Broward County Sheriff's Office

Scott Israel received a vote of no-confidence linked to the mishandling of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, the first such vote in the Department's history.[5] The Broward Sheriff's Office Deputies Association voted 534-94 against Israel, with union President Jeff Bell vowing to ask Governor Rick Scott to consider removing Israel and praising the "great courage" of members who voted "under threat of retaliation and reprisal."[6][5] Scott took no action.

Israel described the no confidence vote as a "political stunt" intended to help the union in salary bargaining with the Department, at that time underway.[7] Bell denied this.[8] The largest union of sheriff's office employees, the Federation of Public Employees, gave Israel a vote of confidence.[6]

On January 11, 2019, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, three days after his inauguration, announced that he had signed an executive order suspending Sheriff Scott Israel because of his department's handling of the 2018 Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. DeSantis appointed formerCoral Springs Police Sgt. Gregory Tony as sheriff to replace Israel.[9]

Governor DeSantis removed Israel from office and replaced him with former Coral Springs police officer Gregory Tony. Tony is running to be elected to a full term in the 2020 Democratic primary. (In Broward County, winning the Democratic nomination usually guarantees election.) Israel and a 3rd candidate, Al Pollock (favored by the union), Willie Jones, Andrew Maurice Smalling, and Santiago Vazquez are also running in the contested election.

Tony has made police reform the central issue of his campaign.[10] In his first campaign advertisement he stated that he "suspended and fired some deputies accused of excessive force. He fired Christopher Krickovich after the department Professional Standards Committee recommended he be exonerated, and he replaced all the members of the Committee except for Jeff Bell.[11] He also fired deputies Kevin Fanti and Jorge Sobrino.[12]

Tony fired deputies Brian Miller, Edward Eason, and Joshua Stambaugh for neglect of duty during the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.[12]

On April 3, 2020, Broward deputy Shannon Bennett, 39, died from coronavirus contracted in the line of duty. As of April 5, more than a dozen Sheriff's Office employees had tested positive.[13] On April 7, Deputy Union president Jeff Bell published a column in the Sun Sentinel, accusing Tony of poor leadership and specifically not providing deputies with sufficient personal protective equipment, a charge Tony denied in a news conference held the same day. Tony referred to Bell as a "rogue employee", who, although a deputy, works full time for the union and "hasn't worn a uniform in years". Tony described Bell's actions as "dishonorable" because of his attempt, in Tony's words, for using Bennett’s death "to politicize and capitalize on a moment when we lost one of our own".[13]

On April 10, Tony suspended Jeff Bell indefinitely with pay, "saying he made false statements, has corrupt practices, has exhibited conduct that is unbecoming and has not used proper discretion", and starting an Internal Affairs case.[14]

On April 15 there were 77 positive coronavirus cases reported in the department.[14]

On April 20, the Deputies union released the results of a 693–93 vote of no confidence in Tony, and the Lieutenants union, also citing the lack of personal protective equipment, a vote of 33–5.[15]