Newly released emails show Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner alerted the city’s police chief to a resident’s Facebook comment shortly before officers appeared at her door earlier this month.
Raquel Pacheco, a Miami Beach resident and former city commission candidate, said two officers showed up at her home two weeks ago asking about something she wrote on social media. From the outset, Pacheco believed the mayor had flagged her comment, and she said the emails confirm her suspicion.
“It reaffirms what we already knew, but then it also leaves a lot of questions unanswered,” Pacheco said.
Video Pacheco posted online shows part of her exchange with officers, including her telling them she would not answer questions without her attorney.
Emails obtained by CBS News Miami show Meiner initiating a conversation with Police Chief Wayne Jones.
Meiner wrote, “As we discussed, please see the post below,” and included a screenshot of Pacheco’s Facebook comment.
Jones responded, in part, that he was concerned the “words escalated physical action,” adding that the department needed to “remain vigilant and take proactive steps to ensure your safety.”
Four days later, on Jan. 16, Jones said in a public statement that “at no time did the mayor or any other official direct me to take action.”
Pacheco said she did not believe that explanation then and does not believe it now. She said her legal team has filed extensive public records requests totaling thousands of dollars as they seek more documentation.
“He’s doing this to me, and God only knows who else,” Pacheco said. “There’s a pattern here, and that’s what this exposes.”
Emails to the mayor’s office from CBS News Miami went unanswered. Requests to speak with Jones were directed to the city’s communications department.
