Joe Gómez is appointed as Coral Gables’ next city manager. Who is he?

Outgoing Coral Gables City Manager Peter Iglesias’ righthand man Joe L. Gómez will take over the reins and lead day-to-day operations in the city starting in 2027.

Gables commissioners on Tuesday voted 3-1 to promote Gómez, who is currently deputy city manager, to be the city’s top administrator once Iglesias steps down, opting to avoid a national search for one of the most important jobs in the Gables.

“I will listen, communicate openly and approach every decision with the best interest of Coral Gables in mind,” Gómez told the commission. “I recognize both the opportunities and the challenges ahead. I’m ready to build upon the city’s strong foundation, maintain momentum of the important work already underway and ensure that we continue delivering the high level of service our residents and businesses expect.”

The promotion comes a year after his mother’s death, Gómez shared. “It is only fitting that near the anniversary of her passing, I am accepting the most important appointment of my career,” Gómez said, tearing up as he thanked his mother in Spanish.

The new job comes with a starting salary of $305,324, a monthly car allowance, an annual cost-of-living adjustment and other benefits, according to the compensation package presented during Tuesday’s City Commission meeting. Gómez will succeed his current boss, Iglesias, who resigned earlier this year and plans to step down in January, a bit later than his initial October plan.

Iglesias, who “highly recommends” Gómez to be the next city manager, said he didn’t believe a national search was necessary because “a two-year interview is better than a one-hour interview.”

“We know exactly what we are getting with Joe,” Iglesias said.

Mayor Vince Lago, Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson and Commissioner Richard Lara voted in favor of promoting Gómez, praising his work ethic and dedication to the city. Residents also praised Gómez, including real estate investor Gonzalo Sanabria, who is vying to take over the Group V seat from Commissioner Ariel Fernandez, who plans to step down once his term ends.

“I don’t believe you should conduct a national search simply for the sake of saying we conducted a national search,” said Lago, who sponsored the resolution to promote Gómez.

If the city were to conduct a search, he said, it would be looking for a candidate with extensive experience and a solid record of effectively running large departments, with “knowledge of infrastructure and capital projects, strong leadership skills and an understanding of Coral Gables.”

“Joe checks every one of those boxes” and has worked closely with Iglesias, said Lago, showing an endless stream of texts between him and Gómez as an example of his dedication to the job, no matter the time.

Commissioner Melissa Castro voted against promoting Gómez to city manager. She had planned to ask the commission to launch a national search for the next city manager. Fernandez was absent Tuesday.

Castro said her no vote was not because of Gómez, who she believed is qualified for the job. She said her vote was because of a situation she describes as a “big double standard.”

Castro and Fernandez previously voted alongside former Commissioner Kirk Menendez in 2024 to hire retired U.S. Marshal Amos Rojas Jr. to replace Iglesias, whom they’d voted to fire, without a national search. The decision received sharp criticism from Lago and Anderson, who voiced opposition to hiring a new manager without a search.

Castro on Tuesday still defended her vote to appoint Rojas and, later, Alberto Parjus to serve as city manager without a national search, describing it as a decision that had to be made quickly in 2024 because the city needed an administrative leader urgently.

But she said the situation now is different because Iglesias will not leave until January, which means the city has time to conduct a search.

“If a national search was good enough to campaign on, it should be very well good enough to govern by,” Castro said, saying that Lago had said in the past that he would do a national search for the next city manager. “Promises matter. Process matters. But most importantly, consistency matters.”

Lago, Anderson and Lara agreed that the situation is different, but for a different reason. They all indicated in the meeting that they don’t believe a national search is necessary because the point of a search is to find the right person for the job. Gómez is that person, they said.

Lara made similar remarks, noting that “Coral Gables should be able to recognize talent from within” and that giving employees the opportunity to advance in their careers within the city is key for retention.

In Coral Gables, the city manager — not the mayor — serves as the city’s top administrator. Think of the city manager like the CEO. The city manager is paid more than the mayor, vice mayor and other commissioners and is charged with overseeing the city’s day-to-day operations. The mayor and commissioners are like a company’s board of directors or trustees, with the power to hire and fire the city manager, city attorney and city clerk through a majority vote. The mayor and other commissioners are chosen by voters and can direct the city manager through resolutions and other directives to take actions for the city.

While the city has conducted searches in the past, no searches were made for the hiring of Rojas, Parjus or Iglesias, including during his first appointment, according to city spokeswoman Martha Pantin. Iglesias was promoted internally to the position of city manager during his first appointment in 2016, similar to Gómez’s current situation. Similarly, City Attorneys Cristina Suarez and Miriam Soler Ramos and City Clerk Billy Urquia were also internal promotions.

Gómez told the Miami Herald after the vote that he plans to focus on moving “the significant projects that we have in the pipeline forward,” such as the ongoing City Hall renovations and the upcoming Mobility Hub parking garage.

He’s also watching the November state property tax referendum closely and said he wants to ensure that the city continues to serve its residents and businesses.

“Coral Gables is Coral Gables for one reason — because it’s special, and we want to make sure that going forward it stays as the City Beautiful,” Gómez said.

Who is Joe Gómez?

Gómez is a 70-year-old civil engineer by trade who grew up in South Florida after fleeing Cuba in 1961 with his family. He has served as deputy city manager since 2025, overseeing the city’s infrastructure projects and managing the city’s development services, parking and mobility services, and public works departments.

Starting in January, he’ll be responsible for overseeing the operations of one of South Florida’s most influential cities, with over 50,000 residents.

The new responsibilities come with a 25% pay raise. As deputy city manager, Gómez makes a base salary of $243,912. Now, he’ll make a base salary of 305,324, the same as Iglesias.

His appointment comes as Iglesias prepares to exit after a somewhat tumultuous time in City Hall.

Iglesias, an engineer and longtime Gables resident, was initially hired by the city in 2016 to be the assistant city manager of operations and infrastructure. He became the city manager in 2018, running day-to-day operations in the city as the top administrator in the Gables.

He was fired in 2024 in a 3-2 vote by Castro, Fernandez and Menendez and was reappointed a year ago in a vote by Lago, Anderson and the newly elected Richard Lara. The three, along with several residents who spoke at the meeting, praised him for the work he’s done for the city.

The 71-year-old Iglesias previously told the Herald that his resignation is not due to political pressure and was simply because he felt like he had accomplished everything he needed to do — kicking off City Hall renovations, making changes at the Granada Golf Course, and establishing plans for a biochar facility and the Mobility Hub. He’s thinking about retirement — and spending more time in a judo dojo — once he steps down.

In a memo, Lago described Gómez as “extremely qualified” for the position of city manager.

“He has the knowledge, the experience, and the commitment to continue serving the City and is the best candidate for the post of City Manager,” Lago wrote in the memo. “Here at the City, we have seen firsthand the benefits and continuity that come with selecting the second-in-command as successor, as has been the case with our current City Manager, City Attorney, and City Clerk.”

Similar to Iglesias, Gómez initially got his start in the Gables in 2024 when he was hired by former manager Rojas to serve as the Gables assistant city manager for operations and infrastructure. Prior to the Gables, he served as the public works director in the city of Miami Beach and worked for over a decade in the state’s Department of Transportation, according to Lago’s memo.

An alumnus of Miami Dade College and Florida International University, the veteran civil engineer has also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Miami and is a member of UM’s Civil and Architectural Engineering Industrial Advisory board, according to his online city bio page.

Iglesias was initially going to leave the city in October, but Lago convinced him to stay through the rest of the year. Iglesias’ last day is now Jan. 8.