##VIDEO ID:eqGP2NGKdI4## would I am happy to introduce this morning to you our keynote speaker this morning mayor Vince logo as a chamber we are so proud of this tradition Vince Lago was elected mayor of the city of cor Gables in April of 2021 in a decisive Victory and reelected without opposition in 2023 he is the youngest and handsome City in the city's history to hold his office for prior to his election he served as City Commissioner for eight years holding the post of vice mayor from 2019 to 2021 throughout the years the mayor has dedicated his time to South Florida Civic and philanthropic caes where he has led various leadership roles a former member of the cor Gable Planning and Zoning Board he brings a reasonable and creative approach to land use remaining committed to preserving cor gab's unique character and history while placing the interest of residents first during his tenure mayor Lago has spearheaded numerous legislative initiatives that have led to the city sustainability efforts in December of 2021 he was elected vice chair of the bis game Bay watershed management Advisory Board which provides advice on the long-term management of bis game Bay health of the Marine Community runoff and other effects to to water quality Marine debris education and Outreach and economic development while ensuring the Vitality of biscane bay and taking note of how conditions in the biscane bay may affect residents and Property Owners he is a strong proponent of arts and culture he holds a masters in construction management from the School of Engineering at Florida International University as well as a Bachelor's in Business Administration he is an executive at a renowned management and design firm focused on Comm commercial construction projects specializing in medical and educational facilities and Now ladies and Gentlemen please welcome a dear friend leading advocate of the business community and Champion for cor Gables our mayor Vince logo to give a state of the city beautiful address [Applause] good morning good morning so I was scanning the room really quickly trying to see if I can find Juan coril who's here somewhere let me tell you I can't hold a candle to Juan have you guys met Juan probably one of the smartest best looking men I've ever seen in my life Addis you're very lucky he's very lucky to have you so as I said before good morning to everyone who's here it's truly an honor to be here I want to thank all of you for being here today it is indeed an honor to deliver my fourth state of the city address as we stand on the brink of a new century for the City of Coral Gables As We Gather here this morning I'm filled with immense pride and gratitude for the opportunity to lead this remarkable City I would like to begin by thanking my colleagues vice mayor Ronda Anderson please stand thank you for joining me I want to make sure everyone understands the incredible leader that you are the principal leader that you are and the service that you give to the city I know it's difficult to manage and balance your law practice but you make it seem effortless and I want to thank you for your years of service to the [Applause] city I also want to thank my colleagues who are not here today along with the city manager I wish them a wonderful day I also want to thank all the elected officials that are here today so I'm going to run through a list these individuals are incredibly important to the city of cor Gables starting with our state leaders state representative alen Garcia please stand to be recognize Senator Alexis kud amazing Advocates on behalf of the city our environmental efforts and really pushing forward our agenda which sets us apart from other cities so thank you for your representation I also want to thank mayor kava's office who always sends us David who does an amazing job representing Miami day County thank you for being [Applause] here and the City of cor Gables has something a little bit different than every other municipality we're surrounded and I think that we're surrounded with some of the most brilliant elected officials in South Florida potentially better looking but definitely smarter so I'd like to honor a few of these individuals starting with mayor jav Fernandez please mayor of South Miami I know that mayor Eric di padon fellow attorney was also going to be here today I'm not sure he's still on the way but we have the West Miami mayor also along with my dear friend my lifelong friend since we were two years old mayor Francis Suarez from the city of Miami I also want to recognize an individual who I consider a mentor a person who I'm blessed to have at a phone call away sometimes the calls are nice like good job some of them are you better do the following Mayor Don celesnik who's here with us [Music] today but the calls are always intended for one thing and that is to make sure that we put the city first so thank you and I also want to thank the members of the mayor's Council who are here today this is a small group of individuals who give up their time to deliver on big initiatives for the city so please stand if you're on the mayor's counsil you're here today thank you for your service I'd also like for our department directors who are here they are the LIF blood of the city thank you for your partnership with the city thank you for everything you do for the residents and for the business Community please stand to be recognized thank you I'm especially excited for the future of the City of Coral Gable's Chamber of Commerce under the leadership of Mark trollbridge and Aris coril two exceptional leaders whose guidance I'm certain will bring success in the coming year this year's address holds particular significance as we prepare to celebrate a pivotal moment in our City's history our Centennial this coming April will mark 100 years since the founding of Coral Gables by George Merck a Visionary whose understanding of community transcended mere Construction and design merri commitment to Beauty collaboration and meticulous planning is what continues to shape Coral Gables today and it is his legacy that we carry forward as we move forward to the next Century as we anticipate our anal it is important to reflect on his legacy Merck didn't just plant a city he crafted a vision that Blended old world charm with Modern urban Innovation he dreamed of a city where people could live work learn and Thrive and through his foresight that is exactly what has been created one of Merck's greatest achievements was understanding the role of a strong business community in the success of our City that's why only months after founding Coral Gables he established at Coral gaes Chamber of Commerce serving as its first chairman today we not only celebrate our City's 100 years but we also honor the chambers's Centennial marking a century long partnership that has been fundamental to our shared success looking forward it is crucial that we continue to nurture this partnership ensuring that our business receives the support and resources that they need to thrive while our residential population stands at approximately 50,000 over 55,000 workers commute to the City of Coral Gables daily contributing significantly to our economy our City's success is inextricably tied to the prosperity of our business community and therefore we will continue to build on George Merrick's enduring Legacy one of the most important aspects of our City's progress is the strength of our partnership whether through collaboration with local businesses schools and nonprofits or residents a prime example is our partnership with Florida Power and Light together we initiated the undergrounding of power lines in February 2023 a project that I championed with Addus this effort not only beautifies our city but also strengthens our power grid all at no cost to the city or taxpayers let me repeat that again no cost to the city or to the taxpayers I would like to extend my gr gratitude to Addis Gil for playing a crucial role in making this project a reality thank you Addis this was no small task this took seven years of planning seven years of negotiations meeting with Mr Moss with j m meeting with the leadership at fpnl to become the first city in Miami day County to embark on undergrounding its power lines this is a 10year process but we will come out the other side stronger more resilient and more beautiful I promise you our Partnerships will with institutions like the University of Miami which celebrate its own Centennial in 2025 further enhance our city thanks to George Merck's Vision um stands as a Cornerstone of our community and we will continue to explore innovative ways to collaborate and enhance our City's infrastructure the most visible sign of our City's recent successes is A Renewed Energy in our Central business district Miracle Mile has been visited by 3.2 million times this year with visitors returning on average nearly three times recently Miracle Mile was named one of time out's coolest streets in the world and Coral Gables was listed as one of the top five coolest cities this renewed vibrancy is thanks to our to businesses like FIFA Ryder and a new dining establishs such as MAA agave and Mama which have chosen Coral Gables as their home our business community may be small in footprint but it is significant contributor to our City's Revenue accounting for 27% of our ADV valorum tax revenue as such we remain committed to ensuring our downtown remains a thriving place where businesses succeed and residents and visitors can enjoy an exceptional quality of life to that end we're investing in infrastructure included leveling and resetting streets skate pavers our Miracle Ma and hiala and maintaining clean streets through initiatives like the block byblock program which addresses litter weed and graffiti these improvements are part of a broader effort to enhance our downtown and make it an even more attractive destination for both residents and visitors one of the things that I mentioned to you before was about FIFA and the likes of of Ryder I had the privilege of being on a panel along with apple when they were considering coming to the city Cor Gables it was either us or another city that were're privileged to have the mayor here with us it was the city of Miami I spent over an hour and a half advocating with the management of FIFA the management of apple and the management of Ryder to ensure that they chose this city to make sure that they joined this community and at the end of the day the city shined brighter than every other City it was based on our Public Safety thanks to our police chief and our fire chief it was based on our management practices it was based on our cleanliness but it was based on this business Community it was based on a trolley working six days a week but it was based on this business Community it was based on an opportunity to join a community that opens you with welcome arms a strong chamber with an incredible backbone to do the right thing and incredible leadership like Mark trollbridge so I want to congratulate all of you because when they choose the City of Coral Gables you make it easy for me to Tout The exceptional things that we're doing here in this city so the Kudos go to you this chamber the residents and the business Community thank you for making my job easier to lure these companies here in the city so additionally we're expanding green spaces with four new parts coming online in the next couple of years including the Redevelopment of the Publix on Lun which will feature nearly nearly a brand new 20,000 foot Park these projects will further enrich the quality of life in Coral Gables and help ensure the downtown remains vibrant thriving community and I'd like to just talk a little bit about that because it's important my vision for the city when I was elected I realized as a business owner that when you go to great great cities all over the world and I've had the ability and the you know the fortunateness to travel over the last year to many different countries all over the world you see that every great city has Parks has green spaces in our downtown our city is known for almost having 300 acres of Green Space throughout the residential neighborhoods but our downtown was lacking even though the the mcbrides if everyone here is aware of the mcbrides they generously lent us a green space on Miracle Mile but that green space does not belong to the city one day when the mcbrides hopefully God willing redevelop that site they'll take into consideration the opportunity of leaving that beautiful Green Space on Miracle mom so I embarked along with my friend Ronda Anderson to talk to Developers and say why not potentially add one more floor to your project but leave a beautiful Green Space on the first floor it's worked over the next few years these Parks have already been acquired as per as per development agreements with these developers you will have one in Publix which will be 20,000 Square ft adjacent to the Armando codina project you will have a 10,000 11,000 ft Corner Park which is currently the Mercedes-Benz used car lot you will have another Green Space in front of Nordstroms which is currently a green space but a building will be going up there and we managed to save a beautiful sliver of land there for a park and you will have another piece adjacent to the Agave project which is a 15,000 ft lot which is currently used for parking these are deals that were cut by my by myself and the vice mayor along with our incredible staff to ensure that we transform our downtown not only to a business Community but that we attract people to come and live in our downtown these are the type of opportunities and Milestones that translate into our city truly truly becoming a worldclass city and I want to thank Mark for that again my staff the incredible directors in the city and my colleague Ronda Anderson for guiding me for pushing this agenda which is something new for the city but I think it will translate significantly to in our near future as something that will benefit this community so public art is another essential aspect of our City's identity and this year we have introduced several new installations including the interactive piece the water below us on hi Plaza moreover we're we're commissioning a new sculpture to honor the Bahamian and black families who played a crucial role in building Coral Gables a tribute that will stand in Merck Park meanwhile our Innovation and Technology team continues to make strides in shaping the future of the City of Coral Gables their work has garnered new numerous National and international claims and they remain dedicated to implementing Smart City technologies that will benefit both residents and businesses alike Public Safety remains at the core of our mission and both our police and fire departments continue to excel in keeping our community secure thanks to the leadership and dedication of our neighborhood safety Aid unit and the new crime suppression team our residents have raided the feeling of safety in our downtown and Commercial areas very high additionally our fire department has received National recognition for its efforts in emergency services including the prestigious iceo class one ranking placing it among the top departments Nationwide congratulations as we continue this chapter and prepare for our next 100 years I am proud of all we have accomplished together we remain one of only three cities in Florida to hold a AAA Bond rating from Moody's standard in pores and fit and our City's fiscal Health has never been stronger I promise you and I give you my word as long as I'm your mayor I will not touch our reserves I will continue to Advocate that our reserves continue to stay strong when I took office our reserves were half of what they were today when I became a commissioner that is to the leadership of past mayors and Commissioners but I remain I remain staunch that that we will never change that here in the city we will never tap into our reserves unless you need it for example like in our past hurricane which was our safety net and allowed us to move quickly in cleaning up our city before any other City could because we had that money in an account I also would Ure I give you my word and I assure you that I will continue to advocate for lower taxes like I have in the last two years no matter whether I win that battle or not I view it as important for our community as as costs continue to rise my advocacy for fiscal responsibility will never change I will put our fiscal responsibility above all just as I do with the residents these achievements are a testament to the hard work and dedication of our City's leaders especially our staff and our residents before I conclude I would like to take a moment to recognize the many accomp accomplishments of our City's departments and their leaders if our like I said before if our department directors could please to be recognized I'd like to thank you for your tiess efforts in making Coral Gables an exceptional place to live but also I'd like to have our City attorney Christina Suarez our city clerk Billy Oria which he bet me that I couldn't pronounce his last name correctly our Deputy city manager Alberto bahus and our and our assistant city manager Joe Gomez Who's new to our team please rise to be recognized I'd also like to thank my chief of staff ch grenell who's not here today for a continued dedication to the city in the words of Ronald Reagan by working together pulling our resources and building on our strengths we can accomplish great things this chamber and our city have done just that over the past Century building a community where businesses Thrive and residents enjoy an unparallel quality of life here's to the next 100 years Coral Gables and as George meric envisions we are truly Better Together thank you thank you [Applause]