In a County Still Haunted by Parkland Shooting, Broward Sheriff’s Race Heats Up
Three candidates, three different parties and backgrounds, with one goal in common: to serve as the next Broward County Sheriff.
The people running in the race include Democratic candidate and incumbent Sheriff Gregory Tony, Republican candidate H. Wayne Clark, and Independent candidate Charles Whatley.
Broward County police have faced controversy in recent years, the primary example being the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting, which led to four officers being fired for their actions. With police brutality and reform at the center of national conversation in the United States, the citizens of Broward County now have a decision to make regarding who they feel is the right person to be Broward County’s sheriff for the next four years.
Tony, 41, is the first African-American to hold the position and has been Sheriff since January 2019 when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed him after former Sheriff Scott Israel was suspended in early 2019 over failures in
mass shootings. Tony then won the Democratic primary on August 18, defeating Israel by 4,700 votes. Tony is also a strong favorite according to a survey commissioned by Tony’s campaign using Frederick Polls. But despite Tony’s apparent lead, Clark is still campaigning and trying to get his messages across.
Clark held a rally on September 13 at Wings Plus in Coral Springs, and touched on his chances of winning the race along with what he wants to focus on if elected as Broward County Sheriff.
“I think we feel great, we’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from a bipartisan standpoint, a lot of Democrats and a lot of Republicans are coming together for the first time in Broward County’s history,” Clark said in an interview, referring to his chances of winning the election. Clark, 46, is a U.S Army veteran, a trial attorney and is the founder of HWC Legal, P.A, a multi-practice law firm. Clark has recently received the support of three former Democratic candidates for sheriff: Al Pollock, Santiago Vazquez and Willie Jones. “They know the importance of this election, this election is huge for the safety of Broward County,” Clark said.
Clark also discussed what he would like to do if he is elected as Broward County Sheriff.
“I want to focus on mental health, for men and women in the agency, we have first responders on a daily basis see the bad and the bad and the worse and the worse,” Clark said. He then expanded on that point, saying: “They’re getting calls to the scene because something has happened.. because someone is dead or a building is on fire, we need to make sure the men and women who see those things have an opportunity to speak to someone without having to worry about repercussions.”
Clark also mentioned not only wanting to reach out to first responders who are struggling with mental health issues, but also struggling youth. “I want to bring community programs and mental programs to the youth, if we can get to our youth before they become mass murderers, we can prevent a mass murder,” Clark said, adding, “MSD is not too far from here,” referring to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting that took place in February 2018.
When it comes to other support for Clark, the Broward GOP, known as the Republican Executive Committee, is supporting Clark in the race for sheriff. “We are obligated to support the Republican Candidate... we are supporting him financially,” George Moraitis said in a phone interview. Moraitis, 49, is the Chairman of the Broward Republican Executive Committee, he was selected at that position since January 2018. Moraitis spoke high of Clark, saying: “He will be a great sheriff,” and also called him a “great attorney.” But Moraitis also brought up that it won’t be easy for Clark to win, “It’s tough to win county wise,” he said. According to the Broward County Supervisor of Elections, 629,391 voters in the county are registered members of the Democratic party, just over 50 percent of all registered voters. And according to Local 10 news,“Broward has about three times as many Democrats as Republicans, plus a growing army of Independents.”
As for Gregory Tony, his campaign is looking a bit different due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “This has been extremely interesting, during the pandemic, we would figure out how to reach communities but to remain safe,” said Jerrick Grant, Tony’s campaign manager, in a phone interview. Grant has been a part of the campaign since February. Grant went on to explain how the campaign has reached out to other communities during these times, saying: “We have converted to virtual events and we also make calls to let them know what [Tony] is and what he has done.”
Grant then went into why he feels Sheriff Tony is the right person for Broward Sheriff. “These candidates speak on what they want to do when they are elected, Sheriff Tony has implemented what he has planned to do,” Grant said. “There is a pandemic of racial injustice, when it comes to police brutality, he has been a product of that injustice, he has surpassed that.”
That has been brought to light in Tony’s biography on Sheriff.org. “He experienced firsthand the prejudices between minority youth and law enforcement and the difference that must be made in order to change the negative perceptions.”
Independent Candidate Charles Whatley, 58, is a former Broward Sheriff’s Deputy and has been a Broward County resident for over 45 years. On his campaign website, Whatley says he wants to focus on mental health, homelessness, gun violence, bullying, and human trafficking.
Whatley told the Sun Sentinel that voters should select him because “[He] care[s] about Broward County, being raised here and going through the school system. [He] also ha[s] far more experience than any candidate.” Whatley believes his long career as a deputy would serve him well as sheriff, and told the Sun Sentinel: “I know how to make changes on issues of corruption/lies/criminal activity etc. I know how to make changes… based on my 27 years as a certified instructor in all areas involving Law Enforcement matters.”
Many local voters are taking notice of Clark’s campaign and initiatives, and want him as the next Broward sheriff. “I like his stance on veterans, mental health initiatives, and emphasis on school safety since I have a little brother in school,” Christian Belliveau said in a phone interview. Belliveau, 22, moves furniture for 4 Friends Moving Company. He lives in Oakland Park, Florida, and has been a Broward resident his entire life. Belliveau feels that Broward needs to give another party a chance. “My whole life BSO’s sheriff was Democrat, I think it’s time to give the other side a chance with how bad Scott Israel was, and Gregory Tony was just an emergency fill in,” Belliveau said.
Israel faced a lot of heat for the mass shootings that took place during his time as Broward Sheriff, including the Stoneman Douglas shooting and the Fort Lauderdale airport shooting that took place in 2017. These events had Broward County residents split on whether Israel should stay or go. When the Sun Sentinel asked their readers if Israel should be reinstated from his suspension given by Gov. DeSantis, the results were 50–50. Tony filled in for Israel and ultimately kept the position as Broward Sheriff.
There are other Broward County residents who believe Tony is the right person for sheriff, such as David Brown, 46.
“Sheriff Tony has a very diverse approach towards community policing in which he has been dispersing in several avenues in regards to evidence based practices towards community policing to social initiatives that focus on the community,” Brown wrote in a Facebook message. Brown, a 15-year veteran officer in law enforcement, highlights that Tony’s community work is crucial, and is one of the main reasons why he is voting for Tony. “Sheriff Tony is the only sheriff’s office in the state that has a neighborhood enhancement team that provides a number of services to their community,” Brown said. “Overall his diversity he has displayed is the reason why I support him.”
Update: Sun Sentinel has declared Gregory Tony the winner at 8:49 PM on Election Day.
