him serve Coral Gables in different capacities and dedicate a significant part of his professional life to this community.”
“While we have had our professional disagreements, particularly regarding communication, responsiveness, and fairness in the process, I believe those differences are part of public service and governance,” Castro said.
“The selection of the next city manager will be one of the most important decisions facing Coral Gables, and I believe residents deserve a process centered on professionalism, transparency, and strong leadership for the future of our city,” she added.
Lara declined to comment Wednesday night, saying he had just learned about the resignation.
Lago said he would issue a statement but has not released one yet.
What happens next
In his letter Wednesday, Iglesias noted that Coral Gables has been his home for over 45 years and said that “serving this city has always been deeply meaningful.”
He added: “Over the past 12 months, the focus has been on advancing important projects, strengthening city operations and finances and positioning Coral Gables for the future.”
The soon-to-be-outgoing city manager reassured commissioners that the city has “strong leaders in place” and also touted several of the projects that have occurred throughout his tenure. This includes the completed restoration of the historic Venetian Pool, the ongoing restoration of historic City Hall, the establishment of long-term plans for the Granada Golf Course that are meant to reduce overcrowding and make it profitable, and the city’s plans to create a facility that will use large, futuristic ovens to bake fallen trees and other vegetative waste into biochar, which could be used as fertilizer in golf courses and parks and mixed into concrete and asphalt for sidewalks and parking lots.
Commissioners will now need to prepare to find someone new to oversee a city with about 50,000 residents.
This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 8:20 PM.
