ORLANDO, Fla. – (Editor’s note: Following the release of a probable cause determination after the initial story was reported, this update corrects the administrative charges that prompted the revocation process.)
A state panel found probable cause in the process to revoke Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony’s law enforcement certification, meaning the Sheriff’s ability to make arrests or otherwise act in a law enforcement capacity in Florida remains in jeopardy.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Criminal Justice Standards & Training Commission, or CJSTC, held a regional hearing at the Valencia College campus in Orlando and made its finding late Tuesday morning.
While Tony has previously faced controversy over accusations that he omitted the fact that he was acquitted of a murder in Philadelphia in 1993 when he was 14 years old, a probable cause determination obtained by Local 10 News Tuesday afternoon reveals that the decertification process actually stems from allegations that he made false statements when applying for replacement drivers’ licenses between 2002 and 2019.
(Read allegations below)
Tony, who was not present at Tuesday’s hearing, remains a certified law enforcement officer for now. The full 19-member panel is scheduled to meet in August in Ponte Vedra Beach to render a final decision.
“We’ll issue an administrative complaint along with an election of rights form. He will need to return that to us to elect how he wishes to proceed in this case,” FDLE Bureau Chief of Standards Glen Hopkins said. “He can either opt for an informal hearing, which would go before the 19-member commission, just to offer any mitigating statement to the commission or, if he has issues involving disputed facts with the case he could opt to go in front of an administrative law judge in the form of a formal hearing.”
Regardless of what it decides, Tony does not need to be a certified law enforcement officer to remain Sheriff. In Florida, sheriffs are elected public officials who do not require a law enforcement certification.