Gregory Tony
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Gregory Scott Tony (born 1978) is an American law enforcement officer and serving since 2019 as the 17th Sheriff of Broward County, Florida. Tony was initially appointed sheriff in 2019 by Florida governor
Ron DeSantis Ronald Dion DeSantis (; born September 14, 1978) is an American politician, attorney, and former United States Navy, naval officer serving as the 46th List of governors of Florida, governor of Florida since 2019. A member of the Republican Pa ...
, to fill a vacancy. In November 2020, Tony won election to the office of sheriff, which he had previously held by appointment.


Early life and education

Tony was born and raised in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, Pennsylvania, the youngest of five children of Gloria Tony and William Scott. He attended Olney High School in Philadelphia, graduating in 1997. Tony moved to
Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Fl ...
, and attended Tallahassee Community College. He then attended
Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...
in Tallahassee, where he played football under
Bobby Bowden Robert Cleckler Bowden (; November 8, 1929 – August 8, 2021) was an American college football coach. Bowden coached the Florida State Seminoles of Florida State University (FSU) from 1976 to 2009 and is considered one of the greatest college ...
. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in
criminology Criminology (from Latin , 'accusation', and Ancient Greek , ''-logia'', from λόγος ''logos'', 'word, reason') is the interdisciplinary study of crime and deviant behaviour. Criminology is a multidisciplinary field in both the behaviou ...
in 2002. He later obtained a master's degree in
criminal justice Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the rehabilitation of offenders, preventing other ...
from
Nova Southeastern University Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a Private university, private research university in Florida with its main campus in Fort Lauderdale-Davie, Florida, Davie, Florida, United States. The university consists of 14 colleges, offering over ...
in
Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...
."Sheriff Gregory Tony"
Broward County Sheriff's Office. 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
In 2024, Tony was awarded a doctor of philosophy degree in criminal justice from Nova Southeastern University.


Early career (2005-18)

He was first employed as a police officer by the suburban
Coral Springs Coral Springs is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 134,394. Approximately northwest of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Fort Lauderdale, it is a pri ...
Police Department from 2005, when he was 26 years old, to 2016, ultimately becoming a
sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...
. Tony's resume indicates that for years he has also served as an adjunct professor. Tony started an active shooter training company, Blue Spear Solutions, with his wife in 2015. From 2016 through 2017, Tony worked as Director of Community Development at North American Rescue, a South Carolina company that sold bleeding-control kits and stations.


Sheriff of Broward County (2019–present)


Appointment

While running for Governor of Florida,
Ron DeSantis Ronald Dion DeSantis (; born September 14, 1978) is an American politician, attorney, and former United States Navy, naval officer serving as the 46th List of governors of Florida, governor of Florida since 2019. A member of the Republican Pa ...
made a campaign promise to replace Broward Sheriff Scott Israel. Press reported that Tony was one of three possibilities for the position, along with former sheriff Al Lamberti and county judge John Fry. According to the ''
Sun Sentinel The ''Sun Sentinel'' (also known as the ''South Florida Sun Sentinel'', known until 2008 as the ''Sun-Sentinel'', and stylized on its Nameplate (publishing), masthead as ''SunSentinel'') is the main daily newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, ...
'', newly elected governor DeSantis's vetting of Tony was "rushed." The governor's office requested that a
background check A background check is a process used by an organisation or person to verify that an individual is who they claim to be, and check their past record to confirm education, employment history, and other activities, and for a criminal record. The fr ...
be performed on Tony one day before DeSantis appointed Tony to the position. On January 11, 2019, days after Florida governor DeSantis took office, DeSantis suspended the prior sheriff for allegedly mishandling the Fort Lauderdale airport shooting and the
Stoneman Douglas High School shooting On February 14, 2018, a mass shooting occurred when 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz opened fire on students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, part of the Miami metropolitan area, Parkland, Florida, killing 17 people and injuring 18 ot ...
. DeSantis at the same time appointed Tony the Sheriff of Broward County, Florida. DeSantis appointed Tony largely on the recommendation of a parent of a Stoneman Douglas High School shooting victim, who had met and worked out with Tony in a gym. ''
The Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company and headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Founded in 1903, it is the fifth-largest newspaper in Florida, serving Miami-Dade, Broward, and Monroe countie ...
'' called Tony "an unlikely choice."


Union vote of no confidence, and call for Tony's removal

In April 2020, four days after a 39-year-old Broward Sheriff's Office deputy died from
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
during the
COVID-19 pandemic in Florida On March 1, 2020, the U.S. state of Florida officially reported its first two COVID-19 cases in Manatee County, Florida, Manatee and Hillsborough County, Florida, Hillsborough counties. There is evidence, however, that community spread of COV ...
, and after 20 other deputies tested positive for the virus, President Jeff Bell of the Broward Sheriff's Office Deputies Association – a 1,400-member branch of the
International Union of Police Associations The International Union of Police Associations (IUPA) is a North American police union, and is chartered as a national union that represents law enforcement and support personnel with the AFL–CIO. Organization Local police unions join the ...
– criticized Tony over the lack of
personal protective equipment Personal protective equipment (PPE) is protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury or infection. The hazards addressed by protective equipment include physical, elect ...
for the officers, and Tony's failure to respond to their memos about the situation. Tony said Bell's actions were "dishonorable." Three days later, Tony suspended the union president without pay, and placed him under administrative investigation. Tony then terminated the union president in January 2022. The union announced a vote of
no-confidence A motion or vote of no confidence (or the inverse, a motion or vote of confidence) is a Motion (parliamentary procedure), motion and corresponding vote thereon in a deliberative assembly (usually a legislative body) as to whether an officer (typi ...
by its officers in Tony. On June 3, 2020, the union wrote governor DeSantis to formally request that Tony be removed. The governor did not take any action.


2020 election

Tony first ran against Scott Israel (whom he defeated with 37% of the vote, to 35% for Israel) and several lesser-known candidates in the August 2020
Broward County Broward County ( ) is a County (United States), county in Florida, United States, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County and the List of the most ...
Democratic primary election. As of May, Tony had raised $1.1 million, to $0.1 million raised by Israel. In the November general election, Tony then won against Republican H. Wayne Clark and independent Charles "Chuck" Whatley, with 63% of the vote in the overwhelmingly Democratic county.


Discovery of 1993 killing by Tony

During the 2020 election campaign, the ''Florida Bulldog'' reported that Tony had shot and killed his neighbor when he was 14 years old and living in Philadelphia. Tony was arrested for
murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...
and weapons offenses and initially charged and ordered to stand trial as an adult and held without
bail Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Court bail may be offered to secure the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when ...
pending a
preliminary hearing In common law jurisdictions, a preliminary hearing, preliminary examination, preliminary inquiry, evidentiary hearing or probable cause hearing is a proceeding, after a criminal complaint has been filed by the prosecutor, to determine whether the ...
. The case was then transferred to
juvenile court Juvenile court, also known as young offender's court or children's court, is a tribunal having special authority to pass judgements for crimes committed by children who have not attained the age of majority. In most modern legal systems, chi ...
. There, he was found not guilty after he maintained that the shooting was in self-defense; the family of the deceased disputed that assertion, witnesses who said they had seen the killing and that the deceased had not been armed nor was it a case of self defense were not called. The court records relating to the killing are sealed. Tony did not disclose the killing when he applied for law enforcement jobs. When asked about the shooting, Tony denied he had been arrested, asserting that he simply went to the police station to provide a statement and was allowed to leave with his father. DeSantis did not know about Tony's killing prior to appointing Tony, and it did not come up in a background check of Tony during vetting. When DeSantis found out about Tony's killing in May 2020, he distanced himself from Tony, but said that the shooting had not come up in the background check because it was self-defense and would not have made a difference. DeSantis added that he would leave the matter for Broward voters to decide.


Investigations of Tony

Due to a complaint about whether Gregory made misstatements about his past on law enforcement documents, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) began an investigation in May 2020. In January 2022, they released a report that alleged that Tony failed to disclose his arrest for the 1993 killing, his driver license suspension, his LSD use, and a charge against him for passing a
bad check A dishonoured cheque (US spelling: dishonored check) is a cheque that the bank on which it is drawn declines to pay ("honour"). There are a number of reasons why a bank might refuse to honour a cheque, with non-sufficient funds (NSF) being the mos ...
. Tony declined to be interviewed for the report. FDLE said that Tony could not be charged criminally because the relevant
statute of limitations A statute of limitations, known in civil law systems as a prescriptive period, is a law passed by a legislative body to set the maximum time after an event within which legal proceedings may be initiated. ("Time for commencing proceedings") In ...
had expired and referred its report to the Florida Ethics Commission for its consideration. In June 2022, another FDLE investigation found that Tony had in February 2019 provided false information on an application for a
driver's license A driver's license, driving licence, or driving permit is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, ca ...
by not disclosing the previous license suspension in Pennsylvania, a third degree felony. The Fort Myers state attorney's office did not pursue charges because the driver's license office clerk could not remember the incident with certainty. A three-member
Florida Criminal Justice Standards & Training Commission The Florida Criminal Justice Standards & Training Commission (CJSTC), established in 1967 under '' Florida Statutes'', Chapter 943, is a Florida state commission. The Commission's mission is "To ensure that all citizens of Florida are served by ...
panel recommended that a disciplinary process be initiated, and that Tony be barred from being a
law enforcement officer A law enforcement officer (LEO), or police officer or peace officer in North American English, is a public-sector or private-sector employee whose duties primarily involve the enforcement of laws, protecting life & property, keeping the peace, ...
in Florida. In July 2022, Tony filed a request for an
administrative hearing In law, a hearing is the formal examination of a case (civil or criminal) before a judge. It is a proceeding before a court or other decision-making body or officer, such as a government agency or a legislative committee. Description A hearing ...
to dispute his police license being revoked. In May 2024, the administrative judge issued an order recommending that Tony receive a written reprimand, be required to complete ethics training, and be put on 18-month probation. The recommended order will go to the commission for a final decision. In early September 2022, the
Florida Commission on Ethics The Florida Commission on Ethics, created in 1974 by the Florida Legislature, is tasked with investigating complaints alleging breaches of public trust by public officers and employees in Florida, other than judges. It is headquartered in Tallaha ...
, at a hearing arising from the FDLE referral, found
probable cause In United States criminal law, probable cause is the legal standard by which police authorities have reason to obtain a warrant for the arrest of a suspected criminal and for a court's issuing of a search warrant. One definition of the standar ...
that Tony misused his public position when he provided false information or did not disclose information which benefited him in getting his jobs. As a result of the ethics commission's statement, Tony was added by Broward state prosecutors to its list of law enforcement officials who could be perceived as having credibility issues that might render their testimony in a trial less than credible. In December 2022, the Florida Commission on Ethics, at a hearing arising from a separate citizen complaint, again found probable cause to believe that Tony misused his public position during the appointment process for the Broward County Sheriff position. Another administrative hearing is pending on the ethics complaint.


References


External links


Gregory Tony 2020 campaign site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tony, Gregory 1978 births Date of birth missing (living people) Living people Florida sheriffs American people acquitted of murder Law enforcement officials from Florida People from Boca Raton, Florida People from Coral Springs, Florida People from Philadelphia People from Tallahassee, Florida African-American people in Florida politics African-American police officers Florida Democrats Florida State Seminoles football players Nova Southeastern University alumni Tallahassee Community College alumni 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people