Commissioner Kirk Menendez
The Coral Gables Way
Volume VI
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Advocating for the City in Tallahassee |
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Commissioner Melissa Castro, Commissioner Ariel Fernandez, and I traveled to Tallahassee to advocate before our State Legislature and advance our City's Legislative Priorities, including funding for several projects, on behalf of Coral Gables residents. With strong legislative partners such as Senator Alexis Calatayud and Representative Demi Busatta-Cabrera, we were able to advance the City's agenda and further strengthen the relationships our City has in Tallahassee.
The Gables team also had the opportunity to speak on the City's behalf with:
- Speaker Designate Daniel Perez
- Senator Ana Maria Rodriguez
- Representatives for Senator Jason Brodeur, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government
- Representative Vicki Lopez
- Representative Robert Andrade, House Infrastructure & Tourism Appropriations Subcommittee Chair
- Representative Juan Carlos Porras
The members of the Florida Legislature were appreciative of the City for being thoughtful and reasonable in our requests and for Commissioners Castro, Fernandez and I having made the trip to personally promote them. The Legislative Session begins on January 9th. We'll be back!
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It's All About the "U" & Our Community |
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Annual University of Miami & City of Coral Gables Development Agreement Meeting with UM President Dr. Julio Frenk, UM Board of Trustees, Coral Gables City Commission, and esteemed members of the Administration from both the school and the city. It’s a great partnership going back nearly 100 years! |
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Swearing-in Ceremony for Our New City of Coral Gables Firefighters. Welcome & congratulations! One City. One Community. |
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Grateful to God to be able to donate toward Year 2 of the Lydia & Kirk Menendez Family Scholarship fund at St. Theresa School, my son and daughter’s alma mater. |
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Blessed to fund the “Lydia Menendez Family Scholarship” for a 2nd Year at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy, my daughter Lydia’s alma mater. The scholarship helps Lourdes students and families in-need cover tuition and other expenses. |
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"Coffee with a Cop” event at the Watermark at Coral Gables. Wonderful community turnout! Great coffee with great people. |
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Honored to present Gables High Senior, Balery Quinones, with a $500 scholarship check for serving in the Cavaliers Future Leaders Program which I initiated in 2021. |
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Coral Gables Preparatory School Centennial Gala. As an alumni of Coral Gables Elementary, it was a pleasure to celebrate 100 Years of Excellence! |
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Fun time at the Seniors Halloween Party and Costume Competition at the Coral Gables Adult Activity Center. |
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Attending the Coral Gables Senior High School Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, my alma mater, was truly special. Amazing and accomplished inductees from diverse walks of life and professions were celebrated. Congratulations to all! |
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The miracle in the "Miracle Walk" are truly the people who give their love and time to help those families and individuals dealing with Down’s Syndrome. |
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Annual Menorah Lighting at Ponce Circle Park. Blessed to experience this most beautiful tradition with the Jewish members of our community. |
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Annual Christmas Tree lighting and grand opening of the Holiday Park.
It is beautiful to see the community come together to celebrate the commencement of a joyous season.
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Congratulations to Grant Miller, Publisher of Miami’s Community Newspapers, and all the distinguished inductees of the Christopher Columbus High School Hall of Fame. It was an honor to attend the Induction Ceremony as the parent of an alumni, representing the Kirk & Lydia Menendez Family Endowment. |
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Represented the City of Coral Gables along with Commissioner Ariel Fernandez at the Opening Gala for the “Knight Center for Music Innovation” at the University of Miami Frost School of Music with Gloria Estefan serving as the event’s emcee. The Knight Center for Music Innovation is a breathtaking, state-of-the-art performance and technology innovation hub designed to be a world-class music destination. It was a pleasure speaking with UM President Dr. Julio Frenk, members of the UM Board of Trustees as well as entrepreneur, philanthropist, and UM benefactor Dr. Phillip Frost and UM music award recipients Emilio Estefan and Jon Secada. |
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Approved on 1st reading at the December 12, 2023 commission meeting by a unanimous vote. Ordinance of the City Commission to amend the City's Zoning Code pertaining to community engagement in relation to the review process for development projects. The ordinance requires that the community be engaged earlier in the process and before a project is reviewed by the Board of Architects. Currently, the code requires that the public be engaged later in the process.
(Sponsored by Commissioner Menendez)
(Co-sponsored by Vice Mayor Anderson)
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Open Green Space Community Meeting |
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Thank you to the residents who participated in a community meeting I hosted to discuss ways in which we can create more open green space in our Coral Gables Downtown. Everyone openly and cordially shared their views, concerns, and ideas. Thank you to City Planner Jennifer Garcia for guiding us through the history and the possibilities. Also, thank you to my colleagues Mayor Lago, Vice Mayor Anderson, Commissioner Castro, and Commissioner Fernandez for your insight and for allowing our fellow residents the opportunity to be heard on this challenging yet worthwhile vision of greater open green space in the heart of our city. |
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The Great Movie Ride Film Series |
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𝗧he Great Movie Ride Film Series, hosted by Commissioner Kirk Menendez and Sponsored by the Kirk & Lydia Menendez Family Endowment. The movie series is free for all Coral Gables residents.
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Happy to announce Season 2 of “The Great Movie Ride” Free Film Series at the Miracle Theatre hosted and funded by the Kirk and Lydia Menendez Family Endowment. This great partnership between my family, Barbara Stein, and the Actor’s Playhouse has been a blessing that has brought joy and wonder to movie lovers of all ages. The 2024 movie lineup includes E.T., Ironman, Jaws, and The Godfather.
See you at the free movies!
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Sunday March 10, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. |
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Sunday April 28, 2024, at 5 p.m. |
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*Tickets are FREE for Coral Gables residents. For tickets contact Actors’ Playhouse or click the link below. |
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Coral Gables Seniors Free Movie Series
Hosted & Sponsored by Commissioner Menendez
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Free showing of the classic film “Cool Hand Luke” starring Paul Newman was a hit at the Coral Gables
Art Cinema.
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Non-Stop Laughter during the recent showing of the 1978 Best Picture Academy Award Winner “Annie Hall” at the Coral Gables Art Cinema.
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The next free movie in the series at the Coral Gables Art Cinema for Coral Gables residents 40+ is a special double showing of "Duck Soup" with the Marx Brothers and a short film with "Laurel & Hardy". Join us for an afternoon of guaranteed laughter! Stay tuned for announcements regarding the date and time. |
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Looking west on Coral Way ("Miracle Mile') toward City Hall with the Miracle Theatre on the left. Circa 1950. |
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Land auction held at the intersection of Ponce de Leon Boulevard and Coral Way, looking south on Ponce in the early 1920s. |
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Olympic Gold Medal Swimming Champion Johnny Weissmuller at the Venetian Pool, circa 1925, seven years before he became the original Tarzan in the movies starting in 1932. |
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Woolworth’s in the 1950's where Barnes & Noble stands today on Miracle Mile. |
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Anastasia Hotel (UM’s “Cardboard College”) under construction in the early 1920's. After the hurricane of 1926 wiped out the construction of the university, damaged all of South Florida, and plunged our local economy into a downward spiral, the university opened its doors to its first students at the Anastasia Hotel building. Today that site is located between the Youth Center and the library. |
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The Coral Gables War Memorial Youth Center, circa 1962, was designed by architects Watson and Deutschman, and built by Miller and Solomon Construction Company. The Anastasis Hotel (aka, UM's Cardboard College) can be seen on the far left side of the photo. |
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