Clock Fight: Firefighters' Union Demands Coral Gables Mayor Apologize for 9/11 Comments

The nation's largest firefighters' union is demanding an apology from Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago for comments he made seemingly downplaying the significance of September 11.

Lago chose 9/11 to hold a ceremony at the intersection of Salzedo Street and Ponce de Leon to unveil the city's snazzy new Miracle Mile clock, a gift from the luxury Swiss watchmaker F.P. Journe to commemorate the centennial of the city's founding.

Facing pushback from residents and his fellow commissioners on the dais at an August 27 commission meeting, Lago explained that it was a logistical issue: Representatives from F.P. Jorrne would be in town that day but wouldn't be able to return until December.

"Stop trying to muddy the waters. You are all invited to come September 11th and smile," Lago cajoled, then added, "September 11 is not a national holiday and it's not a holiday in the city or the state."

In September 2023, the commission had voted to accept the gift — which Lago has claimed is worth $100,000 — with the caveat that the city would not pony up for the cost of installing it, which was estimated at $32,000, what with design, permits, and fees. Lago said he'd cover that out of his pocket.

But tempers flared when the mayor chose September 11 for C-Day.

"I apologize to all the families of the victims of 9/11 that you're deciding to use that day to promote yourself because you have taken this away from the city," Commissioner Ariel Fernandez declared amid the quarrelsome August meeting.

Lago doubled and then tripled down.

"It's happening on September 11," he said. "You're more than welcome to come. Listen, guys, you're looking ridiculous by constantly battling everything."

"I ended up paying for the permit. I ended up paying for the design. I ended up paying for the construction. I ended up paying for all the work that had to be done," the mayor said. "What you have here is a beautiful, exceptional gift to the city that other areas like Rodeo Drive have, other areas in New York, Italy, France. And it is something that is going to draw people to our community."

He wasn't quite finished: "It's not like you can just drop a clock in the middle of this community. You have to do plans. You have to get engineering done. You have to hire specific people to come in and do the electrical work."

Right after the commission meeting, David Perez, president of the Coral Gables Professional Firefighters Association, Local 1210, laid out the union's perspective on the conflict in a letter to the watchmaker.

"I strongly urge you to reconsider the timing of this event," Perez wrote. "There are 364 other days in the year to unveil a clock — days that do not coincide with a national day of remembrance and mourning. Rescheduling would demonstrate that you recognize the gravity of this day and have the decency to honor the memory of those lost rather than overshadow their remembrance with a commercial spectacle."

Though Lago hasn't publicly said as much, Perez's letter appears to have done the trick, because on September 4, the local's parent, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), which represents nearly 350,000 firefighters and emergency medical services personnel in the U.S. and Canada, chimed in with its own letter — this one addressed to the mayor and signed by union general president Edward A. Kelly.

"We understand that, in response to the urging of our brothers and sisters in Local 1210, the clockmaker has agreed to reschedule this event to September 12 — so as not to promote a celebratory event on a day that has traditionally been recognized as a national day of mourning...," Kelly wrote, adding that Lago's comments demonstrated "complete ignorance" and "an extreme lack of empathy for the first-responder community."

"While we are encouraged by the clockmaker's rescheduling of the clock unveiling to allow local first responders to honor the memory of those lost on September 11, we remain baffled as to why you and your administration have remained silent on this issue. We are particularly troubled by your previous statement at a city commission meeting suggesting you had no concerns with scheduling the clock unveiling on September 11 because 'September 11 is not a national holiday nor a state holiday.'"

He wasn't done.

"We respectfully request that the Coral Gables administration, and you as the City's leader, issue an apology for your insensitive and thoughtless defense of a clock unveiling on September 11th," Kelly concluded. "Strong and courageous leaders acknowledge when mistakes have been made and are willing to correct them. We hope you demonstrate that you are the type of leader who is up to that challenge."

Lago has not responded to New Times' request for comment.

For the record, according to the Coral Gables website, the "City Beautiful" was officially incorporated on April 29, 1925.

If true, that would make C-Day April 29, 2025.