A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by Jewish Voice for Peace South Florida alleging that Miami Beach officials violated the group’s First Amendment rights by restricting pro-Palestinian demonstrations and targeting activists critical of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
U.S. District Judge Rodolfo A. Ruiz II ruled on May 26 that the complaint failed to adequately state its claims, describing it as “replete with conclusory, vague and immaterial facts not obviously connected to any particular cause of action.”
Filed in September 2025, the lawsuit named the city of Miami Beach, Mayor Steven Meiner and Commissioner David Suarez as defendants. The complaint alleged that city officials infringed on the group’s free-speech rights by limiting demonstrations near the Miami Beach Convention Center and by enforcing a 2024 ordinance barring obstruction of pedestrian and vehicular traffic. The group contended that officials repeatedly moved protesters away from high-visibility locations, including during Art Basel events.
The complaint also cited remarks attributed to Meiner, an Orthodox Jew, that he allegedly said during a city commission meeting, including, “I’m not going to sit here and allow you to make accusations against the Israeli government—antisemitic, in my opinion.”
Ruiz dismissed the suit without prejudice, allowing the group to amend and refile its complaint by June 19.
