}
Gregory Scott Tony (born 1978) is an American law enforcement officer and the 17th Sheriff of Broward County, Florida.
Tony was initially appointed sheriff in 2019 by Florida governor
Ron DeSantis
Ronald Dion DeSantis (; born September 14, 1978) is an American politician serving as the 46th governor of Florida since January 2019. A member of the Republican Party, DeSantis represented Florida's 6th district in the U.S. House of Repres ...
, to fill a vacancy. In November 2020, Tony won election to the office of sheriff, which he had previously held by appointment.
Early life and education
Tony was born and raised in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, the youngest of five children of Gloria Tony and William Scott. He attended
Olney High School
Olney Charter High School, formerly Aspira Charter School at Olney, and Olney High School, is a public high school located in the Olney neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Previously directly controlled by the School District of Philade ...
in Philadelphia, graduating in 1997.
Tony moved to
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In ...
, and attended
Tallahassee Community College
Tallahassee Community College (TCC) is a public community college in Tallahassee, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. As of fall 2017, TCC reported 24,639 st ...
. He then attended
Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...
in Tallahassee, where he played football under
Bobby Bowden
Robert Cleckler Bowden (; November 8, 1929 – August 8, 2021) was an American college football coach. Bowden coached the Florida State Seminoles of Florida State University (FSU) from 1976 to 2009 and is considered one of the greatest college ...
. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in
criminology
Criminology (from Latin , "accusation", and Ancient Greek , ''-logia'', from λόγος ''logos'' meaning: "word, reason") is the study of crime and deviant behaviour. Criminology is an interdisciplinary field in both the behavioural and so ...
in 2002. Tony's resume indicates he later obtained a master's degree in
criminal justice
Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the Rehabilitation (penology), rehabilitation of o ...
from
Nova Southeastern University
Nova Southeastern University (NSU or, informally, Nova) is a private nonprofit research university with its main campus in Davie, Florida. The university consists of 14 total colleges, centers, and schools offering over 150 programs of study ...
in
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...
."Sheriff Gregory Tony" Broward County Sheriff's Office. 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
Early career (2005-18)
He was first employed as a police officer by the suburban Coral Springs Police Department from 2005, when he was 26 years old, to 2016, ultimately becoming a
sergeant
Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...
. Tony's resume indicates that for years he has also served as an adjunct professor. He lived in
Boca Raton, Florida
Boca Raton ( ; es, Boca Ratón, link=no, ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It was first incorporated on August 2, 1924, as "Bocaratone," and then incorporated as "Boca Raton" in 1925. The population was 97,422 in the ...
. Tony resigned from the Coral Springs Police Department on September 19, 2016, amid tensions with his superiors regarding his sick leave usage.
From shortly thereafter in 2016 through 2017, for over a year, Tony worked as Director of Community Development at North American Rescue, a South Carolina company that sold bleeding-control kits and stations. A company Tony founded, Blue Spear Solutions, that is now run by Tony's wife, has sold North American Rescue's products since 2015. The Blue Spear Solutions website said it was a “proud partner” of North American Rescue, and displayed North American Rescue products. In a June 2019 financial disclosure statement, Tony said he had a negative net worth, and did not list any income from Blue Spear Solutions. Between July and September 2019, as Tony was Sheriff of Broward County, the Broward Sheriff's Office purchased over half a million dollars of North American Rescue's bleeding-control stations.
Sheriff of Broward County (2019–present)
Appointment
While running for Governor of Florida,
Ron DeSantis
Ronald Dion DeSantis (; born September 14, 1978) is an American politician serving as the 46th governor of Florida since January 2019. A member of the Republican Party, DeSantis represented Florida's 6th district in the U.S. House of Repres ...
made a campaign promise to replace Broward Sheriff
Scott Israel
Scott Israel is an American law enforcement officer, and the Police Chief of the city of Opa-locka, Florida.
Israel was chief of police in North Bay Village, Florida, from 2004 to 2008, during which time he was named Police Chief of the Year in ...
. Press reported that Tony was one of three possibilities for the position, along with former sheriff
Al Lamberti
Al Lamberti (born April 14, 1954) is a former sheriff of Broward County, which encompasses Fort Lauderdale in southeastern Florida.
Education
Lamberti received a B.A. in criminal justice from Florida Atlantic University in 1981.
Career
Coast G ...
and county judge John Fry.
According to the ''
Sun Sentinel
The ''Sun Sentinel'' (also known as the ''South Florida Sun Sentinel'', known until 2008 as the ''Sun-Sentinel'', and stylized on its masthead as ''SunSentinel'') is the main daily newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as well as surrounding Br ...
'', newly elected governor DeSantis's vetting of Tony was "rushed". The governor's office requested that a background check be performed on Tony one day before DeSantis appointed Tony to the position.
On January 11, 2019, days after Florida governor DeSantis took office, DeSantis suspended the prior sheriff for allegedly mishandling the
Stoneman Douglas High School shooting
On February 14, 2018, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz opened fire on students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in the Miami suburban town of Parkland, Florida, murdering 17 people and injuring 17 others. Cruz, a former student at t ...
and the
Fort Lauderdale airport shooting
On January 6, 2017, a mass shooting occurred at Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport in Broward County, Florida, United States, near the baggage claim in Terminal 2. Five people were killed while six others were injured in the shoot ...
. DeSantis at the same time appointed Tony the Sheriff of Broward County, Florida. DeSantis appointed Tony largely on the recommendation of a parent of a Parkland shooting victim, who had met and worked out with Tony in a gym. ''
The Miami Herald
The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and headquartered in Doral, Florida, a city in western Miami-Dade County and the Miami metropolitan area, several miles west of Downtown Miami.
Union vote of no confidence, and call for Tony's removal
In April 2020, four days after a 39-year-old Broward Sheriff's Office deputy died from
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
during the
COVID-19 pandemic in Florida
On March 1, 2020, the U.S. state of Florida officially reported its first two COVID-19 cases, in Manatee County, Florida, Manatee and Hillsborough County, Florida, Hillsborough counties. On April 1 Governor of Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis de ...
, and after 20 other deputies tested positive for the virus, President Jeff Bell of the Broward Sheriff’s Office Deputies Association – a 1,400-member branch of the
International Union of Police Associations
International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations".
International may also refer to:
Music Albums
* International (Kevin Michael album), ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011
* International (New Order album), ' ...
– criticized Tony over the lack of
personal protective equipment
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury or infection. The hazards addressed by protective equipment include physical, elec ...
for the officers, and Tony's failure to respond to their memos about the situation. Tony said Bell’s actions were "dishonorable." Three days later, Tony suspended the union president without pay, and placed him under administrative investigation. Tony then terminated the union president in January 2022.
The union announced a vote of
no-confidence
A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...
by its officers in Tony. A total of 88% of 786 voting road deputies and sergeants voted "no confidence" in Tony.
On June 3, 2020, the union wrote governor DeSantis to formally request that Tony be removed. The governor did not take any action.
Discovery of 1993 killing by Tony
On May 3, 1993, when he was 14 years old and living in Philadelphia, Tony killed an 18-year-old male neighbor with a
.32 caliber .32 caliber is a size of ammunition, fitted to firearms with a bore diameter of .
.32 in caliber variations include:
* .32 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol), a pistol cartridge
* .32-40 Ballard, an American rifle cartridge
* .32 H&R Magnum, a rimmed ...
revolver. Tony shot his neighbor six times, including twice in the back of his head and twice in his back.
He surrendered to police the next day. Tony was arrested for
murder
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...
and weapons offenses at 10:40 AM, fingerprinted, arraigned, incarcerated in a
juvenile detention center
In criminal justice systems, a youth detention center, known as a juvenile detention center (JDC),Stahl, Dean, Karen Kerchelich, and Ralph De Sola. ''Abbreviations Dictionary''. CRC Press, 20011202. Retrieved 23 August 2010. , . juvenile de ...
bail
Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Bail is the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when required.
In some countries ...
pending a preliminary hearing. One week later, bail was set at $15,000. The case was then transferred to
juvenile court
A juvenile court, also known as young offender's court or children's court, is a tribunal having special authority to pass judgements for crimes that are committed by children who have not attained the age of majority. In most modern legal s ...
. There, he was found not guilty after he maintained that the shooting was in self-defense; the family of the deceased disputed that assertion, witnesses who said they had seen the killing and that the deceased had not been armed nor was it a case of self defense were not called. The court records relating to the killing are sealed. However, the Philadelphia police homicide report outlining key events and witness statements in the case has been published publicly.
Tony did not disclose the killing when he applied for law enforcement jobs. He later declined to be interviewed by FDLE agents reviewing the matter.
In his application to the
Coral Springs
Coral Springs, officially the City of Coral Springs, is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is located approximately northwest of Fort Lauderdale. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 134,394. It is a ...
Police Department, Tony answered "no" to "Have you ever been arrested, charged, received a notice or summons to appear for any criminal violation?" Years later, Tony asserted that he was not "technically" charged with a crime. When asked about the shooting, Tony denied he had been arrested, asserting that he simply went to the police station to provide a statement and was allowed to leave with his father. The FDLE said that he was in fact charged with murder, and that Tony lied.
In Tony's Coral Springs Police Department application process he also answered "no" to other questions that – had he answered them truthfully – would have revealed that he had once killed a man.
DeSantis did not know about Tony's killing prior to appointing Tony, and it did not come up in a background check of Tony during vetting. When DeSantis found out about Tony's killing in May 2020, he distanced himself from Tony, but said that the shooting had not come up in the background check because it was self-defense and would not have made a difference. DeSantis added that he would leave the matter for Broward voters to decide.
Investigations of Tony
2020
On January 7, 2020, Tony filled out a
Florida Department of Law Enforcement
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) is a state-wide investigative law enforcement agency within the state of Florida. The department formally coordinates eight boards, councils, and commissions. FDLE's duties, responsibilities and ...
(FDLE) Affidavit of Applicant form. On this official document, Tony checked off "no" to the question of ever having a
criminal record
A criminal record, police record, or colloquially RAP sheet (Record of Arrests and Prosecutions) is a record of a person's criminal history. The information included in a criminal record and the existence of a criminal record varies between coun ...
sealed or expunged. Tony later asserted that since he did not have a criminal record, he had filled out the form correctly. However, on May 8, 2020, the FDLE announced the matter had been upgraded from an inquiry to an FDLE investigation.
On May 19, 2020, it was discovered that in 2003, Tony had applied to the
Tallahassee Police Department
The Tallahassee Police Department (TPD), provides public safety services for the city of Tallahassee, Florida, United States. Within the department, there are twelve primary divisions: The Chief of Police, Internal Affairs, Development Bureau, In ...
, but had been rejected for employment, after he admitted that he had used the psychedelic drug
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...
. In rejecting Tony, the department pointed to its “zero tolerance for
felony
A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...
drug use.”
Tony then applied to the Coral Springs Police Department in 2005, at which time Tony omitted mentioning his drug use on his application, and denied using drugs such as LSD. Tony also omitted the fact that he had applied to — and been rejected by — the Tallahassee Police Department, even though he listed other agencies to which he had previously applied. He was hired by the Coral Springs Police Department. The former Coral Springs Police Chief from the time Tony was hired later said that the Coral Springs Police Department would certainly not have hired Tony, if it had been aware that Tony had used LSD.
2022
In January 2022, a 20-page FDLE report said that Tony had lied on multiple police applications. The report said that Tony failed to disclose that he had fatally shot a teenager, and been arrested for the killing. The police applications that he had completed had required Tony to disclose all times he had been arrested, irregardless of the court decision; however, the FDLE said that Tony could not be charged criminally for his failure to report the killing and his arrest, because the relevant
statute of limitations
A statute of limitations, known in civil law systems as a prescriptive period, is a law passed by a legislative body to set the maximum time after an event within which legal proceedings may be initiated. ("Time for commencing proceedings") In m ...
had expired. According to the report, Tony also lied when he applied to the Coral Springs Police Department, when he answered "no" when he was asked whether he had ever been in a fight in which a weapon was used. Tony also answered "no" when he was asked on the application whether he had ever injured or caused the death of another person. State investigators found, however, that Tony had in fact been arrested and charged with murder and with several weapons offenses, and further that he had lied on his applications about his traffic violations, his driver license suspension, his drug use, and a charge against him for passing a
bad check
Dishonoured cheques (also spelled check) are cheques that a bank on which is drawn declines to pay (“honour”). There are a number of reasons why a bank would refuse to honour a cheque, with non-sufficient funds (NSF) being the most common one ...
. Tony declined to be interviewed for the report. The FDLE referred its report to the Florida Ethics Commission for its consideration. The '' South Florida Sun-Sentinel'' editorial board wrote: "The plain truth: Tony’s lies make him unfit for sheriff’s badge."
In June 2022, an FDLE investigation found that Tony had in February 2019 provided false information on an application for a
driver's license
A driver's license is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, or buses—on a public ...
. The FDLE recommended that Tony be charged with the
felony
A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...
of "false affidavit
perjury
Perjury (also known as foreswearing) is the intentional act of swearing a false oath or falsifying an affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to an official proceeding."Perjury The act or an inst ...
." That is one count, of a total of eight, leveled against Tony for “Unlawful Acts in Relation to Driver License.”
A three-member
Florida Criminal Justice Standards & Training Commission
The Florida Criminal Justice Standards & Training Commission (CJSTC), established in 1967 under ''Florida Statutes'', Chapter 943, is a Florida state commission. The Commission's mission is "To ensure that all citizens of Florida are served by cr ...
panel recommended that a disciplinary process be initiated, and that Tony be barred from being a
law enforcement officer
A law enforcement officer (LEO), or peace officer in North American English, is a Public sector, public-sector employee whose duties primarily involve the Law enforcement, enforcement of laws. The phrase can include campaign disclosure specialist ...
in Florida. In July 2022, Tony filed a request for an
administrative hearing
In law, a hearing is a proceeding before a court or other decision-making body or officer, such as a government agency or a legislative committee.
Description
A hearing is generally distinguished from a trial in that it is usually shorter and o ...
with the Criminal Justice Standards Commission; that hearing would be before an
administrative law judge
An administrative law judge (ALJ) in the United States is a judge and trier of fact who both presides over trials and adjudicates claims or disputes involving administrative law. ALJs can administer oaths, take testimony, rule on questions of evi ...
.
In early September 2022, the Florida Commission on Ethics, at a hearing arising from a referral by the
Florida Department of Law Enforcement
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) is a state-wide investigative law enforcement agency within the state of Florida. The department formally coordinates eight boards, councils, and commissions. FDLE's duties, responsibilities and ...
, opined that
probable cause
In United States criminal law, probable cause is the standard by which police authorities have reason to obtain a warrant for the arrest of a suspected criminal or the issuing of a search warrant. There is no universally accepted definition o ...
existed supporting the belief that when Tony applied for positions with the Coral Springs Police Department and the Broward Sheriff’s Office, he misused his public position as he submitted false information or failed to submit information. The Commission also found probable cause that Tony submitted false information or failed to disclose information about his past drug use, and about his having been arrested for homicide, when he was appointed to his current sheriff position. The Commission in addition found that Tony had submitted false information on a number of Florida driver's license renewals, falsely claiming that his driving privileges had never been revoked, suspended, or denied. Commissioner Michelle Anchors said: "I think we all find this respondent’s conduct despicable. I don’t want to be an apologist for a person who has lied continuously and repeatedly."
Later in September 2022, as a result of the ethics commission's statement, Tony was added by Broward state prosecutors to its list of law enforcement officials who could be perceived as having credibility issues that might render their testimony in a trial less than credible.
In December 2022, the Florida Commission on Ethics, at a hearing arising from a citizen complaint—separate from its September 2022 hearing on Tony arising from a referral by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement—"found probable cause to believe ... Tony misused his public position when he provided false information or did not disclose information during the appointment process for his service as Broward County Sheriff." The Commission focused at this second hearing on a notarized form that Tony had submitted to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and when he had applied to renew his driver’s license. The research director at government watchdog Integrity Florida, a nonpartisan organization, said that he viewed the charges as serious, and that: "It’s more perplexing why the governor hasn’t taken action."
2020 election
Tony first contended against Scott Israel (whom he defeated with 37% of the vote, to 35% for Israel) and several lesser-known candidates in the August 2020
Broward County
Broward County ( , ) is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and the 17th-most populous in the United States, with over 1.94 m ...
Democratic primary election. As of May, Tony had raised $1.1 million, to $0.1 million raised by Israel. In the November general election, Tony then won against Republican H. Wayne Clark and independent Charles "Chuck" Whatley, with 63% of the vote in the overwhelmingly Democratic county.