PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Pembroke Park Commissioner Geoffrey Jacobs is the defendant in a civil — and now a criminal — court case connected to his time on the dais in the south Broward town of about 6,000 people. Now, he plans to be a plaintiff.
Jacobs, 48, filed a notice of intent Sunday to sue the town, Mayor Ashira Mohammed, other fellow commissioners and the town’s manager, clerk and police chief for $10 million.
It comes soon after Jacobs was criminally charged with misuse of 911, a misdemeanor, after prosecutors said he falsely accused Mohammed of bringing a gun to a town commission meeting in November.
The filing said the commissioner plans to sue “for Violations of his Federal and State Constitutional and Property Rights under Section 42 USC Section 1983, violations of his First Amendment Rights, as well as false arrest, defamation and slander, false imprisonment, and other violations of his Federal, State and Local Statutes, including the Town of Pembroke Park Charter.”
“Please forthwith provide a copy of any and all Town Insurance Policies and govern yourselves accordingly,” Michael Pizzi, Jacobs’ attorney, wrote in the filing, sent to the town and the Florida Department of Financial Services Division of Risk Management.
The filing doesn’t detail any specific allegations.
Pizzi, whom Local 10 News contacted seeking comment Monday, issued a statement over the weekend regarding his client’s criminal case, claiming Jacobs has been the “victim of a relentless and never ending political persecution by political enemies” for “relentlessly expos(ing) corruption” in the town.
“The Mayor and Commission have misspent thousands of tax dollars on a witch hunt against him and any charges are the result of political pressure and will be dismissed and result in the City and its officials being liable for several million dollars in damages caused him and his family,” Pizzi said.
In a statement to Local 10 News in response to the filing, a town official said, “From the letter sent by Mr. Pizzi, it is unclear what Commissioner Jacobs is alleging.”
In late 2023, Jacobs, who has previously served as the town’s mayor, was named in a lawsuit filed by the town’s former human resources director, who claims Jacobs and the town created a “hostile work environment,” forcing her to quit her job.
That case remains pending in Broward County civil court.
As for Jacobs’ pending criminal case, authorities released audio of the phone call at the center of the charge on Monday. In it, he told a Broward Sheriff’s Office dispatcher he had “a safety concern that needed to be reported.”
“I’m expressing my personal safety concern because the mayor has had continual threatening behavior towards me on the dais. At the same time, she carries concealed,” Jacobs said in the recording. “She has posted about carrying weapons all the time, including here.”
He added, “I can’t confirm that she is currently carrying at the moment, but I have concerns for my safety at this point.”
After expressing those concerns, Jacobs joined Mohammed on the dais. The meeting would later be interrupted after Pembroke Park police Chief Ra Shana Dabney-Donovan received word of the call and publicly searched Mohammed.
The mayor had no gun.
Following Monday night’s commission meeting, the mayor responded to the charges against Jacobs.
“The fact is he called the police on me stating that he was in fear of his life, that I’m known to have a fire arm on me. Neither of which are true,” said Mohammed.
She also responded to Jacobs’ intent to sue.
“This is a frivolous case,” she said.
While Jacobs did not respond to Local 10 News’ request for comment, Pizzi did respond moments after Jacobs left the meeting.
“The tape reveals that Commissioner Jacobs is completely innocent,” said attorney Michael Pizzi. “He and every other citizen have every right to call a non-emergency number and bring their concerns to law enforcement officials when they have a fear.”
Jacobs has pleaded not guilty.
On Monday, Local 10 News reached out to the office of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis seeking comment on whether he intends to suspend the commissioner from office in light of the criminal charge.
Monday evening, Mohammad said she also plans to reach out to DeSantis’ office to ask him to enforce his authority to suspend Jacobs.
According to state statutes, “Whenever any elected or appointed municipal official is arrested for a felony or for a misdemeanor related to the duties of office or is indicted or informed against for the commission of a federal felony or misdemeanor or state felony or misdemeanor, the Governor has the power to suspend such municipal official from office.”
Sources also tell Local 10 News that the Broward Office of the Inspector General is seeking records from the town on Jacobs’ purchasing card usage during his time as mayor.
In a report released in September, the county watchdog called Jacobs’ town credit card use “questionable” but said it was unable to substantiate any policy violations due to a lack of clear guidance.