FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony, who was appointed to the post in the aftermath of the Parkland high school massacre, won election Tuesday to a full term.
The 41-year-old Democrat easily defeated Republican H. Wayne Clark in the heavily Democratic county. Tony, a former Republican, was appointed to the position in 2019 by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis when he fired then-Sheriff Scott Israel for his actions and those of his deputies during and after the Feb. 14, 2018, mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. It left 17 dead.
Tony had defeated Israel in August’s Democratic primary after a nasty campaign where it became public that Tony had killed another teenager when he was 14. That shooting that had been ruled self-defense, but Gregory had not disclosed it when applying for law enforcement jobs.
“I am honored that voters in our community have chosen me to continue to lead the Broward Sheriff’s Office,” Tony said in a statement. “While I’m thrilled with the progress we’ve made in the last two years - whether in providing better training for our staff, creating a better culture of accountability and transparency, or making our schools safer - there is still much to be done.”
Tony has been an aggressive disciplinarian. According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, he has fired 14 deputies and three jailers, some for excessive force. He recently fired two jail administrators over the treatment of an inmate as she gave birth in jail.
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