A resident who identified themself as a former Coral Gables city commissioner and mayor used public comment time to praise the city’s arts programming, historic preservation and past development projects.

The speaker said Coral Gables “became part of Art Basel” during their time in office and urged continued support for public art, saying, “Art is feeds the soul.” They also described preserving historic houses and listed several projects they said they led, including the development of Merrick Park, renovation of the youth center and planting palm trees along U.S. 1.

The speaker said they were the first Hispanic elected to the city commission and later the first Hispanic elected mayor of Coral Gables, and described taking a strict stance against racist or religious criticism while serving. “I was the 1st Hispanic to be elected mayor, and I'm very proud of that,” the speaker said.

On the city’s physical changes, the speaker said the former equipment yard was transformed into Merrick Park and that the city installed sculptures in front of the Coral Gables Museum and an “internationally recognized crosswalk in front of city hall.” They also said the city redid the youth center under their leadership and planted palms on U.S. 1.

The speaker described the city’s tax level as the “2nd lowest taxes in Miami Dade County” and said the city has evolved over time; they also said a referendum was held on the Merrick Park project. These statements were presented as the speaker’s recollection and claims during public comment; the transcript does not record a commission response or a formal action tied to this comment.

The remarks took place during the meeting’s public comment portion and did not include a request for a vote or recorded follow-up actions in the transcript provided.