Judge says Florida's Broward town commission cannot oust controversial mayor

Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald on Mar 20, 2026

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MIAMI — Commissioners in a Broward town wanted to vote on removing their controversial mayor from office, but a judge ruled this week that they cannot.

Broward Judge Shari Africk-Olefson ruled on Tuesday that it is illegal for town commissioners in Pembroke Park to hold a vote at a commission meeting to remove Mayor Geoffrey Jacobs, who has been accused of breaking town charter rules. Instead, town officials must bring the matter to court.

“This is a great victory for democracy,” Michael Pizzi, Jacobs’ attorney, said in a statement. “The winners are the people whose power to elect their representatives is now preserved and who no longer have to fear that politicians will try to reverse their votes. A victory for all those who believe that our federal, state and local Constitutions must be respected.”

Pembroke Park, a small town south of Hollywood, has been embroiled in controversy for months over questions about where Jacobs actually lives — Pembroke Park or Fort Pierce. The town charter states that commissioners and the mayor must live within town limits.

In February, town officials scheduled a special meeting to vote on whether Jacobs should keep his job, but the judge temporarily barred the meeting from happening. Last week, attorneys representing Jacobs and Pembroke Park appeared in court to debate whether the town commission should be allowed to hold the vote. The judge ruled in Jacobs’ favor, asserting that the town would be violating the will of residents who voted for him if commissioners removed him themselves.

Though town officials cannot remove Jacobs from office themselves, they do have the opportunity to take Jacobs to court and have a judge decide whether he is eligible to keep his job as mayor.

The Pembroke Park town charter says that if a commissioner or mayor fails to meet certain qualifications, like living within town limits, that person “shall forfeit his or her office” and that the commission “may determine its own rule of procedure and may punish its own members for misconduct.”

Michael Garcia, the town’s lawyer, argued in court that the judge did not have the authority to prevent a vote that may not have even resulted in Jacobs’ removal.

“We disagree with it. The town is going to be considering its options, whether to appeal or just go forward with the real issue of whether he forfeited his right [to be mayor], which we believe is clear,” Garcia told the Herald.

A Local 10 News investigation found that Jacobs claimed several homestead and other tax exemptions on a home 100 miles away in St. Lucie County that require permanent residence.

Pizzi insisted that Jacobs lives in Pembroke Park and that his wife and children live in the house in Fort Pierce. But whether a judge believes the mayor actually lives in the town he leads remains to be seen.