FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis appears poised to remove Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel from office.
The governor's office said in a news release Thursday that DeSantis "will make a statement on holding government officials accountable" Friday at the Broward Sheriff's Office headquarters in Fort Lauderdale.
DeSantis' announcement is scheduled for 3 p.m. The news release said DeSantis will be joined by Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez and Attorney General Ashley Moody.
This move all but signals that DeSantis is following through on his campaign promise to oust the embattled two-term sheriff.
Israel has been under intense scrutiny over perceived failures by the BSO response to last year's Valentine's Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
Much of the mistakes are outlined in the lengthy Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission report finalized last week.
Some parents of Parkland victims have been calling on DeSantis to remove Israel.
"Now that he got elected, we're going to see some accountability," Andrew Pollack, whose daughter, Meadow, was among the 17 people killed, told Local 10 News in Tallahassee, where he was attending DeSantis' inauguration.
During DeSantis' trip to South Florida to announce his first Florida Supreme Court pick Wednesday, the governor promised that he "shall return very soon" when asked about Israel's future.
By Friday afternoon, Broward County could have a new sheriff.