{"id":1401,"date":"2026-06-05T09:01:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T09:01:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1401"},"modified":"2026-06-05T09:01:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T09:01:17","slug":"will-coral-gables-sue-the-group-tied-to-its-youth-center-theres-a-change-of-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1401","title":{"rendered":"Will Coral Gables sue the group tied to its youth center? There\u2019s a change of plans"},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>After months of threatening legal action, Coral Gables commissioners this week decided to pause plans to take their ongoing Youth Center-related dispute to the courtroom. At least for now.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1399\">Cuban\u2011American investors plan reconstruction of the island once democracy returns<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The 4-1 decision is like a bucket of cold water for the escalating tensions between commissioners and members of the Coral Gables War Memorial Youth Center Association, a civic organization that calls itself a watchdog for the city-funded youth center.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson returned to the dais with a different idea: Instead of taking the association to court, Coral Gables should halt any of the city\u2019s pricey future renovation plans for the center, which could potentially require it to temporarily shutter, until the property\u2019s deed is stripped of its reverter clause. In a deal made decades ago, the association had gifted the property to the city, and the clause allows for the return of the property to the association if the city is found to break its end of the deal.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Anderson said her proposal would not affect the maintenance required for the center\u2019s normal operations.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Jane Muir, the lawyer representing the association, and the group\u2019s secretary, told the Miami Herald in a text message Thursday that \u201cthe Association welcomes the Commission\u2019s decision to pause considering litigation against our organization.\u201d But she also said \u201cthe reverter clause is not up for debate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe City has never explained why a clause that is broad, flexible, and entirely consistent with any legitimate youth-serving use of this property needs to be removed,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Anderson\u2019s item found support in Commissioner Richard Lara, who had come ready to ask commissioners to pause the lawsuit plans for further negotiation, and Commissioner Melissa Castro, who was always against suing the association.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Mayor Vince Lago voted in favor of Anderson\u2019s item too, though he reiterated his frustration with the association and indicated that he did not believe giving the group another extension would lead to significant change. Anderson, upon Lago\u2019s request, put a new deadline of Dec. 1 for the group to figure out a plan with the city.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Commissioner Ariel Fernandez was the sole no vote, comparing Anderson\u2019s plan to \u201cextortion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis conversation continues to happen as if the city of Coral Gables had oversight over this association, but it\u2019s actually the other way around. &#8230; We\u2019re trying to use muscle power to try and get something that we don\u2019t even have a right to request,\u201d Fernandez said.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1397\">MDSO arrests caregiver accused of stealing again from clients<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<h2>How we got here<\/h2>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The bad blood between city leaders and the group began last year and has to do with both the association\u2019s operations and the clause in the decades-old deed that gave the property to the city. The reverter clause requires the city to never change the name of the War Memorial Youth Center and to continue using the property for youth recreational activities for children in Coral Gables. If it does not, ownership of the property will go back to the civic organization.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Lago has also raised concerns that the city is unable to access all of the organization\u2019s financial filings, even though the Youth Center is on city-owned land and is funded by the city. The private not-for-profit says it has turned over what it is legally required to.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The organization has suggested that the scrutiny is politically motivated, a notion the mayor has denied. Former Gables commissioner Kirk Menendez, who lost to Lago in the 2025 mayoral election, used to be the group\u2019s longtime president. He stepped down earlier this year.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Last month, it looked like the dispute hit a breaking point when Lago, Anderson and Lara once again expressed frustrations over the group\u2019s continual delay to appear before the commission for questioning and indicated they were finally ready to make good on their months-old lawsuit threat if the group did not appear at the May 19 meeting.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The three gave City Attorney Cristina Suarez the green light to sue the group, if needed, months ago. Instead, the city has remained in ongoing talks with the 80-year-old association through mediation.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>As for the association, it\u2019s been a no-show at commission meetings because members were no longer willing to speak due to a previous meeting\u2019s \u201ctone\u201d in which \u201cAssociation board members were publicly compared to Bernie Madoff and Elizabeth Holmes,\u201d Muir told the city in a May 18 letter. The letter also indicated it was ready to fight what it sees as a baseless witch hunt fueled by political motivations and a desire to develop the property, something the mayor and other commissioners have denied.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<h2>Gables to stall potential Youth Center suit<\/h2>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Lago, Anderson and Lara have previously described the reverter clause as an unnecessary \u201ccloud on the title\u201d that could cause problems for the city in the future. The association disagrees and argues that the clause protects the Youth Center. Lago has repeatedly said at meetings that the city does not want to get rid of the Youth Center.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf the City\u2019s plans for this property are consistent with the donors\u2019 intent, the reverter poses no problem,\u201d Muir wrote in her text to the Herald. \u201cIf they are not, then the reverter is working exactly as intended.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The legal tussle, at least for now, is on hold.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s an evolving situation,\u201d Lara said. \u201cWe are exploring ways to get to the common goal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1395\">How American Friends of Jamaica led relief after island was hit by Hurricane Melissa<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Coral Gables commissioners pause plans to sue the War Memorial Youth Center Association, opting to stall renovations until the deed&#39;s reverter clause is resolved<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1400,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coral-gables"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Will Coral Gables sue the group tied to its youth center? 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