Judge urges reprimand for Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony
TALLAHASSEE -- An administrative law judge Monday said Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony should receive a written reprimand and be required to complete ethics training after concluding that the sheriff violated state law by not disclosing in 2019 that his driver's license had previously been suspended.
Judge Robert L. Kilbride issued a 31-page recommended order that also called for Tony to be placed on an 18-month "probationary status."
The decision stemmed from a complaint filed in 2022 by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission that alleged Tony did not disclose the suspension in driver's license applications over a series of years.
Kilbride's ruling said Tony's Pennsylvania driver's license was suspended in 1998. Kilbride found that alleged violations of state law in 2007, 2013 and 2017 were "not adequately proven" but said Tony did not disclose the suspension in 2019.
"The totality of the evidence in this case demonstrated that respondent (Tony) knowingly violated the provisions of (a section of state law), when he applied for a Florida driver license renewal in person on February 1, 2019, and, upon questioning, failed to disclose to the driver license examiner that his driving privilege had previously been revoked, suspended, or denied in the state of Pennsylvania," Kilbride wrote.
The judge also wrote that Tony, as the Broward County sheriff, "is held to a high standard since his position is one of considerable authority within the community."
"There can be no doubt that respondent's position as a law enforcement officer and sheriff is also one of great public trust. Respondent's action on February 1, 2019, regrettably, has damaged that trust."
"A basic public expectation of those who serve the public and enforce the laws is that they must obey the law."
But Kilbride also wrote that the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles "presented little evidence to counter respondent's argument that either a true or false response to the suspension question would not have a material impact of his license status. It is also important to note that respondent has no prior discipline on his certification record."
Under administrative law, Kilbride's recommended order will go to the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission for a final decision.