A Broward County judge has temporarily blocked a special Pembroke Park Town Commission meeting that could have removed Mayor Geoffrey Jacobs from office, issuing an emergency injunction just one hour before a scheduled vote on Tuesday.
The meeting had been set for 1 p.m. but was halted by the court order, giving Jacobs a temporary reprieve as a legal battle unfolds over whether he still meets the town’s residency requirements.
“The Town of Pembroke Park right now is prohibited from doing anything to try and remove Geoffrey Jacobs from the elected position of Mayor,” Jacobs’ attorney, Michael Pizzi, said following the ruling.
Pizzi criticised the timing of the commission’s planned vote, noting that Jacobs, a commercial pilot, was working in Alaska when the meeting was scheduled.
“If you are going to take away someone’s job as a mayor, give him due process. Don’t do the meeting on three days’ notice in the middle of the day when he is on another continent,” Pizzi said.
He maintained that Jacobs remains a lawful permanent resident of Pembroke Park despite owning property elsewhere.
“Mayor Jacobs is a lawful permanent resident of Pembroke Park. His wife is living in St. Lucie County,” Pizzi said. “With all due respect, if any of us want to buy a house in New York or a house in St. Lucie County, we are allowed to do it.”
Under the Pembroke Park Town Charter, the mayor must maintain legal residency within the town. Commissioners seeking Jacobs’ removal argue that he no longer meets that requirement.
At least two commissioners claim Jacobs moved out of Pembroke Park about a year ago and now lives roughly 100 miles away in St. Lucie County, where he and his wife own a home and hold a homestead exemption.
“From what I can see, Mayor Jacobs moved out of town a year ago without anyone being informed of the fact,” said Commissioner William Hodgkins, who has led the effort to remove him. “We will see what happens… we will let the courts decide.”
Hodgkins also questioned how Jacobs could represent the town while living so far away.
“He’s a hundred miles away, how can you represent a town when you’re a hundred miles away? Doesn’t make sense to me, but that’s the road he chose,” he said.
The dispute has escalated into a legal and political showdown between Jacobs and members of the commission. A judge has ordered a formal hearing within the next 10 days to determine whether the mayor meets the residency requirements outlined in the town charter.
