Pembroke Park: Florida Town Gone Wild Sued by Its Own Former Attorney

Source: Daily Beast

'NO REMORSE AT ALL'

Florida Town Gone Wild Sued by Its Own Former Attorney

Pembroke Park’s former mayor Geoffrey Jacobs is at the center of the storm—again.

Pilar Melendez
Senior National Reporter
Updated Mar. 12, 2024 5:37PM EDT / Published Mar. 12, 2024 4:11PM EDT

A tiny Florida town embroiled in a series of political controversies has a new one to contend with—a lawsuit by its former attorney.

Geoffrey Jacobs, the ex-mayor and current commissioner of Pembroke Park, is accused of subjecting Melissa Anderson, who is gay, to a hostile and discriminatory work environment during her two years as town attorney. The lawsuit filed against the town contends that when she tried to speak out about his behavior, which included calling her a “fucking cunt” and sending her a homophobic TikTok, Pembroke Park officials failed to take “prompt remedial action” and then fired her in December 2022.

“I decided to sue because it was the right thing to do, for both myself and the other women who have been subjected to Mr. Jacobs’ hostile and abusive behavior as a government official,” Anderson told The Daily Beast on Tuesday. “He has caused damage to me and my reputation and he continues to engage in such behavior as a town commissioner with no remorse at all.”

The $50,000 lawsuit is the latest rap on Jacobs, who is facing a misdemeanor charge for allegedly falsely calling the police on the town’s current mayor during a November meeting. As previously reported by The Daily Beast, Jacobs also has been censured by his colleagues, sued by another former town employee, and accused of cultivating a hostile work environment in an independent investigative report.

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Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/melissa-anderson-sues-pembroke-park-for-alleged-discrimination-by-geoffrey-jacobs