HUGE: Ron DeSantis to Remove Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel
Peter D'Abrosca
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According to a report by The Miami New Times, Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel will be removed from his post by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who was sworn in Tuesday.
“Broward Sheriff Scott Israel has informed numerous high-ranking BSO members that he expects to be removed from his position and will fight to get his job back, according to three sources close to the agency,” the paper said.
Israel has been under fire for his office’s response – or lack thereof – to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting which killed 17 on Valentine’s Day. Several of his deputies failed to enter the school while shots rang out inside, a fact which Israel lied about in a letter for former Governor Rick Scott. The Sheriff also failed to secure a perimeter around the school as requested by fire and rescue workers, while the shooter was still active. He concealed this fact in the official dispatch log.
“Israel’s removal would be only the beginning, says Deputy Jeff Bell, the BSO union chief and member of DeSantis’ transition team,” according to the paper. “The move ‘would remove an incompetent sheriff,’ Bell says. ‘But if you’re looking to fix the agency and put it on the right track, it does nothing to do that.'”
In April, Israel’s deputies issued a “no confidence” vote against him, which he dismissed as “inconsequential” and blamed on salary concerns.
The report noted that Israel plans to fight his dismissal.
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