THURSDAY 9:20 P.M. UPDATE:
Gov. Ron DeSantis is apparently not planning to act on a deputies union’s request that he suspend Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony from his post ahead of August’s election, the governor’s spokeswoman suggested on Thursday night.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office Deputies Association had asked the governor in a letter earlier in the day to remove Tony, citing omissions the DeSantis-appointed sheriff made on job applications and other professional paperwork regarding his past.
Helen Ferre, DeSantis’ spokeswoman, stated in an email, “Broward voters will have the opportunity to decide who will be their sheriff.”
The governor made similar remarks to reporters in Tallahassee early last month.
The union is supporting Al Pollock for sheriff in the Aug. 18 Democratic primary election.
—————————————————————————-
ORIGINAL STORY:
Just hours after a protest took place calling for the firing of Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony, the Broward Sheriff’s Deputies Union has formally written to Gov. Ron DeSantis requesting for Tony’s removal.
“The request to formally ask the Governor to remove Gregory Tony was made out of necessity for the 5,000 Union members at the Broward Sheriff’s Office who come to work knowing that their boss is unqualified during a time of national emergency and epidemic,” union president Jeff Bell, who has been suspended by Tony, said in a statement Thursday.
Bell went on to write that, “If Gregory Tony were to accurately and honestly complete a Law Enforcement Officer job application today with all of the information the public has learned over the past two months, he would have a near impossible time finding a Law Enforcement job anywhere in the Nation.”
Tony was named sheriff by DeSantis, after the governor removed Scott Israel in the aftermath of the Parkland massacre.
Meanwhile, Tony and Israel are both leading candidates in the election for the sheriff’s position this year.
Tony’s campaign said earlier Thursday that politics was the reason for the protest.
“Yet again, Scott Israel’s campaign just can’t be honest,” Tony’s campaign said in a statement. “This was a political event organized by Scott Israel’s paid political consultants, and attended by political opponents of Sheriff Tony and Scott Israel himself.”