A local television reporter in Miami was threatened with arrest and potential jail time after attempting to question the mayor about a controversial fleet of electric buses during a public community event. The incident, which occurred at Haulover Park, has prompted an internal investigation by the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office.
Confrontation Over $60 Million Electric Buses
Local 10 News reporter Jeff Weinsier approached Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava at the "Baynanza" community clean-up event on April 11 to inquire about why a group of Proterra electric buses, which cost taxpayers more than $60 million, had been taken out of service. Weinsier chose this public setting because the mayor's office had reportedly been refusing interview requests on the topic.
Deputy Intervenes Without Identifying Himself
In video footage of the encounter, Weinsier is intercepted by a man in a black jacket who was later identified as Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office Deputy Lester Aguilar, part of the mayor's plainclothes protection detail. Aguilar told the reporter to "back away" without initially identifying himself as law enforcement.
When Weinsier resisted, stating he didn't need to move, Aguilar escalated the situation dramatically. "Yes, you do, everyone needs to," Aguilar said. "You want to go to jail?"
Weinsier responded with understandable confusion: "For what? Standing and trying to interview the mayor?"
Physical Contact and Repeated Threats
The video shows Aguilar physically pushing Weinsier, though not violently. Notably, the deputy appeared to focus exclusively on the reporter, not intervening with other individuals present at the event.
Aguilar threatened Weinsier with jail a second time after claiming the reporter had touched him. "The next time you put your hand on me you go to jail. I was just trying to do my job," Aguilar stated.
Weinsier countered that he too was simply attempting to perform his professional duties as a journalist.
First Amendment Concerns Raised
Local 10 consulted First Amendment attorney Thomas Julin, who reviewed the footage and concluded that at no point did Weinsier appear threatening toward either the mayor or Deputy Aguilar. Julin also noted that Aguilar never properly identified himself as a law enforcement officer during the confrontation.
Internal Investigation Launched
The Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office Professional Compliance Bureau has opened an internal affairs investigation into the incident. The sheriff's office has declined to provide further comment while the review remains ongoing.
Mayor's Response on Electric Buses
Despite the confrontation, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava eventually addressed the bus issue with Local 10. She expressed optimism about returning the vehicles to service, stating: "We are still hopeful we can still put them into service."
"I personally have spoken to other companies about ways to retrofit so we can move these buses forward," Cava added. "I have not given up hope that we can put them into operation."
The Independent has reached out to both the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office and Mayor Cava's office for additional comments regarding the incident and the ongoing investigation.
