Video above: See the week’s top headlines in Tampa Bay

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — A former New York City Police Department sergeant living in St. Petersburg was accused of threatening a Pinellas County commissioner after he voted to approve the expansion of a local mosque.

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said Rodolfo Mienert, 68, posted a threatening comment
to a local media outlet’s Facebook page after commissioner Brian Scott’s vote.

“But Scott’s WAS, and he’s a Republican’ turncoat,…off with his head!” the comment said, according to PCSO.

Detectives met Mienert at his home, where he confirmed the account belonged to him, PCSO said.

He told detectives he attended a recent Board of County Commissioners meeting where a woman in a niqab appeared, played a recording on her phone, and was escorted out of the building. Video of the incident was circulated by conservative commentators like Laura Loomer and Sean Hannity, as well as Rep. Randy Fine, who wrote “deport them ALL” in reference to Muslims.

The woman was later identified as “a white female who wore ‘clothing as if she was Muslim’,” the Tampa Bay Times reported, and was revealed to be a former school board candidate who has had “numerous incidents” with law enforcement.

“Mienert stated he is ‘very vocal and not afraid to share his opinion,’ particularly regarding political issues,” PCSO said in a news release. “He explained he called Commissioner Scott a ‘turncoat’ because Commissioner Scott, who identifies as a Republican, voted for the mosque expansion.”

Mienert, a retired NYPD sergeant of 22 years, was charged with making written threats to
kill and was taken to the Pinellas County Jail.

“Threatening to cut off the head of a county commissioner because of his vote on a land issue is
intolerable and we will strictly enforce the law against anyone who makes threats of this nature,” Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.