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Permit expeditor doubling as a commissioner.
First ever election was voting for herself. 
Who is she serving?

Who is Castro Serving?

A permit expeditor for the city she "serves", a convenient new owner, and a few mistakes.

Melissa Castro was the owner of M.E.D. Permit Expeditors when she was elected to the Coral Gables Commission. She didn't see the obvious conflict in being a City Commissioner while owning a company that monetizes permitting in the very city she was elected to serve. After the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics published a formal opinion pointing out the obvious conflict of interest, Commissioner Castro "closed" her business, but a new "M.E.D. EXPEDITORS OF CORAL GABLES, LLC" was created, conveniently owned by the "Executive Office Director" of the prior M.E.D - "Madeline Perez".  â€‹
 

But Castro is (unsurprisingly) quite sloppy about this sham.

As of August 2025, MED Expeditors website still lists Castro as the CEO, her Facebook page lists her occupation as the CEO of MED Expeditors, and the "new" MED expeditors occupies the very same address as the "old" company. 

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Who does Commissioner Castro think she's fooling??

Castro: Current owner and CEO of MED Expeditors

Never registered to vote, until it was time to vote for herself.

Voter records show Melissa Castro never bothered to vote - or even register to vote - in a single election until it was time to vote for herself. Castro registered to vote on January 12th, 2023 - less than 30 days prior to her filing to run for office, and less than 3 months before voting for herself in the 2023 Coral Gables Election.

 

How can someone who has never bothered to participate in our democracy suddenly serve the people she never bothered to be a part of? 

Never noted until it was time to vote for herself

Shamelessly gave herself a taxpayer funded car allowance to help fund not just one - but two - Maseratis 

Although Coral Gables residents never had a say in the massive pay raise Melissa Castro, Ariel Fernandez, and then-Commissioner Kirk Menendez gave themselves in February 2024, voters made their objections loud and clear by electing a new commission in April 2025.

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But Castro still doesn’t get it. Months later, she’s still defending her taxpayer-funded perks. As recently as the September 2025 Commission meeting when Commissioner Lara called Castro out for driving a Lamborghini, she shamelessly corrected him, explaining she doesn’t drive a Lamborghini, but does own two Maseratis.

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If Castro can afford two Maseratis, why did she force Coral Gables residents to help pay for them?

Hired a retired, inexperienced City Manager who just wanted to "drink wine" and "look at the mountains"

In February 2024 when the Coral Gables commission - led by Castro and Fernandez - decided to fire veteran City Manager Peter Iglesias, they didn't spend a lot of time searching for new candidates. As a matter of fact, they didn't search at all. They simply hired a completely inexperienced, retired, US Marshall - Amos Rojas. It didn't bother Castro one bit that Rojas had no experience, no resume, no background check, and no interest in a new job until "friends" began calling him suggesting he could be good for a job he had never done, or had relevant experience in doing. But Castro knew it's easier to control unqualified employees, and not so simple to control experienced City Managers who know they serve the people, not the commissioners. 

Censured for attempting to undermine Coral Gables voters

In the 2025 Coral Gables Election, Mayor Vince Lago and Commissioners Rhonda Anderson and Richard Lara campaigned on moving elections to November to increase voter turnout. Voters agreed, electing all three with overwhelming support and sending a clear mandate. Within 60 days of taking office, they kept their promise.

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Commissioner Castro, however, balked—objecting because her own term would be shortened. While her colleagues accepted shorter terms in order to honor their word to voters, Castro refused. After failing to get the City Attorney to back her, she went behind the Commission’s back and sought an outside opinion from State Attorney General James Uthmeier.

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The Commission formally censured Castro for acting unilaterally, omitting critical facts, and submitting incorrect information, including something as critical as the correct election year - 2027 instead of 2026. Castro claimed this was a typo, which is quite possible considering her very Instagram post announcing her censure was proudly headlined - "CENTURED".

Centured?? Try censured.
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Happily voted to serve her own interests

While the new commission has cleaned up the Coral Gables mess, we can't forget the individuals responsible for creating that mess. Melissa Castro's voting record speaks for itself:

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  • Gave herself an unethical 101% raise without resident input

  • Voted for a new perk in a $703 per month car allowance, while driving two Maseratis

  • Voted against November Elections, ensuring she could stay in power through low voter participation

  • Voted against an Inspector General for Coral Gables, while battling ethics complaints and alleging misconduct by other members of the commission

Document Archive

An important archive of news pertaining to Commissioner Castro's reckless behavior and infamous track record:

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Driven by opportunity?

Melissa Castro owned her expediting business for over a decade - never living in Coral Gables. Suddenly, she moved to The City Beautiful, and wasn't a resident for more than a few years before deciding to run for Commission - a role that would possibly allow her to influence permits for clients.

 

No history of public service. Never voted in an election. A new resident to the city. A wonderful opportunity for a permit expeditor. 

THE REAL Melissa Castro:​

Commissioner? Or Contractor? 

PAID BY CORAL GABLES FIRST

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