New Florida governor suspends sheriff

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Florida’s new governor, Republican Ron DeSantis, suspended Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel on Friday over his handling of February’s massacre at a high school in Parkland.

DeSantis’ Republican predecessor, now-U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, had refused to suspend Israel, saying he wanted to wait until investigations into the Feb. 14 shooting that left 17 dead were complete before deciding.

“Sheriff Israel has repeatedly failed and has demonstrated a pattern of poor leadership,” according to a statement issued by DeSantis’ office. “He failed to protect Floridians and visitors during the tragic Fort Lauderdale International Airport shooting in 2017. He failed in his duties to keep our families and children safe during the devastating shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018. These incidents demonstrate Sheriff Israel’s repeated incompetence and neglect of duty.”

Under Florida law, the governor can suspend elected officials for criminal activity, misfeasance, incompetence or neglect of duty.

Israel intends to challenge the suspension to the state Senate, which will conduct a trial and then remove or reinstate him. Israel’s lawyer, Stuart Kaplan, said this week that the sheriff did nothing warranting removal and his future should be left to Broward County voters in the 2020 election. Israel had been sheriff six years.

The Republican governor appointed a former Coral Springs police sergeant to serve as acting sheriff. Gregory Tony, 40, is the first black to serve as Broward County’s sheriff.