Cuban Americans

Coral Gables is facing pressure from residents and civic leaders after balking at a funding request from The Underline, the nonprofit-run linear park built beneath Miami's Metrorail corridor. The request, part of a broader push to fund ongoing operations and maintenance, has already been met with multi-year funding commitments from Miami and South Miami, but Coral Gables has yet to follow suit.

Letters published in the Miami Herald from private donors, a board member, and residents argue that Coral Gables benefits from the park's pickleball and basketball courts, plazas, free programming, and rising property values along the corridor, and should share the maintenance costs. Critics warn that without comparable funding, the Coral Gables portion of the park risks falling behind in safety and upkeep compared to segments in neighboring cities, creating an uneven experience along the shared public space. The dispute highlights tension in the public-private partnership model underpinning The Underline, which relies on both government and private support to sustain the multi-city project.