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Former elected official recalls Coral Gables history, civic projects and trolley service
Summary
An unidentified resident who said he served 20 years as an elected official in Coral Gables described the city's planned layout, Coral Gables High School, and municipal projects including a restored trolley he said carries over 1 million riders annually.
An unidentified resident who spoke during the meeting and said he served 20 years as an elected official in Coral Gables recalled the city's early population and civic projects, credited developer George Merrick’s planned-city design and described several local improvements including a restored trolley.
The speaker said, “When my grandparents first relocated the car cable service, 5,600 people as of the 1930 census there. So it was a real small town. Everybody knew everybody.” He cited George Merrick as “one of the first ones to have a planned city where you had the commercial areas in one location, you had the residential areas in another location.”
The resident also praised Coral Gables High School as formative. “I got a good education there,” he said, and described the high school as “homey” and academically strong while also producing “many, many superstar athletes.” He recalled family ties to city service, saying his father served “from the sixties through ’95, and then I served from ’95 to 2015.”
The speaker listed several municipal initiatives he associated with his time in office or with city partners: a partnership program; renovation work on a water tower; repairs to historic fountains throughout Coral Gables; planting trees in front of Coral Gables High School; and reintroducing a trolley. “Of course, the city of Coral Gables had a trolley back in the twenties,” he said, and called the modern trolley “a tremendous success,” adding, “Over a million people a year ride the trolley.”
He also described the community support for school athletics, saying the city made the experience special by having police officers back the team. He concluded by saying his years of public service were worthwhile: “I served 20 years for the city of Coral Gables as an elected official. And I can tell you, with all the time that I spent doing that, I wouldn't give any of it back.”
No formal motions, votes or staff directives were recorded in the excerpt provided; the remarks were presented as recollections and personal reflections during the meeting.
