Sewer bills go up 21.5% on Oct. 1
Plus city garages with room, school choices, and two arts dates.
September begins with a higher sewer bill on the way and new city data on downtown parking. There are also useful guides and two arts dates to put on the calendar.
Coral Gables sewer rates rise on Oct. 1. A moderate-use example of 6,732 gallons, or 9 CCF, a month rises from $77.88 to $94.65. That is $16.77 more each month, or 21.5%.
The City Commission approved the rate plan 4-0. It sets annual rates through 2031, when the same sample bill is projected to reach $110.06. Later figures can change if Miami-Dade adjusts its wholesale charges.
The county's fiscal 2027 true-up charge to Coral Gables is $1.36 million. The new rates will also support city sewer upkeep and improvements. Compare the 9 CCF example with the usage on your own bill.
Two private-school price ranges for the 2026 search
Families planning for private school have new 2026 tuition figures to compare. The Biltmore School, at 1600 S. Red Rd. in Miami, serves ages 1 through grade 8. It lists annual tuition from $10,000 to $22,000, plus a $100 entrance-exam fee.
Riviera Schools serves pre-K through grade 12. Its Day School is at 6800 Nervia St. in Coral Gables, while its Preparatory School is in Miami. Tuition is listed from $23,600 to $39,280.
Biltmore uses the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme. Riviera lists college-prep, honors, AP, and dual-enrollment options in upper grades. Confirm current costs and admissions details with each school.
City data shows room in all four public garages
City data for January through July shows room in public Garages 1, 2, 4, and 6 at the measured times. No garage topped 86% occupancy, and most readings were below 60%.
The pattern changes by place and hour. Garage 4 at 385 Andalusia Ave. reached 80% at 2 p.m. Garage 6 at 51 Aragon Ave. reached the 86% high at 7 p.m. Garage 1 at 245 Andalusia Ave. ranged from 34% to 59%, while Garage 2 at 220 Aragon Ave. never topped 61%.
Garage 2 handled 191,109 of the four garages' 498,907 transactions, about 38%. Those numbers can help drivers pick a garage based on the hour, not just the closest block.
An evening with Arturo Rodríguez
- When
- Thursday, September 3 · 6:00 PM
Cuban American artist Arturo Rodríguez will discuss his coming monograph with art historians Alejandro Anreus and Bruce Weber. The talk covers nearly 47 years of his work and themes of memory, exile, and identity.
It starts at 6 p.m. Thursday, September 3. Contact the event organizer for the venue, tickets, and other details.
A new exhibition opens at the Coral Gables Museum
- When
- Saturday, September 19 · 10:00 AM
- Where
- Coral Gables Museum
The Coral Gables Museum opens America Touched, America Seen on Saturday, September 19. The opening starts at 10 a.m. at the museum.
The date gives residents time to plan a Saturday morning visit later this month. Contact the museum for the street address, admission price, and exhibition details before going.
Future park will carry City Manager Peter Iglesias' name
The City Commission voted to name a future park for City Manager Peter Iglesias. The park is tied to the Publix redevelopment at 2551 Le Jeune Road and will later be given to the city.
Coral Gables has a written park-naming policy. It can include staff and advisory-board review, though the commission may waive any part of that process. No advisory board reviewed this proposal before Mayor Vince Lago raised it at a commission meeting.
Iglesias, 71, meets the policy's usual age rule for a living honoree. The debate was about review, not eligibility. The commission chose to waive the normal steps and approve the name that day.
Joe Gómez will become city manager in January
The City Commission voted 3-1 to appoint Deputy City Manager Joe Gómez as permanent city manager. The appointment takes effect January 8, 2027.
Commissioner Melissa Castro voted no. She said the vote was for a national search, not against Gómez, and also called him the best-suited person for the job at present.
The commission had called for an executive search in 2024, and Mayor Vince Lago pledged a national search during the 2025 campaign. City code still allowed Lago to negotiate the proposed compensation and bring it to the commission. The final vote chose an internal appointment instead of that search.