Emails show Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner forwarded a resident’s Facebook comment to police leadership

What newly released emails indicate

Newly disclosed city emails show Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner personally sent a screenshot of a resident’s Facebook comment to senior police leadership under the subject line “Dangerous Escalation,” shortly before detectives contacted the resident. The correspondence adds detail to a case that has raised questions about how public officials and law enforcement handle online political speech.

The Facebook comment at the center of the dispute was posted in early January 2026 by Miami Beach resident Raquel Pacheco. The message criticized the mayor and included a claim that Meiner had called for “the death of all Palestinians.” Meiner has publicly rejected that claim as false.

Timeline of the Facebook post and police contact

• Jan. 6, 2026: A post from the mayor’s official Facebook presence described Miami Beach as a “safe haven for everyone” and said the city would “stand firm against any discrimination.”
• Jan. 7, 2026: Pacheco posted a comment in a community context criticizing the mayor and repeating the allegation about Palestinians.
• Jan. 11, 2026: The released emails show the mayor forwarded a screenshot of the comment to the police chief with the subject line “Dangerous Escalation.”
• Mid-January 2026: Detectives went to Pacheco’s home and asked about the post; she recorded the interaction and later shared the video publicly.

What happened during the police visit

In the recorded interaction, detectives asked Pacheco whether the Facebook account shown on a phone screen belonged to her. Officers said they were seeking to prevent the situation from escalating and warned that such posts could contribute to someone becoming “incited.” Pacheco declined to answer questions without a lawyer and the officers left after a brief exchange.

Police officials described the contact as a precautionary, non-custodial encounter focused on safety concerns rather than a criminal investigation. The department has also said it did not pursue a criminal case following the visit.

Legal and civic implications now under scrutiny

The episode has drawn responses from civil-liberties advocates who argue that police outreach tied to political criticism can chill protected speech, even where no arrest occurs. Supporters of the police response contend that public officials can be targets of threats and that law enforcement has a duty to assess risk when communications are perceived as potentially inflammatory.

The released emails place the mayor directly in the chain of communication that preceded the police contact, clarifying how the issue moved from an online comment to a law-enforcement interaction.

Pacheco has said she views the visit as intimidation and has retained legal representation. As of late January 2026, no court filing connected to the incident had been publicly confirmed, and city leaders have not announced any policy changes governing future responses to online criticism of elected officials.