After years of investigation, the Florida Commission on Ethics recommended a public censure and reprimand for Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony, concluding a prolonged probe that ultimately found only a minor violation—his failure to disclose a prior driver’s license suspension when renewing his license in 2019.
The commission voted 3-2 last Friday to accept the agreed-upon penalty, the mildest discipline available, bringing an end to a series of accusations that did not result in any significant findings against Tony.
Tony had been accused of lying on law enforcement applications by failing to disclose his 1993 shooting of an 18-year-old man in Philadelphia when he was 14 years old. However, his attorneys successfully argued that under Pennsylvania law, his juvenile detention was not classified as an arrest for a crime. He was acquitted by a juvenile judge, with Tony maintaining that he acted in self-defense.
Another claim—that Tony lied about not having a criminal record expunged—was also dismissed. The commission determined that under Pennsylvania law, juvenile records were automatically expunged after an acquittal, meaning Tony may not have been aware of the record’s status when he completed his law enforcement application.
Tony was not present at Friday’s hearing, but his attorney, Stephen Webster, accused political opponents of weaponizing the investigation against him since his 2019 appointment by Governor Ron DeSantis.
“They brought every sling and arrow they could against the man, and in spite of that, he has led the third-largest sheriff’s office in the United States with absolute dignity and integrity,” Webster said.
Tony’s appointment came after DeSantis removed former Broward Sheriff Scott Israel over his handling of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre in 2018. Since then, Tony’s tenure has faced relentless scrutiny.
Criticism over ethics commission decision
The complaint against Tony was filed in 2022 by former sheriff’s office employee Jerald Fuller, who expressed frustration with the outcome.
“Greg Tony has no business being in law enforcement, and he knows it… Thanks for nothing!” Fuller wrote in an email to the commission.
Webster, however, pushed back, saying the case had dragged on unnecessarily.
“Enough is enough. Sheriff Tony needs to lead Broward County, and his detractors need to live with it and deal with it. We’re not supposed to use these commissions for political axe-grinding, and that’s what happened here,” he said.
With the ethics investigation now concluded, Sheriff Gregory Tony faces a public reprimand from the governor, but no further sanctions.
