Coral Gables This Week: Election Countdown & Halloween on the Mile

It's the last full week of October, and Coral Gables has a lot going on: the city's first-ever November election is eight days out, Miracle Mile is gearing up for its biggest family day of the fall, and a new condo sales gallery just opened a block from office row. Here's what business owners and anyone eyeing office space Coral Gables-side should know this week.

The election enters its final stretch

Coral Gables votes on Tuesday, November 3 — the city's first November municipal election after decades of April ballots, with seven candidates qualified across three races, according to the Coral Gables Gazette. Mayor Vince Lago faces challengers Laureano Cancio and Jackson Rip Holmes in Group I, Commissioner Melissa Castro is defending her Group IV seat against Nestor Menendez, and Gonzalo Sanabria and Dominique "Nikki" Whiting are competing for Group V.

Early voting opened October 19, and the money race has been telling: the Gazette's campaign finance tracking shows Whiting with the cash lead among commission candidates after raising $42,905 in a single month, while Menendez spent $36,970 in one week and Lago collected $13,600 in a single day. Whoever wins will shape decisions that matter to local businesses — parking, development approvals, and the streetscape projects that keep downtown Coral Gables walkable. If you missed it, our roundup from last week covered the start of early voting.

Halloween takes over Miracle Mile this Saturday

October 31 falls on a Saturday this year, and the city is making a full day of it downtown. Trick-or-Treat on the Mile runs 3 to 6 p.m., with participating Miracle Mile businesses handing out treats, plus face painting, balloon art, and a 5 p.m. magic show, according to the City of Coral Gables. The Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre adds a 2 p.m. Wizard of Oz performance and a 4:30 p.m. kiddie costume parade, and the Coral Gables Museum hosts a dog costume contest at 2 p.m.

After the kids clear out, the adults take over: Drink-or-Treat, the 21+ self-guided happy hour crawl along the Mile, starts at 6 p.m., and the Consulate of Mexico presents a Day of the Dead celebration at Ponce Circle Park from 4 to 9 p.m. with music, dance, and food. Earlier in the week, there's a haunted house at the War Memorial Youth Center and glow-in-the-dark zombie golf at Granada Golf Course on Friday night. The trolley runs 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Halloween, so getting around downtown will be easy. We previewed the season's full lineup in our October on Miracle Mile guide.

For retailers and restaurants on the Mile, Saturday is one of the best foot-traffic days of the fall — and for office tenants nearby, fair warning that downtown will be lively well into the evening.

A new condo gallery lands on Aragon Avenue

More evidence that people want to live where they work: Seventeen Gables, a planned 117-unit, eight-story condominium at 1715 Douglas Road, opened its sales gallery at 120 Aragon Avenue last week, according to Community Newspapers. Developers BAM Developers and Ascendra Capital are pitching "attainable luxury," with one- to three-bedroom units starting in the mid-$600,000s and completion targeted for early 2028 — and notably, the amenity list includes co-working spaces.

Every residential project like this deepens the daytime economy that makes the Gables attractive for office rental Coral Gables tenants: more residents within walking distance means fuller restaurants, steadier retail, and a growing talent pool that would rather skip the commute into the Miami office market's denser districts. Our neighborhood guide breaks down where office space sits relative to all this activity.

One more thing: the Thanksgiving food drive continues

Merrick Park's Fall Festival last Saturday doubled as a Thanksgiving food drive for Branches, a South Florida nonprofit aiming to deliver 6,500 meals on Thanksgiving Day, according to the Coral Gables Gazette. Missed the festival? Branches is accepting donations — instant mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and gravy — through the first week of November, and the organization says a $10 gift covers one meal. A nice, easy way for a Gables business to give back this season.

Put your business in the middle of it

Election energy, packed sidewalks, new development — this is what a healthy downtown looks like, and it's exactly why companies keep choosing executive suites Coral Gables over anonymous office parks. Gables Executive Offices puts you steps from Miracle Mile in a fully furnished office Miami businesses can move into immediately: professional reception, conference rooms, and flexible terms with none of the build-out headaches of a traditional lease.

Want to see what your business could get in the Gables? Book a tour and find your office before the holiday rush.