Screenshot via City of Coral Gables
Audio By Carbonatix
Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago’s social media activity is facing scrutiny once again — this time over a Facebook post containing an anti-Muslim slur.
A Facebook account that Lago says he no longer controls (and which he claims has been inactive since 2019) recently shared a story containing the phrase “Fuck Allah,” targeting NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani. New Times reviewed screenshots of the post, including a video from a conservative influencer making unverified claims about Mamdani’s thermostat settings at Gracie Mansion.
The post appears to respond to Mamdani’s recent plea to New Yorkers to set their thermostats to 78 degrees during a heatwave, prompting Republicans and air-conditioning enthusiasts to mock the young mayor.
In the video, the woman claims a member of Gracie Mansion’s cleaning crew snapped a photo of the thermostat in the Mamdanis’ personal suite, showing it set to 67 degrees. (There is no evidence to support this claim.) The anti-Muslim profanity “Fuck Allah” was embedded in red text over the footage.
Photo provided to New Times
A tipster, who said she saw it around 6:40 a.m. on July 7 and took several screenshots before it disappeared — consistent with Facebook’s 24-hour story expiration window — alerted New Times to the post.
The story was shared from what appears to be an old account used by Lago under the name “Vicente Lago.” In an October 2019 post, the account’s owner wrote that it was no longer active and directed followers to a new account named “Vince Lago.”
Lago declined a phone interview request for this story. Over email, he said he did not post or share the story, calling the account “not my active Facebook account” and saying it “does not reflect my views or statements.”
“I cannot recall the details regarding that account or any activity from 2019,” Lago wrote in an email to New Times. “What I can say clearly is that I do not currently use or control that account, and the post you referenced did not come from me. I have no idea who may currently have access to it, who posted that content, or how the account may be operating.”
Because the language is “abhorrent” and doesn’t reflect his views, Lago said, he and his team are reporting the account and post to Meta for review.
While he said he “strongly” disagrees with Mamdani on “many issues,” Lago said he does not “condone profanity, religious insults or language that attacks any faith.”
Lago added that his active social media is shared through his official accounts and that his Facebook and Instagram are linked. Regarding the name discrepancy, he said Vicente is his given name, and Vince is “the name I use publicly and professionally.”
The July 7 story may have been cross-posted automatically from a linked Instagram account — a common feature that allows users to share Instagram Stories to Facebook simultaneously. Lago said his Facebook and Instagram accounts are linked, though he maintains he does not use or control the “Vicente Lago” account specifically.
New Times asked Lago whether the post could have originated from a cross-post and whether his current, active accounts are linked to the “Vicente Lago” page. “No, they are not,” he wrote in an email.
This isn’t the first time Lago’s social media activity has drawn scrutiny. Since last year, Lago’s Substack profile, official mayoral Instagram, and personal Instagram accounts have liked comments that are sexist, use expletives, mock the physical appearance of city commissioners, or accuse them of drug use, according to previous New Times reporting.
This is a breaking story and will be updated as events warrant.
