Newfire chief among changes at Broward Sheriff’s Office
A cousin of Broward County’s mayor has been selected to lead Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue, a day after Sheriff Gregory Tony was elected.
Gregory Holness, cousin of Broward Mayor Dale Holness, was appointed to replace Chief Joseph Fernandez, who said he chose to retire after the death of his wife earlier this year.
Holness’ appointment came the same week that two other captains with the Sheriff’s Office also left the agency: Jerald Fuller resigned and Dan Christophers retired.
Veda Coleman-Wright, a spokeswoman with the Sheriff’s Office, gave no additional indication about why they left, other than to reiterate that no one was terminated but rather resigned or retired. Efforts to reach Christopher and Fuller were not successful.
The changes come at an agency that has seen shakeups in personnel since Tony was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in January last year.
Tony has fired plenty of Sheriff’s Office employees in his push to improve the agency. Some of the firings have rankled the agency’s union.
In response to questions asked by the South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Tony stated he had fired 14 deputies, including two over excessive force cases, and three detention deputies, he said. And most recently, he fired two jail administrators after learning of an inmate’s alleged treatment as she gave birth in jail.
Also fired from the Sheriff’s Office were three deputies who became symbols of the failed police response during the Stoneman Douglas school massacre in Parkland in 2018. Those fired Parkland cops may be reinstated because of an omission in paperwork, but the Sheriff’s Office still is fighting against that decision.
The wave of firings figured into criticism earlier this year from union deputies, who had voted that they had lost confidence in the sheriff. The union’s grievances included deputies’ complaints at the time of a lack of protective measures to protect against COVID-19. The sheriff had listed the agency’s COVID19 precautions while dismissing the attacks as politically motivated.
Leading fire rescue
Broward ’s newly appointed fire chief, Holness, will oversee 861 sworn and civilian members across 24 stations in eight cities, as well as the county’s unincorporated areas, the airport and Port Everglades. A 25th station also is being built in Weston.
Holness and his family have held positions oriented around community service: Holness’ cousins are Dale Holness, the Broward County mayor, and Andrew Holness, Jamaica’s prime minister.
Gregory Holness, the former deputy chief, began his career in 1983 as a paramedic with the Broward County Emergency Medical Services, which later merged with the county’s fire department. He rose through the ranks serving as a captain, acting battalion chief, operations district chief, assistant chief and most recently deputy chief of administration.
Holness said he was “tickled pink I was considered” for the job. He got the phone call from the undersheriff, Col. Nichole Anderson, at 5 p.m. Wednesday andthe job was effective immediately.
“I didn’t know it was going to be me,” Holness said. He said he was excited to get to work. “It’s all about the community. The sheriff and I both share this vision. He said, ’Let’s move this agency forward and not look back.’ Our future is what we design it.”
Making changes
In May, Anderson wrote a letter in the Sun Sentinel’s editorial section in which she called all the agencywide changes part of the path toward accountability, transparency and fostering stronger ties to the community.
“And today, BSO has the most diverse command staff in its 105-year history, reflective of the community that we serve, and were all selections from within the agency,” Anderson wrote. “Sheriff Tony’s promotions have been inclusive of minorities, as he has promoted more women, African-American, and Hispanics in the history of the agency.”
In announcing Holness’ appointment, the Broward Sheriff’s Office noted he was the first Caribbean-American appointed to the post. Holness replaces Chief Joseph Fernandez, who said he chose to retire after the death of his wife earlier this year.
Fernandez had spent a lifetime in fire service, rising through the ranks in Miami for 27 years before coming to Dania Beach, which eventually merged with Broward County. He has been Broward’s fire chief for the last four years, and six years as deputy chief before that.