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Coral Gables mayor, staff defend edited meeting video and travel budget after public outcry
Summary
Public speakers accused the city of editing a previous commission meeting video and questioned a proposed increase in the mayor’s travel allotment. Mayor Lago and staff explained the city’s practice of trimming recesses from posted meeting footage, defended official travel as tied to Tallahassee advocacy, and pushed code enforcement and transparency steps for other concerns.
Mayor Marlin Lago faced sustained public criticism at the Jan. 27 Coral Gables City Commission meeting after speakers accused staff of altering a prior meeting’s publicly posted video and questioned a proposed increase to the mayor’s travel allotment. The mayor denied impropriety, said he has ‘‘never taken a trip on the city dime,’’ and asked staff to publish an explanatory newsletter for residents.
The exchange began during public comment when residents said the Miami New Times published an unedited meeting video that showed discussion the city’s posted clip omitted. Maria Cruz and other commenters urged the commission to investigate whether the city’s YouTube posting had been altered and questioned why the mayor’s travel budget…
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