Gregory Tony

After the coronavirus caused the death of one deputy, and was contracted by other deputies and staff,[3] the president of the Broward Sheriff’s Office Deputies Association Union, Jeff Bell, publicly criticized Tony in the Sun Sentinel. According to Bell, it was not until the day after the Union sent an email to Tony on March 16, alerting him to the need for personal protection equipment, that any N-93 masks were distributed among deputies. On March 23, the union advised Tony in an email that the number of masks was insufficient, and that the Union would purchase and donate to the Sheriff's Office 1,400 3M-N95 masks. Tony did not reply to either email.[4]

On April 10, 2020, Tony suspended with pay, pending an Internal Affairs investigation, Broward Sheriff’s Deputies Union president Jeff Bell after he publicly complained about lack of personal protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic. On April 20, 2020, a vote of no-confidence was held by the Deputies and Sergeants union as well as the Lieutenants union. The Broward branch of the International Union of Police Associations announced that of 786 ballots cast among road deputies and sergeants, 693 voted no confidence in Tony (88%). In a separate ballot of lieutenants, 28 voted no confidence while five voted in favor of Tony.[5] The vote of no-confidence brought against Sheriff Tony was the second in Broward Sheriff's Office history. His predecessor, Scott Israel, also faced a vote of no-confidence linked to the mishandling of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. The Broward Sheriff's Office Deputies Association vote was 534-94 against Israel, with union President Jeff Bell vowing to ask Governor Scott to consider removing Israel and praising the "great courage" of members who voted "under threat of retaliation and reprisal." [6]

On June 3, 2020, the Broward Sheriff's Deputies Union, calling Tony "unqualified" and alleging that he "lied under oath", wrote Governor DeSantis to formally request that Gregory be removed.[7] The Governor took no action.[8]

In 1993 when he was 14 years old living in Philadelphia, Tony shot and killed his neighbor. He was initially charged as an adult with murder and held without bail pending a preliminary hearing.[9][10] Bail was eventually set at $15,000 at the hearing.[11] The case was transferred to juvenile court, where he was found not guilty after he maintained that the shooting was in self-defense. He did not disclose the shooting when he applied for law enforcement jobs. In his application for the Coral Springs Police Department, he answered no to "Have you ever been arrested, charged, received a notice or summons to appear for any criminal violation?", but Tony states he was not "technically" charged with a crime.[12] DeSantis did not know about the shooting prior to appointing Tony and it did not come up in a background check during vetting.[13][12] When asked about the shooting, Tony denied he was arrested, saying that he simply went to the police station to provide a statement and was allowed to leave with his father.[14][12]

On January 7, 2020, Gregory Tony filled out a Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Affidavit of Applicant form. On this official document, Tony checked off no to the question of ever having a criminal record sealed or expunged. Tony asserts that since he does not have a criminal record, he filled out the form correctly. However, on May 8, 2020, FDLE announced the matter had been upgraded from an inquiry to an investigation.[15]

On May 19, 2020, it was discovered that in 2003,Tony applied to the Tallahassee Police Department. Ultimately, Tony was rejected for employment after admitting to using LSD. Tony then applied to the Coral Springs Police Department, at which time Tony omitted his drug use from his application.[16]