Coral Gables voters rejected a proposal to extend the mayor's term from two years to four on Nov. 3, even as they reelected Mayor Vince Lago to a final two-year term the same night.

The four-year term drew 9,463 yes votes, or 46.7%, according to the Coral Gables Gazette. Another 10,792 voters, or 53.3%, opposed it. The mayor will continue to stand for election every two years.

Lago, who as we reported Tuesday won reelection with 57% of the vote, had backed all four charter amendments on the ballot. Two passed and two failed.

The results remain unofficial, with all 16 precincts reporting, pending certification by the Miami-Dade County canvassing board.

Residency rule wins 92% support

The most lopsided result came on a new residency requirement for candidates seeking mayor or a commission seat. It passed with 18,490 yes votes, or 92%, against 1,605 no votes.

Under the old charter language, candidates had to reside in Coral Gables for at least one year before Election Day. The amendment tightens that standard by requiring continuous residency for at least one year before the end of the qualifying period, which falls earlier than Election Day.

The City Attorney's Office proposed the change in response to legal disputes over residency requirements in neighboring cities, the Miami Herald reported.

Parkland protections clear easily

Voters also approved a new requirement for selling or leasing city-owned parks. The measure passed with 16,528 yes votes, or 82.4%, compared with 3,538 no votes.

The amendment now requires 60% voter approval in a citywide special election before the city can sell, exchange or lease for 10 years or longer any city-owned property used as a park, recreational facility, golf course or open park space. It covers property used for those purposes as of Nov. 3, 2026, and property acquired later for such uses.

Lago proposed the measure. He has cited Granada Golf Course, Salvadore Park and the War Memorial Youth Center as properties it would protect, according to the Gazette.

Bidding threshold stays at $25,000

Voters turned down a proposal to raise the threshold for formal public-works solicitation from $25,000 to $300,000. The measure received 8,747 yes votes, or 44.3%. Another 10,983 voters, or 55.7%, opposed it.

The defeat leaves the charter's existing $25,000 threshold in place. Had it passed, the city would have had greater latitude to award public-works contracts below $300,000 without the formal solicitation the charter requires.

A pattern on the ballot

The City Commission voted 5-0 in July to place all four questions on the ballot, though individual commissioners expressed differing views about the proposals, according to the Gazette.

Voters rejected the two amendments that would have loosened existing government constraints and approved the two that imposed new requirements. The Gazette's analysis noted that in every precinct, Lago received more votes than the four-year term proposal received yes votes.

Coral Gables had tried four-year mayoral terms before. Voters approved them in 2005, then restored two-year terms in 2009.

Nov. 3 marked the first regular Coral Gables municipal election held in November rather than April, following a calendar change voters approved in an April 21 referendum earlier this year. Florida Politics reported that the shift shortened several current terms by about four months.