Incident details
- Updated on
- Date of incident
- April 11, 2026
- Location
- Miami Beach, Florida
- Targets
- Jeff Weinsier (WPLG)
- Assailant
- Law enforcement
- Was the journalist targeted?
- Yes
Assault
WPLG television reporter Jeff Weinsier, at left holding microphone, was pushed by a plainclothes sheriff’s deputy while trying to ask Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava a question on April 11, 2026, in Miami Beach, Florida.
Sheriff’s deputy who pushed Florida reporter cleared of wrongdoing
The sheriff’s deputy who shoved and threatened WPLG television reporter Jeff Weinsier at a Miami Beach, Florida, political event did not violate department procedures or Florida law, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office determined in early July 2026.
Weinsier was attempting to question Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava on April 11 when Lester Aguilar, a sheriff’s deputy in plainclothes who was part of the mayor’s security detail, pushed the reporter multiple times and threatened him with jail. The deputy never identified himself as law enforcement.
Weinsier submitted the incident for review to the department’s internal affairs office, and told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker at the time that he thought plainclothes officers engaging with the media should have clear identification and clear rules around their interactions.
WPLG reported on July 9 that the sheriff’s department had concluded that Aguilar’s “actions were ‘reasonable, proportionate, and consistent with established policy,’” while maintaining a “safe buffer” around the mayor. An additional review by a force analysis unit determined that no excessive use of force occurred.
The station said the department’s report didn’t define a “safe buffer,” and noted that the outlet has interviewed the mayor at numerous public events without ever being advised before of a designated buffer zone.
WPLG also reported that a member of the department had issued a May 1 directive asking staff to “ensure their law enforcement credentials are properly displayed while working their details.” The Sheriff’s Office told WPLG that the directive should be understood as guidance, rather than a change in official policy.
“The Sheriff’s Office reached its conclusion, and we reported it. I respect that process, but I also think the video speaks for itself,” Weinsier told the Tracker.
“I believe reporters should be able to question elected officials at public events without first having to determine whether the person stopping them is a law enforcement officer,” he added.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office did not respond to a request for comment.
WPLG investigative reporter Jeff Weinsier was shoved and threatened with jail by a plainclothes Miami-Dade County sheriff’s deputy while approaching the county’s mayor for an interview in Miami Beach, Florida, on April 11, 2026.
The TV station reported that the incident took place while the mayor, Daniella Levine Cava, was appearing at an event at a public park.
Weinsier tried to ask her why electric city buses that cost taxpayers more than $60 million were taken out of service. The reporter sought out the mayor at the public event because, for weeks, her communications staff had told him that she would not do an interview on the issue, according to WPLG.
After Levine Cava finished an interview with the county’s own television channel, Weinsier walked up to her and asked a question. WPLG’s video report on the incident shows a woman standing next to the mayor saying, “We can speak after the program.”
Then, a man wearing a black jacket and sunglasses but no visible badge or credentials steps forward and pushes Weinsier back. The man — later identified as a Miami-Dade sheriff’s deputy, Lester Aguilar, part of the mayor’s security detail — tells everyone to move back, and shoves Weinsier several times.
The reporter repeatedly says, “Don’t push me,” to which Aguilar replies, “Do you want to go to jail?
“For what? Standing and trying to interview the mayor?” Weinsier asks.
At no point does Aguilar identify himself as law enforcement or as a member of the mayor’s security team.
Aguilar alleged that the reporter made contact with him. “The next time you put your hands on me, you will go to jail. I was just trying to do my job,” he says later.
“And I as well,” Weinsier replies.
Later that day, the mayor agreed to answer Weinsier’s questions about the buses.
WPLG reported that the Sheriff’s Office had opened an internal affairs investigation into the incident.
Weinsier told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that WPLG submitted a public records request to the Sheriff’s Office, seeking its policies and procedures about plainclothes officers identifying themselves when interacting with the public, “particularly before or while giving orders.”
He said the incident hasn’t deterred their reporting. “Our focus remains on getting answers regarding the taxpayer-funded electric bus program and continuing to ask questions of public officials.”
“That said, I do think there are broader questions that come out of this. If there are specific protocols, boundaries or a defined perimeter around the mayor when she is in a public setting, that is something journalists and the public should clearly understand,” Weinsier added.
The Miami-Dade Mayor’s Office and Sheriff’s Office did not respond to requests for comment.
“Ultimately, I think the key issue here is clarity. If plainclothes officers are going to engage with members of the media or the public in that way, there should be clear identification and clear rules governing those interactions,” Weinsier said.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogs press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].
