Gregory Tony winner over Scott Israel in tight Broward County Sheriff race

BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – Sheriff Gregory Tony, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ appointee, has been declared the winner in the Primary race for Broward County Sheriff over former sheriff Scott Israel.

As of 9:30 p.m. with 98 percent precincts reporting (567 out of 577), Tony claimed victory in a statement with Israel trailing at that time by a little over 4,000 votes.

The statement read:

“I am deeply honored that Democratic voters have chosen me to lead the Broward Sheriff’s Office into a brighter, safer future. We’ve come a long way in the last eighteen months, but there is still much work to be done. Together, we’re reforming the Sheriff’s Office, promoting good deputies and keeping our communities safer by embracing police reform. As your Sheriff, I will work tirelessly to make this department a model for how a public safety agency can be effective, transparent, and accountable to our community. Let’s keep moving forward.”

Candidate

Votes

%

Gregory Tony*(D)
79,49837%
Scott Israel(D)
74,77835%
Al Pollock(D)
23,55411%
Santiago C. Vazquez Jr.(D)
13,3556%
Willie Jones(D)
12,9086%
Andrew Smalling(D)
8,7484%
*Incumbent
100% of Reporting

(577 / 577)

Tony, the former Republican now running as a Democrat, is favored to beat the Republican challenger, H. Wayne Clark, in November. Clark is a Broward attorney.

DeSantis removed Israel from office in January of 2019 after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland that left 14 students and three adults dead. The Florida governor appointed Tony.

The sheriff runs a 6,000-employee operation with a half-billion dollar budget.

Click here to view the results of all races in South Florida.