Eight years ago, one of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ first acts changed the course of history in Broward County — for worse. He suspended Sheriff Scott Israel and replaced him with unheard-of and unvetted Gregory Tony, a disastrous downgrade that reverberates to this day.
The outrageously combative Tony has been elected twice over token opposition. He has made a premier law enforcement agency a symbol of wildly reckless overspending and a platform for his social media tirades against elected officials. Today’s BSO is better known for Tony’s workout videos than for the heroic work of its thousands of dedicated men and women.
Steve Bousquet is a Sun Sentinel columnist.
His relations with the county are at an all-time low. Commissioners are working to dismantle the agency, piece by piece, to extricate him from the seaport, airport, fire-rescue operations and 911 dispatch centers. I’ve written about this agency since the 1970s Ed Stack era, and this is a level of dysfunction and hostility unmatched in Broward’s modern history.
Now, as DeSantis departs, even he criticizes his appointee’s overspending as a reason why tax relief is needed with Amendment 3. At a roundtable in Miami on Wednesday, DeSantis mocked Tony, by inference, for putting a cold plunge in the sheriff’s training center.
“I’m not giving a grant so they can do a cold plunge in Broward,” DeSantis said. “I’m not giving a grant for that.”
Governor DeSantis calls out Broward Sheriff Greg Tony for paying some of his COs over $400,000 then crying poor.
“If Broward County is gonna pay some guy running their jail $430,000 or whatever they’re paying him. Look, I mean people can get what they get. But don’t do that and… pic.twitter.com/rs2JNOdIjo
— Chris Nelson 🏝️🇺🇸 (@ReOpenChris) October 21, 2026
DeSantis also said: “Broward County is going to pay some guy running their jail $430,000, or whatever they’re paying him? Don’t do that and then tell me you can’t give relief.”
The jail is enormously costly, with hundreds of jobs. It has always been a core function of the sheriff, but there are now whispers that the county may also want to turn that over to a different provider — possibly Fort Lauderdale Police. It will likely never happen, but the fact that it’s even being speculated about is meant to further antagonize Tony — another sign of political toxicity.
The drama shows no sign of ending.
Tony sent elaborately armed deputies to deliver subpoenas to county commissioners for a still-unexplained “investigation” by a statewide prosecutor under Attorney General James Uthmeier, which looked like a stunt to cause embarrassment.
That would be a dangerous abuse of police resources.
On social media, Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony decried “the level of corruption” on the County Commission, then took the post down. But the Sun Sentinel obtained it (Facebook)
The sheriff then blocked Broward Mayor Mark Bogen from entering BSO, a public building, to tour the county-funded training center. Outrageous.
The sheriff then ridiculed Commissioner Lamar Fisher on social media (“What does an auctioneer know about public safety?” he asked). Tony accused commissioners of clear “corruption” for wanting to strip 911 centers from BSO.
Both posts came down, but the damage was done.
DeSantis has suspended public officials for much less than this, but the popular view is that he would never suspend Tony because it would make the governor look like a rank hypocrite after appointing Tony.
But what if Republican Byron Donalds wins on Nov. 3 and becomes governor?
Donalds will lose Broward County to Democrat David Jolly by a wide margin (a safe prediction).
But Donalds, who spent part of Wednesday campaigning on Las Olas Boulevard, will be eager to build a political operation in Florida’s bluest county if he wins.
The most efficient way to do that is to gain control of Broward’s most powerful office: Sheriff. That is not likely to happen in an election, but it could, by appointment. Donalds, like Tony, is Black, so removing the sheriff would not be seen as racially motivated.
Still, it’s not likely. As governor, Donalds would face hundreds of challenges more pressing than this, and he’s not by nature a confrontational figure like DeSantis.
But there’s no denying that the path to a stronger Republican Party in Broward runs right through the sheriff’s office.
The County Commission deferred action Tuesday on a proposal to take over 911 call centers from the sheriff. No explanation was given, but the issue will be back after the election.
Before deferring the item, the county attached an anoynmous eight-page letter that purported to be from a 911 employee, who described a climate of fear at BSO where workers, including minority women, must expose tattoos on any part of their body, to be photographed for ID purposes. By circulating the letter, the county made sure its contents became public.
Steve Bousquet is Opinion Editor of the Sun Sentinel and a columnist in Tallahassee and Fort Lauderdale. Contact him at sbousquet@sunsentinel.com or (954) 860-5181.