BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. — Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony publicly asked if he should “destroy” Deerfield Beach City Manager Rodney Brimlow during a recent roll call, intensifying a contract dispute that has left the city considering whether to cut ties with the sheriff’s office.
“You tell me if I should go absolutely nuclear on this and destroy him?” Tony asked deputies on Aug. 7. “Because I have the power of this office to do a lot of damage to individuals.”
Brimlow, a former Broward deputy, is now working from home, and the city is weighing whether to renew its multi-million-dollar contract with the agency, which provides police and fire services in Deerfield Beach.
“This is one person and their own personal agenda who I am going to run over for you,” Tony added during the recorded meeting, which he later posted on Instagram.
Deerfield Beach Mayor Todd Drosky said the city manager’s decision to work remotely comes amid concern over Tony’s language.
“He’s elected to work remote for the time being,” Drosky said.
When asked by Local 10 News whether Brimlow felt threatened, Drosky responded, “You’ll have to talk to the city manager to know what’s inside of his head. But for the time being, yes.”
“This is a contract vendor, so for him to be suggesting that we should fire our city manager while we’re trying to put a marriage together, quite frankly, is counterproductive,” he said.
Tony’s criticism centers on Brimlow’s alleged refusal to raise deputy pay in the new contract, something the sheriff says deputies have earned.
“We’re not getting paid what we deserve and we’re putting our lives on the line and we have a 92% satisfactory rate county-wide,” Tony said.
But Drosky maintains the disagreement is strictly about the budget, not personalities.
Tony says he wants the city to “get back at the table” and “fulfill their obligations to the community, hear all the facts and make an informed decision.”
While Deerfield Beach reconsiders its deal with the Broward Sheriff’s Office, nearby Pompano Beach is moving forward with extending its own contract.
Local 10 News has reached out to Brimlow’s office for comment but has not yet received a response as of Tuesday evening.
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