The endlessly futile search for a good Broward sheriff
A little news broke on Friday. A preliminary investigation is underway at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement over a sworn affidavit by Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony over whether he told the truth about having a criminal record that was sealed or expunged.
This would be the same FDLE that ran a one-day baseline Level 1 background check on Tony in January of last year so Gov. Ron DeSantis could appoint him sheriff in place of Scott Israel, a decision that has become a big mess.
It’s worth recalling what DeSantis said the day he appointed Tony.
“The people of Broward County deserve accountable, competent leaders who can safeguard our communities,” DeSantis said. “Gregory Tony will be a champion for Broward County who will work tirelessly to safeguard our schools and our streets while ensuring accountability within the sheriff ’s office.”
Sixteen months later, a sheriff appointed by the sitting governor and running for election is the subject of an inquiry by FDLE. The attack ad writes itself.
The contours of this story are familiar: Tony shot and killed a neighbor as a teenager in Philadelphia, was charged with murder and found not guilty on selfdefense grounds. But on a job application with Coral Springs police in 2005, he said he had never been charged or investigated. As for the FDLE form, Tony’s people maintain he answered truthfully because he did not have a record and was not convicted of a crime.
Friday’s development is small but significant because if FDLE concludes that Tony lied, he could be charged with a misdemeanor. That would further imperil Tony’s uphill effort to defeat Israel in the August Democratic primary.
We had asked DeSantis if he still has confidence in Tony, and he parsed his words. Here’s what he said:
“The people I talk to in Broward have been pleased with what he’s doing. That’s ultimately a decision that the people in Broward can make. It’s not going to be anything I’m going to be getting involved in.”
The story of Greg Tony is one of the most incredible in the 105-year history of the Broward Sheriff ’s Office.
It provides compelling new evidence — not that we needed more — that a partisan elected sheriff as leader of a county of 2 million people is a contradiction in terms. It’s an anachronism. The problem is, there appears to be no way to change this flawed system because the position is embedded in the Florida Constitution.
Meanwhile, the Broward political network was buzzing all week with speculation that there would be a shakeup in the sheriff ’s race.
Sources said the governor’s office is casting about for another candidate, which DeSantis’ office did not confirm. Speculation soon centered on a 57-year-old senior agent at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration named Brian McKnight.
McKnight works for the DEA in Washington and owns a home in the Coral Ridge neighborhood in Fort Lauderdale. He’s registered to vote in Broward, but has no party affiliation. As an NPA voter, election law experts say, he could legally switch to Republican and run for sheriff. He said Friday he won’t run.
“I’m happy in my position at the DEA,” McKnight said. “The time is not right for me right now.”
McKnight made the right decision. It’s virtually impossible for a Republican to win any countywide office in heavilyDemocratic Broward, and especially in a high-turnout presidential election with Donald Trump at the top of the ticket.
But you have to wonder how closely Trump’s campaign manager, Brad Parscale, sitting in his home on the Las Olas Isles in Fort Lauderdale, is following the Tony story.
Four years ago, Trump was trounced in Broward by nearly 300,000 votes, but he still narrowly won Florida, a critical state with its 29 electoral votes. The task for Republicans is to reduce that deficit in November and one way to do that is by having a credible candidate for sheriff. The problem is, time’s running short.
Tony has serious liabilities as a candidate, but as long as he has $1 million in the bank, he can’t be dismissed lightly. In a Democratic primary, where nearly half of the eligible voters are black, it remains an open question as to how those voters will react to the story of Tony overcoming a troubled childhood to become sheriff.
DeSantis’ rushed and poorly-vetted decision to appoint Tony has disgusted and angered taxpayers who once again can’t get what they deserve: an effective leader of the county’s premier law enforcement agency. But in another stroke of good fortune for this governor, the Tony controversy is unfolding at a time when Floridians are distracted as they try to avoid the deadly COVID-19 virus, save their small business from collapsing or file for a measly $275 unemployment check.
In about 60 days, Broward Democratic voters will begin filling out their vote-bymail ballots in the sheriff ’s race. And the endlessly futile search for a competent sheriff of Broward County will continue.