PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. — More than five months after a Local 10 News investigation raised questions about where Pembroke Park Mayor Geoffrey Jacobs actually lives, the legal battle has entered a new phase as the town seeks testimony and records it says are necessary to determine whether Jacobs meets the residency requirements to remain in office.
The latest court filings show the Town of Pembroke Park has subpoenaed Jacobs’ wife, Angela Jacobs, for a sworn deposition and has requested numerous documents as part of the discovery process.
The town has also sought records from several third parties, including Verizon Communications, the Florida Department of State’s Division of Elections, Broward County and the St. Lucie County School District.
Discovery is the stage of a lawsuit in which both sides gather evidence before a judge decides the disputed issues.
The filings mark the latest chapter in a dispute that began after a Local 10 News investigation uncovered public records showing Jacobs and his wife own a home in Fort Pierce in St. Lucie County.
Local 10 News also reported that public records showed the property received a Florida homestead exemption and a tax exemption for veterans with total and permanent service-connected disabilities that reduced the property’s taxable value by approximately $535,000.
Under Florida law, those exemptions generally apply only to property that serves as the owner’s permanent residence.
Local 10 News also reviewed mortgage documents showing the home was purchased with a VA backed loan. The loan documents included an occupancy certification stating the borrower intended to occupy the property as a primary residence, consistent with VA occupancy requirements.
Following Local 10 News’ reporting, public records from the St. Lucie County Property Appraiser’s Office show the disabled veteran exemption was removed from the property.
Jacobs has consistently maintained that he lives in Pembroke Park and is eligible to serve as mayor.
Following the Local 10 News investigation, several Pembroke Park commissioners questioned whether Jacobs continued to satisfy the residency requirements contained in the town charter and sought to hold a vote on his eligibility to remain in office.
Before that vote could occur, Jacobs filed suit and obtained a temporary restraining order blocking the meeting.
In March, Broward Circuit Judge Shari Africk Olefson ruled that the town commission did not have the legal authority to determine Jacobs’ eligibility through a commission vote.
In her written order, Olefson concluded that the commission “lacks legal authority to vote on the Mayor’s eligibility.”
The judge prohibited the commission from voting on Jacobs’ eligibility and ruled that the issue must instead be resolved through the courts.
The order did not determine where Jacobs lives or whether he ultimately satisfies the residency requirements to remain mayor. Instead, the ruling addressed who has the legal authority to make that determination.
After the ruling, the Town of Pembroke Park changed its legal strategy.
Rather than asking commissioners to determine Jacobs’ eligibility, the town filed a counterclaim asking the court for a declaratory judgment on whether Jacobs meets the residency requirements contained in the town charter.
Jacobs asked the court to dismiss that counterclaim.
In May, Olefson denied Jacobs’ motion, allowing the town’s counterclaim to proceed.
The case has since entered discovery.
According to recent court filings, the town has served interrogatories, requests for production of documents and subpoenas seeking information it contends is relevant to determining Jacobs’ residency.
Among the latest filings is a subpoena requiring Angela Jacobs to appear for a deposition under oath and produce documents requested by the town.
The court filings also show the town is seeking records relating to the Fort Pierce property, homestead exemption documents, correspondence with the St. Lucie County Property Appraiser, mortgage records, utility records and other documents the town contends are relevant to the residency dispute.
The filings themselves do not establish wrongdoing or determine where Geoffrey Jacobs lives. Rather, they reflect the evidence the town is seeking to obtain as the case moves toward a decision on the merits.
Local 10 News reached out to Jacobs’ attorney, Michael Pizzi, for comment on the latest developments.
“We are more confident than ever that this is a never ending and politically motivated witch hunt against Mayor Jacobs,” Pizzi said.
Pizzi also said he is not concerned about the town’s latest discovery efforts.
“We are not concerned about any of the latest discovery requests because Mayor Jacobs has always lived in Pembroke Park and he has never moved out of the Town,” he said.
Pizzi further criticized the litigation, saying, “One day the Town will have to be accountable for this waste of tax dollars. Mayor Jacobs will continue serving the people while some in the Town spend money on politics.”
The legal question over who has the authority to decide Jacobs’ eligibility surfaced before the lawsuit was filed.
In a memorandum previously provided to the mayor and town commissioners, Pembroke Park Town Attorney Jacob Horowitz wrote that “the proper venue to challenge the eligibility of an individual to hold office as a Commissioner of the Town of Pembroke Park is the Circuit Court in Broward County.”
Horowitz also wrote that while the commission could conduct a public hearing and consider evidence, “the Circuit Court is ultimately vested with the legal authority to determine whether a commission member is eligible to hold office.”
Olefson ultimately reached the same conclusion when she ruled that the commission lacked the legal authority to decide Jacobs’ eligibility through a vote.
The underlying question, however, remains unresolved.
Months after Local 10 News first raised questions about the mayor’s residency through public records, tax records and mortgage documents, the courts are still being asked to determine a central issue that continues to divide the town: whether Geoffrey Jacobs satisfies the residency requirements to continue serving as mayor of Pembroke Park.
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