Outspoken Pembroke Park commissioner wants to be mayor again ― but scolds colleagues first

PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Geoffrey Jacobs wants his aged occupation back.

At a caller municipality committee workshop, the erstwhile politician and existent commissioner declared his intent to pb Pembroke Park again — but not earlier unleashing a blistering critique of his chap commissioners and their qualifications.

“I would similar to enactment my sanction backmost successful for the politician presumption and pb this municipality retired into a affirmative absorption for the adjacent 2 years,” Jacobs announced.

But alternatively than simply stating his candidacy, Jacobs spent implicit 20 minutes chastising his colleagues for what helium called a deficiency of leadership, imaginativeness and basal knowing of municipality operations.

In a tense exchange, Jacobs grilled Vice Mayor Erik Morrissette connected a captious deadline related to municipality finances.

“Do you cognize erstwhile the audit’s due?” Jacobs asked repeatedly. When Morrissette admitted helium didn’t cognize the date, Jacobs retorted, “You’ve been successful the presumption for 2 years. And unfortunately, it’s astir apt 1 of the astir captious dates we person successful Pembroke Park.”

Commissioner Bill Hodgkins besides came nether fire. During the meeting, Jacobs took contented with Hodgkins’ connection astir wanting to determination the municipality guardant if helium became mayor. Jacobs responded by pointing retired that Hodgkins had already been serving connected the committee for 4 years, implying that helium should person a amended knowing of the town’s operations by now.

Jacobs said, “You’ve really been present successful municipality for 4 years,” and sarcastically added, “No, it’s important. It’s precise important.”

Throughout the meeting, Jacobs painted a representation of a committee helium believes is dangerously unqualified.

“This municipality has suffered for deficiency of enactment from this dais, drastically,” helium said. “You guys person each been present 2 years. Commissioner Hodgkins has been present four. You should person a grasp and knowing of everything that’s going connected present successful the municipality astatine this point.”

He accused his colleagues of mediocre hiring decisions, neglecting cardinal infrastructure projects, and ignoring assistance deadlines that could outgo the municipality “a large woody of money” if not met by 2026.

“You make, you’ve made immoderate very, precise mediocre enactment decisions present successful the town,” helium said. “You don’t person the enactment accomplishment acceptable yet.”

Jacobs adjacent suggested immoderate commissioners could beryllium putting the municipality successful ineligible jeopardy by directing staff.

“You’re putting (the town) successful a presumption of liability for the deficiency of cognition connected things you’re doing. You shouldn’t beryllium gathering with municipality staff. It’s amerciable to beryllium directing municipality staff,” helium claimed.

The municipality lawyer aboriginal clarified for the grounds that nary violations of the Sunshine Law oregon different statutes had occurred, stating, “I’m not alert of immoderate denotation that immoderate subordinate of this committee has engaged successful immoderate enactment that would interruption the Sunshine Law.”

Jacobs’ critics constituent to his ain grounds arsenic mayor, which was marred by contention and ineligible disputes.

In 2022, Jacobs was accused of misusing much than $10,000 successful nationalist funds to charter a yacht for a vacation party. In 2023, helium called 911 during a gathering and accused Mayor Ashira Mohammed of being armed—a assertion that led to a nationalist search, nary limb found, and Jacobs being charged with filing a mendacious constabulary report. The charges were aboriginal dropped.

Former Town Attorney Melissa Anderson has filed a lawsuit against the municipality of Pembroke Park, alleging that Jacobs subjected her to a hostile and discriminatory enactment situation during her tenure.

Anderson claims that Jacobs made derogatory remarks astir her sex and intersexual orientation, including utilizing violative connection and sending her a homophobic TikTok video.

She besides alleges that the municipality failed to instrumentality due enactment successful effect to her complaints and yet terminated her employment successful December 2022. Anderson is seeking damages successful excess of $50,000.

Former Pembroke Park Human Resources Director Babette Friedman has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the municipality and Jacobs.

In the lawsuit, she alleges that Jacobs created a hostile enactment environment, including an incidental wherever helium called her a “Nazi” during a nationalist nutrient thrust successful May.

Friedman, who is Jewish and a descendant of Holocaust survivors, claims that Jacobs’ behaviour made her moving conditions intolerable, starring to her resignation. She is seeking implicit $2 cardinal successful damages.

Additionally, an autarkic probe commissioned by the municipality recovered that Jacobs engaged successful a signifier of bullying, intimidation and retaliation against unit members.

Other municipality employees person besides resigned, citing Jacobs’ behaviour arsenic a contributing factor. For example, the municipality clerk resigned, referencing Jacobs’ conduct.

Jacobs turned the tables connected his critics by suing the town, seeking $1 million, claiming, among different things, that his First Amendment rights were violated.

Despite these past issues, Jacobs insists he’s the lone 1 who understands the stakes.

“We person projects that request to beryllium completed successful a timely manner. You request to person an knowing of our assistance presumption problems, our flooding zones, crumbling infrastructure — including asbestos pipes and a sinkhole that continues to autumn into an abyss,” helium said. “I person the knowledge, I person the inheritance and person the acquisition to get america retired of this and enactment america connected the close trajectory.”

His last transportation was simple: “I privation the toilets to flush, I privation the h2o to flow, I privation the lights to enactment on, and I don’t privation to spot anybody going underwater erstwhile these storms travel through.”

The Pembroke Park Town Commission is scheduled to clasp its adjacent regular committee gathering astatine 7 p.m. connected May 14.

Copyright 2025 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.