Matlow’s Attack on Reese Goad’s “Family” Backfires

What Jeremy Matlow thought was another social media driven political attack on Tallahassee City Manager Reese Goad – this time involving Goad’s family – backfired when Matlow was informed he had his facts wrong. However, the damage was done, as his false claims wrongly implicated a city employee, with Matlow accusing him of public corruption.

Matlow sought to take advantage of a recently revealed federal government audit of a grant program awarded to the city. In the process Matlow accused City Manager Reese Goad and his “brother-in-law” of “public corruption.”

Matlow wrote on a social media post, “Nepotism between Reese Goad as City Manager and Adam Jacobs, Budget Director for the COT housing department underscores the poor judgement of Reese Goad again. The city manager and his brother-in-law have cost the city another political, financial, and reputational black eye… This is a dark moment for our city.”

Matlow continued, “Both Mr. Goad and his brother-in-law have let down our city government.”

The attack backfired when it was revealed that Matlow’s claims were false. The Budget Director for the city referenced in Matlow’s post is not related to City Manager Goad.

Matlow used the false narrative to make dramatic claims, writing, “the embarrassment of public corruption amid allegations and findings by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development against the City of Tallahassee is the very last straw we can take.”

The audit initiated by the federal government has not been completed and no findings have been released.

Matlow offered an apology for his mistake at the end of Wednesday’s city commission meeting but was criticized by Mayor Dailey for not understanding the impact of his irresponsible actions on an innocent city employee. Dailey demanded Matlow make a formal apology at the next city commission meeting and include that apology on social media where Matlow published his accusations.

Matlow left the city hall chambers while Dailey was responding to Matlow’s attack on Goad.