Coral Gables Dysfunction

What does dysfunction LED by Commissioner Kirk Menendez look like?

Gave himself a 101% Raise including a $700/mo new car allowance.

Installed a new City Manager with NO EXPERIENCE so he could control the City (and pay him $365,000 per year!)

Tried putting the city into $59 MILLION of debt through a new bond program

Closed City Hall despite reassurances from engineers that the building was completely safe

Voted against lowering your property taxes

but this isn’t new for Kirk Menendez

Highlights of Kirk’s “tenure” at the City of Miami:

Double-Dipping and Losing Track of Money at MSEA

While still on the City of Miami payroll, Kirk also became Executive Director of the Miami Sports and Exhibition Authority (MSEA), effectively doubling his taxpayer-funded salary. Under his watch, MSEA was such a mess that they couldn’t even keep track of rent checks or legally required board meeting minutes. Things got so bad that the agency was eventually shutdown in 2018 — after a financial dispute involving a missing $348,273 payment. Oops.

Kirk’s Underwhelming Run at the City of Miami

Kirk Menendez landed a job as an assistant city attorney at almost 40—well past the usual age for someone starting out in that role. Over six years and 900 cases, he built a reputation for being... fine. Not great, not terrible — just there. His 3.09 out of 5 performance rating (basically a “C” student) reflected that. From there, he bounced around city government, never really excelling but somehow always sticking around.

Insubordination and a Not-So-Graceful Exit

After years of coasting, Kirk returned to the city attorney’s office in 2014, only to get written up for “insubordination and incompetent performance.” Instead of getting fired outright, he was given the more dignified option to resign. A recurring theme in his career: doing the bare minimum until someone finally calls him out.

A Chief of Staff Stint That Lasted About as Long as a Bad Vacation
Despite his track record, Kirk somehow landed a job in late 2015 as chief of staff for then-City Commissioner Ken Russell. It lasted all of 60 days before he was fired. Insiders described him as “one of the laziest human beings” they’d ever worked with. That’s a bold claim in Miami politics.

Kirk Menendez looking to his right, speaking at commission meeting

Same Kirk. Different Office.

Now our Coral Gables commissioner, Kirk is staying true to form — fiscally irresponsible, disingenuous, unresponsive, and often seeming like he’d rather be anywhere else. Constituents say he regularly ignores their concerns, and during commission meetings he looks about as thrilled as someone waiting at the DMV. And yet - he wants to be our next Mayor.

Aesop's GableS: Kirk's Chronicles (Part 1): Miami's Mindless Mediocrity by Aesop

End the Dysfunction

Stand with Mayor Vince Lago

Elections on April 8, 2025

Paid electioneering communication paid for by Coral Gables First 2600 South Douglas Rd., Suite 900, Coral Gables, FL 33134