Deputies vote no confidence in Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony

PLANTATION, Fla. – Deputies have overwhelmingly voted no confidence in Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony, their union announced Monday afternoon.

The vote punctuates a tense couple weeks between deputies and Tony stemming from the availability of personal protective equipment in the department during the coronavirus pandemic. It could also be a blow to Tony’s re-election chances later this year.

The Broward branch of the International Union of Police Associations announced that of 786 ballots cast among road deputies and sergeants, 693 voted no confidence in Tony (88%). In a separate ballot of lieutenants, 28 voted no confidence while five voted in favor of Tony.

The symbolic measure doesn’t officially change Tony’s status, but the union said it plans to sit down with its board members to discuss the next course of action.

“The morale is in the toilet,” said Deputy Frank Voudy, treasurer/secretary of the BSO Deputies Association, who announced the results.

Tony issued the following statement in response:

“The command staff and I have worked tirelessly to keep all the men and women of BSO safe during this unprecedented pandemic. We have established procedures to limit exposure to COVID-19 in all areas of operations and have worked to give all of the BSO family the necessary tools to protect themselves as we continue to protect the community. I want to say to the deputies, I hear your concerns. Following today’s vote, my commitment is unwavering and our mission remains clear. It’s time to unite and work together to continue providing the highest level of professional public safety services to our Broward County community.”

Last Tuesday, the union opened the ballot for a no-confidence vote on Tony, writing in a letter to members: “While the Sheriff has chosen to muzzle and threaten us, rather than work with us, the Union cannot sit back and watch the safety of the membership be jeopardized for what appears to us to be political reasons.”

In the letter, the union cited several reasons for calling the vote, saying they weren’t provided sufficient protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic, alleging that Tony has fired deputies without due process, and claiming he lied about his career and exaggerated his law-enforcement experience.

Tony has denied those claims and provided documentation he says proves they are false.

The sheriff has also classified the internal criticism of him as politics and said, “That’s what destroyed this agency.”

On April 10, Tony suspended BSO deputies union president Jeff Bell and placed him under administrative investigation after Bell criticized the protection measures taken by the sheriff. Last week, an attorney representing Bell held a news conference to discuss a forthcoming lawsuit over his client’s discipline.

Tony has said that Bell’s suspension was not simply a result of his vocal opposition of the sheriff, but Voudy said Monday that the union does believe that’s why their leader was disciplined.

Tony was appointed to his position in January 2019 after Gov. Ron DeSantis removed BSO Sheriff Scott Israel over his handling of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas massacre. Israel had received a no-confidence vote from the deputies union in April 2018, two months after the Parkland mass shooting.

The union said that 158 more members voted in this ballot than did two years ago during Israel’s no-confidence vote.

“Despite 158 more votes, current Sheriff Greg Tony still received fewer votes of confidence than Scott Israel did when 17 people were murdered in Parkland two years ago,” the union said in a news release.

As of last week, there were 72 confirmed cases of COVID-19 within the Broward Sheriff’s Office while dozens of other staff members are being monitored.

A source tells Local 10 News that those confirmed cases include at least 35 members of BSO’s communications staff, 10 law enforcement staff, 20 department of detention staff and six firefighters.

BSO lost Deputy Shannon Bennett, a 12-year veteran of the force, to COVID-19 earlier this month.

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