Coral Gables Candidate Gonzalo Sanabria Voted to Move the Urban Development Boundary Line Again and Again. By Geniusofdespair

On 11/14/05 Gonzalo Sanabria made a speech at the Planning Advisory Board meeting discounting Hold the Line (HTL). He said that Brown (one of the applications to move the Urban Development Boundary line) had 2,000 petitions and Gonzalo said that in comparison, HTL had the same 5, 6 or 7 people speaking all the time. He said maybe when HTL can come with 2,000 signatures we will listen to them. In fact, I don’t think Gonzalo ever knew, Coral Gables was a member of Hold the Line.

Communities joined HTL because with billions of dollars of unfunded and deteriorating infrastructure within the line, they did not want to further strain the budget by going outside the line. They wanted to catch up within the line first.

You would think while Gonzalo Sanabria was a member of the Planning Advisory Board, considering he lived and worked in Coral Gables, that he would have the interest of his hometown in his heart. He voted exactly opposite of Christi Sherouse (on every single vote to move the UDB Line). He voted to move the Urban Development Boundary, Christi voted not to. Heck, he didn't only vote he also argued in favor of most of the applications. He and Christi argued with each other during the preliminary meeting 11/14/05 and the final meeting on 3/30/06.

Christi Sherouse was representing the County Commissioner of Coral Gables: Gonzalo was representing the district including Aventura, Bal Harbor, Bay Harbor Islands, North Miami, North Miami Beach, Surfside, Sunny Isles and some of Miami Beach for Former County Commission Chair Gwen Margolis, then Sally Heyman. The Planning Advisory Board Members do not have to live in the district they represent. But, Gonzalo, you should note that North Miami, North Miami Beach, Surfside, Aventura, Miami Beach, Bal Harbor and Bay Harbor Islands were all members of Hold the Line. You were representing these cities on the Planning Advisory Board. You didn't even vote the same way as the Commissioner who you were representing. I think you agreed on one application: Hialeah. The rest, you voted to move the line and Sally Heyman voted no. Exactly who were your representing?

During the final vote 3/30/06, Gonzalo Sanabria voted in favor of every application to move the UDB line. He even argued in favor of the Doral West Commerce Park application in November, which was a half-hearted application at best, no one else was giving it much support. I think it might have been withdrawn but I am not sure.

Hey Gonzalo, if I heard you right, you argued that the Hialeah application would create 16,000 jobs. Have you checked on that lately? Follow-up is important. You also were voting for the Lowes Big Box Store application, you said based on the promise that they were going to sell the school board/charter school land for a new school. There was nothing in writing on that promise either. And, if the line was moved and the school board/charter school did not use the land, Lowe’s would have been free to use the land for other purposes. How do I know this? I sat in at the Administrative Hearings this year, Lowe's admitted as much.


It is dangerous to make such important votes on promises. Christi Sherouse didn’t vote like you did on any of the applications, she represented Coral Gables well. She listened, she held the line.