Medley cop who bought trailer meets requirements to run for council, judge says
A highly ranked cop can run for a council seat in the tiny town of Medley in November’s general election because he bought a small property a year before he qualified to run and has lived in the village long enough to satisfy the town’s charter requirement, a judge ruled this week.
Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Tanya Brinkley found that Medley Police Lt. Arturo Jinete and his wife — who is Medley’s police chief — purchased a small trailer that he planned to move into early enough to qualify for the November election.
The judge found that the only reason Jinete didn’t move into the trailer until a month after the required residency date was because it was infested with mold and termites. He eventually rented a nearby trailer, where he has been living for more than a year. Citing precedent, the judge determined that even though Jinete moved into the city a month late, he bought the property in time with the intent of moving into it.
“Defendant never made a fraudulent effort to assert that he in fact slept in the City during the period at issue, rather he was frank as to his absence and provided a detailed explanation as to why,” Judge Brinkley wrote.
Jinete’s attorney, David Winker, said his client had the electricity and water turned on at the trailer site and that he also informed his bosses about the move and changed his voterregistration card.
“He took steps to establish it as his residency,” Winker said.
The complaint to disqualify Jinete was brought by Medley Council member Ivan Pacheco, who questioned why the police lieutenant would give up the spacious Southwest Ranches property that he has owned and lived in with his wife and children for the past two decades, for a 912-square-foot trailer. Pacheco also complained to the court that Jinete never lived in the Medley trailer.
Medley’s charter requires a candidate to live at a property within the town’s limits for a year before the qualifying date, which in this case was July 8, 2024. Jinete moved into a rental property near the trailer that he bought on Aug. 6, 2023.
Medley’s mayoral and two other seats on the five-member council are up for election in November. Because the town is not divided into districts, the three candidates who receive the most votes will win the mayoral and council seats.
Jinete is married to Police Chief Jeanette SaidJinete, whose $163,811 annual salary is up at the end in October. In the small town, family members serving together in various capacities doesn’t seem to be discouraged — though Florida’s Government in the Sunshine laws prohibit elected council members from discussing business outside of public meetings.
Pacheco, who filed the lawsuit trying to stop Jinete’s candidacy, serves along with his wife, Karina Pacheco. And two other council members are father and daughter.