Sheriff Gregory Tony was appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis on January 11, 2019, after Sheriff Scott Israel was suspended for mishandling both the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting and the Fort Lauderdale airport shooting. Replacing Israel was a campaign promise of DeSantis. Tony was recommended to DeSantis by Andrew Pollack, father of a girl killed in the Stoneman Douglas shootings, who was a chief supporter of DeSantis during his campaign. Other Parkland parents also supported Tony. A factor in his favor was that his business, , provides training on how to deal with active shooting situations, such as the two in Broward County. According to the Sun Sentinel, De Santis's vetting of Tony was "rushed".
After one deputy died due to COVID-19 and 20 other deputies testing positive for the virus in April 2020, the deputies' union president criticized Tony over the lack of personal protective equipment for the officers and failing to respond to their memos about the situation. Afterwards, Tony suspended the union president and placed him under administrative investigation. The Broward branch of the International Union of Police Associations announced a vote of no-confidence by its officers in Tony. On June 3, 2020, the deputies union wrote Governor DeSantis to formally request that Tony be removed, calling him unqualified and alleging that he "lied under oath". The Governor took no action.
1993 killing
In 1993 when he was 14 years old living in Philadelphia, Tony shot and killed his neighbor. He was initially charged as an adult with murder and held without bail pending a preliminary hearing. Bail was eventually set at $15,000 at the hearing. The case was transferred to juvenile court, where he was found not guilty after he maintained that the shooting was in self-defense. He did not disclose the shooting when he applied for law enforcement jobs. In his application for the Coral Springs Police Department, he answered no to "Have you ever been arrested, charged, received a notice or summons to appear for any criminal violation?", but Tony states he was not "technically" charged with a crime. DeSantis did not know about the shooting prior to appointing Tony and it did not come up in a background check during vetting. When asked about the shooting, Tony denied he was arrested, saying that he simply went to the police station to provide a statement and was allowed to leave with his father.
Investigation opened
On January 7, 2020, Gregory Tony filled out a Florida Department of Law Enforcement Affidavit of Applicant form. On this official document, Tony checked off no to the question of ever having a criminal record sealed or expunged. Tony asserts that since he does not have a criminal record, he filled out the form correctly. However, on May 8, 2020, FDLE announced the matter had been upgraded from an inquiry to an investigation. On May 19, 2020, it was discovered that in 2003, Tony applied to the Tallahassee Police Department. Ultimately, Tony was rejected for employment after admitting to using LSD. Tony then applied to the Coral Springs Police Department, at which time Tony omitted his drug use from his application.
2020 election
Israel and Tony are the leading contenders for the sheriff position in the 2020 Democratic Party primary. In Broward County, winning the Democratic nomination virtually guarantees election.
