Inspector general: the commission starts talking through how it works
Voters approved a watchdog in April. Plus Phillips Park by day and four Halloween picks.
Back in April, 5,955 Coral Gables voters said yes to an inspector general who could subpoena witnesses and records. Who picks that watchdog and what it can touch are still open questions, and commissioners start working through them at about 4 p.m. today.
In April, 68.86% of voters on the question said yes to an inspector general armed with subpoena power. What they approved was contracted inspector general services, from a private firm or Miami-Dade County, not a permanent city office. Who picks the inspector general, what it can investigate and what it costs are all left to the commission.
That work starts at a public Sunshine meeting set for 4 p.m., or right after the regular commission meeting ends. It's in the Community Meeting Room inside Police and Fire Headquarters at 2151 Salzedo St.
The big fork is county or private. The county school district has bought inspector general services from Miami-Dade since 2008, but the city would need to negotiate terms and win county approval to copy that. A private contractor raises its own questions, from independence to how subpoena power would work. The city's notice picks no model and offers no draft ordinance, no proposals and no cost estimates. That makes this a first conversation, not a decision. The Nov. 3 election, for mayor and two commission seats, is three weeks off.
Phillips Park reopens by day while the lights wait
Phillips Park in the North Ponce District is open again by day, and its playground and bathrooms are finished. After dark it stays closed. "It's really dark," Community Recreation Director Fred Couceyro told the city's parks advisory board. The lighting repairs are under warranty, so the city pays nothing extra, and the contractor says it will get to them in the coming weeks. That is an assurance, not a date.
Parents may notice the slides. The screws holding the panels together sit on the outside, which makes clothing less likely to catch. That design drew attention after a 13-year-old died at Shenandoah Park earlier this month when his shirt snagged on an interior screw in a covered slide.
Full operations aren't expected until March 2027, and the formal grand opening for the $6 million renovation waits until the work is done. One slow piece is the pavilion: an inspection found structural damage, so the city demolished it to rebuild rather than fix the roof. Separately, a planned pool deck renovation at the Country Club is expected to keep that pool closed until summer.
Ponce Circle Park redesign set to break ground in January 2027
Ponce Circle Park, 2810 Ponce de Leon Blvd., is getting its biggest redesign since the city laid it out in the 1920s, with work starting in January 2027 and completion projected for the first three months of 2028.
The centerpiece is a Frank Stella sculpture in a reflecting pool at the park's north end, one of the late artist's final large works. At the middle sits the Odeon, an open-air stage for concerts, plays and fitness classes that doubles as public seating when nothing is on. The street work reaches past the park: raised crosswalks, speed tables and new storm drainage on Almeria Avenue and Ponce de Leon Boulevard out to University Drive, aimed at pedestrian safety.
It's a project worth over $10 million, funded three ways by the city, Allen Morris Co. and Agave Holdings, which owns The Plaza Coral Gables. Allen Morris will manage it and has guaranteed any overruns past the committed funding. Commissioners approved it unanimously, and the partners have signed a development management agreement. The split among the three isn't spelled out, so the city's share is not yet clear.
Halloween in the Gables: four picks, two of them free
- When
- Oct. 17 through Oct. 31
These are four picks from the city's longer Halloween in the Gables calendar. The Pumpkin Patch fills Ponce Circle Park on Oct. 17, 2 to 6 p.m. A $15 resident presale package covers one pumpkin and entry for up to four, but only while supplies last, and door tickets are limited and first come, first served.
Gentle Trick-or-Treat is made for kids who find the usual Halloween overwhelming: nothing scary, a quiet area and a capped crowd. Ruth Bryan Owen Waterway Park hosts it Oct. 24, 1 to 3 p.m. It's free, but registration is required, one ticket per vehicle.
The gym at the War Memorial Youth Center becomes Nightmare on 405, a walk-through haunted house, on Oct. 30 from 6:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $6.50, good for one entry and nonrefundable, and the city says it isn't suitable for kids under 5.
Halloween itself brings trick-or-treating to Miracle Mile, Oct. 31, 3 to 6 p.m. Participating businesses hand out candy, and a magic show starts at 5 p.m. Entry is free, and the city asks families to RSVP so it can gauge the crowd.