DeSantis says he won’t re-suspend sheriff
TALLAHASSEE If Broward voters elect Scott Israel as sheriff again in 2020, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday he wouldn’t re-suspend him.
“No, no, no. The people can make that decision going forward,” DeSantis told reporters at the state Capitol.
Three days after DeSantis was inaugurated in January, he suspended Israel for what the governor saw as systemic failures surrounding the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre, in which 17 people were killed, and the 2017 Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport shooting, in which five people lost their lives.
The Florida Senate is scheduled to vote Wednesday on upholding Israel’s suspension through the end of the sheriff ’s current term. The Senate Rules Committee voted Monday to recommend removing Israel, a precursor to the outcome expected on Wednesday.
Israel has already filed paperwork to raise money as a 2020 candidate for sheriff and says he’s running. “As is his right,” DeSantis said in response to a question Tuesday. “There is nothing in the [Florida] Constitution that bars someone from then seeking the same office again and so totally has a right to do it.”
If Broward voters decide to give Israel another term, the governor said, “they will be responsible for whatever decision is made in that respect. It is not going to be something that is going to matter to me either way. I mean I had to make the decision I had to make. Those folks are going to make whatever decision that they want to make.”
DeSantis said that wouldn’t give Israel blanket immunity, explaining that “if there was another basis,” he would act again. “But not for the same [thing].”
DeSantis said he suspended Israel because he was concerned about the safety of Broward residents. “Look, had we not acted, my fear was that more failures would have put more people at risk.”
The governor said he expects the full Senate on Wednesday to uphold his suspension of Israel. And he paid tribute to family members of people killed in the Stoneman Douglas massacre — who strongly supported his decision to remove Israel — for their efforts.
“I just want to thank the committee in the Senate yesterday. It was a very long day with that process. I also want to thank the Parkland families for coming. It wasn’t easy for them. This has been a long time coming. And I think that they really showed a lot of strength and I look forward to the Senate disposing of this matter [Wednesday] and I look forward to moving on,” DeSantis said.
Israel was midway through his second term when the Republican governor suspended him.
Six Democrats, including Israel, have filed campaign paperwork for the 2020 sheriff ’s race. Gregory Tony, who was appointed by DeSantis to replace Israel, said he expects to do so by the end of the year. He already has a campaign manger lined up and a political committee is raising money to support him.
Broward is so Democratic that the winner of the August 2020 primary is virtually guaranteed to win the November 2020 election.