Teen who allegedly battered teammate has familial ties with controversial ex-Palmetto Bay councilman

PALMETTO BAY, Fla. – Local 10 News has learned that a Miami Palmetto Senior High School baseball player who was charged with battering his teammate after a practice earlier this month is the son of controversial ex-Palmetto Bay Councilman David Singer.

Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Yery Marrero released 16-year-old Jeremy Singer from juvenile detention into home detention on Thursday and lowered his charge from aggravated battery, a second-degree felony, to a felony battery charge, a third-degree crime.

An arrest report states that Jeremy used an air horn to hit his teammate on Jan. 18, at Coral Reef Park, at 7895 SW 152 St., in Palmetto Bay., which required the victim to receive six stitches at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.

Jeremy Singer, 16, left, stands accused of injuring his 15-year-old teammate, right, with an air can on Jan. 18 in Palmetto Bay. (Courtesy photos)

Jeremy was allegedly upset because the 15-year-old teammate had brought french fries into the dugout, which they were not allowed to do, and this had prompted their head coach to extend the entire team’s run by two more laps as punishment, according to police.

A judge said an order for home detention is in effect until 5 p.m., on Feb. 8. Jeremy was also ordered to stay away from the victim.

It appears as if this is not the first time the Singer family has had run-ins with the law.

David Singer, Jeremy’s biological father, is no stranger to Local 10 News.

Police bodycam footage from 2017 shows David Singer explaining to police why he and another one of his sons got into a fight with a crowd of patrons on July 15 at Gilbert’s Resort in Key Largo.

“So, did he push you first?” an officer asked David Singer.

“Yeah. He hit me first,” David Singer said while holding a drink. “I got sucker-punched first.”

“All right. Where did he hit you?” the officer asked.

“In the mouth,” David Singer said.

The police officer asked David Singer to explain what happened.

“So they’re talking (expletive) that they wouldn’t let us dock, right?” he said. “All the kids are (expletive) jumping in there and the parents and they’re like, ‘(expletive) you!’ or whatever. So I’m going, ‘This is a dock space. Let us pull in.’”

David Singer said he was forced to dock his boat in another location and then confronted the group when he got to land.

“I go, ‘Hey, you want to sit there and talk (expletive) to me? Talk (expletive) here while I’m here on the dock.’ The next thing I know, I’m getting sucker-punched,” he said.

Police said a woman, who they identified as Jodi Segovia, formerly worked as a civilian employee with the Coral Gables Police Department and claimed that David Singer grabbed her husband by the neck before he was punched.

Authorities later said Segovia misrepresented herself by falsely claiming she was an off-duty police officer with the department. She was later terminated for other reasons that were unrelated to that incident.

“I was more concerned about the safety of the children that were swimming by moving boats,” David Singer told Local 10 News back in 2017.

However, a manager at Gilbert’s Resort said the children were not swimming in a restricted area.

Police said the fight between David Singer and the man was over by the time they arrived.

In the end, no one was arrested, but David Singer and his family were kicked out of the bar and banned for at least six months.


About the Authors
Ryan Mackey headshot

Ryan Mackey is a Digital Journalist at WPLG. He was born in Long Island, New York, and has lived in Sunrise, Florida since 1994.

Andrea Torres headshot

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.

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