A Florida woman has urged her local mayor to develop resilience after police officers paid her a visit regarding her comment on his Facebook post.

Raquel Pacheco, 51, was taken aback when detectives appeared at her Miami Beach residence on Monday, following a reaction from Mayor Steven Meiner’s office to her online critique.

In his post, Meiner, who is Jewish, characterized Miami Beach as a ‘safe haven for everyone,’ contrasting it with New York City, which he accused of deliberately stripping protections from certain groups and encouraging boycotts of Israeli and Jewish businesses.

As a known critic of the mayor and a former contender for positions in both the Miami Beach City Commission and the Florida Senate, Pacheco responded assertively to Meiner’s statements.

“The individual who habitually calls for the demise of all Palestinians, attempted to close a theater over a film that displeased him, and consistently fails to advocate for the LGBTQ community (even exiting the room during relevant votes) wants you to believe everyone is welcome here,” she commented.

Her outspoken critique drew two police officers to her door, who said their presence was meant to ‘prevent somebody else from getting agitated or agreeing with the statement.’

‘The mayor really needs to grow some thicker skin here,’ Pacheco told the Miami Herald.

‘He’s weaponizing the police department against private citizens,’ she added. ‘This is an abuse of power.’ 

Raquel Pacheco, 51, demanded that the Miami Beach mayor ‘grow thicker skin’ after two police officers visited her Florida home to confront her over a comment she left on his Facebook post

Meiner, who is Jewish, said Miami Beach was a safe area, comparing it to New York City, which he accused of ‘intentionally removing protections against select groups, including promoting boycotts of Israeli/Jewish businesses’

On Monday afternoon, authorities in an unmarked car and without full uniforms arrived at Pacheco’s Flamingo Park home.

She admitted that her ‘heart was racing’ when the officers knocked on her door and questioned her about whether she had posted the comment. 

Pacheco, who recorded the encounter and shared it on social media, asked the detectives if she was being charged. They denied it, saying they were only there ‘to have a conversation.’ 

When an officer showed her a screenshot of the Facebook comment, she refused to answer questions without a lawyer. 

‘This is freedom of speech,’ Pacheco responded instead. ‘This is America, right?

Reading the comment aloud – including the three clown emojis she added at the end  – an officer told Pacheco they were there to prevent further problems, adding: ‘We’re not saying it’s true or not.’

They cautioned her to ‘refrain from posting things like that because that can get something incited,’ highlighting her comment about Palestinians and warning it could inspire ‘somebody to do something.’ 

While Meiner has not called for the death of Palestinians, Pacheco later said she was referring to his previous public statements backing Israel and its deadly campaign in Gaza. 

Pacheco faced an unexpected visit from detectives on Monday after Meiner’s office took issue with a comment she left under his post describing the town as a ‘safe haven for everyone

As a vocal critic of Meiner and a former candidate for both the Miami Beach City Commission and Florida Senate, Pacheco fired back in the comments section

Meiner has also tried to cancel O Cinema’s lease for screening a West Bank documentary and has pushed restrictions on pro-Palestinian protests – actions now under legal challenge. 

In the video shared on Facebook, Pacheco repeatedly denied being the author. The officers ultimately left in under three minutes. 

She said she never imagined her comment would trigger a police visit, adding that her freedom of speech ‘died at my front step yesterday’ and calling it ‘incredibly sad,’ according to CBS News. 

‘This is mind-blowing to me that this is happening,’ Pacheco added to the Herald. ‘I don’t understand what about the comment incites violence.’ 

Describing the visit as a direct ‘intimidation tactic’ and an ‘attack’ on her First Amendment rights, she hired lawyer Miriam Haskell of the nonprofit Community Justice Project to find out what prompted the response.  

‘Miami Beach Police showed up at Ms Pacheco’s home, unannounced, to confront her regarding non-threatening, protected speech,’ Haskell said in a statement, according to the Herald.

‘We are all fortunate that Ms Pacheco was bold and brave enough to share what happened to her, and we should now be extremely alarmed,’ she added.

‘These police were sent to intimidate her and chill dissent, plain and simple.’

The mayor has since characterized the situation as a ‘police matter,’ while again reaffirming his strong support for Israel

While Meiner has not directly called for the death of Palestinians, Pacheco later said she was referring to his previous public statements backing Israel and its deadly campaign in Gaza

The sudden visit, police spokesman Christopher Bess explained, was carried out ‘in light of recent national concerns regarding antisemitism, and out of an abundance of caution,’ according to the Herald.

‘As a precautionary measure, Intelligence Unit detectives conducted a brief, consensual encounter to ensure there was no immediate threat to the safety of the elected official or the community,’ Bess said.

Haskell, however, argued that the department’s statement left out whether the visit was in response to the ‘content’ of Pacheco’s post – a move that could be seen as an infringement on citizens’ speech. 

She challenged the idea of an ‘immediate threat,’ pointing out that the officers appeared more focused on how others might respond to her post. 

‘That gives me pause as to what their real motivations are,’ Haskell told the Herald. ‘Who else’s doors are they knocking on?’

Police ultimately declined to pursue a criminal investigation after speaking with her, the Herald reported. 

The mayor has since characterized the situation as a ‘police matter,’ while again reaffirming that he is ‘a strong supporter of the State of Israel’ and its ‘right to defend its citizens.’

Meiner said police believed her comment contained inflammatory and false language that justified an immediate follow-up

‘Others might have a different view and that is their right,’ Meiner said, per The Washington Post. 

‘In this situation, our police department believed that inflammatory language that is false and without any factual basis was justification for follow-up to assess the level of threat and to protect the safety of all involved.’

‘We are traveling down a very slippery road here,’ Pacheco later told CBS. 

On Monday night, Pacheco said in a Facebook post that she was ‘feeling heartbroken,’ particularly given her six years of service in the Connecticut National Guard. 

‘I’m still trying to wrap my brain around what happened today. In America. In 2026!’ Pacheco wrote.

‘I’m a US ARMY VETERAN. I ran for office 3 times,’ she added. ‘If they can send the cops to my door for something I said, they can do it to YOU.’

The Daily Mail has contacted Mayor Meiner’s office for comment.