Broward County commissioners have unanimously authorized potential legal action against Sheriff Gregory Tony’s office after county officials were denied access to a sheriff’s office training facility, intensifying an ongoing dispute over public spending, financial oversight and control of county-owned property.
The decision, approved during an emergency commission meeting last Tuesday, directs the County Attorney’s Office to pursue any appropriate legal remedies necessary to secure access to county-owned facilities, including the Broward Sheriff’s Office’s Research, Development and Training Center (RDTC). The authorization does not mean a lawsuit has already been filed.
The conflict escalated Monday when County Mayor Mark Bogen and two county commissioners attempted to visit the training center to examine a facility that has raised questions about its construction and operating costs. The group, accompanied by members of the media, was denied entry at the sheriff’s headquarters.
A deputy informed the officials that visits to the facility needed to be arranged in advance through the sheriff’s office.
Bogen argued that the county should have the ability to inspect property it owns and determine how taxpayer dollars are being spent.
“ The taxpayers of Broward County deserve to know how every dollar is being spent,” Bogen said during Tuesday’s meeting.
Sheriff Tony, however, maintains that county commissioners do not have the authority to enter sheriff’s office facilities without prior notice to conduct inspections or audits. He has also accused county leaders of turning the disagreement into a political confrontation.
In a video posted on social media following the commission’s vote, Tony criticized the decision and warned that the dispute could cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“They also don’t have the legal purview to this demand that they can walk into a facility unannounced at any point in time in some type of audit capacity or some inspection capacity. They don’t have that authority,” Tony said.
Tony described the commission’s actions as a political stunt and characterized the effort to gain access as a challenge to the constitutional authority of elected sheriffs.
“An attack on the Sheriff’s constitutional powers and authority will prompt a unified response from all 67 sheriffs,” he said in the video shared on Facebook.
The sheriff added that he was communicating with attorneys from the Florida Sheriffs Association and was awaiting the county’s next move.
Financial Transparency Becomes a Central Issue
The disagreement over access to the training center is part of a larger conflict between the county commission and BSO over the sheriff’s budget, spending practices and the extent of county oversight.
County officials have raised concerns about the agency’s expenditures and whether commissioners have sufficient information to evaluate how public funds are being used.
Last week, Bogen announced plans to direct the county auditor to examine the sheriff’s spending and request additional budget records. He also warned that the county could pursue legal action if the requested information was not voluntarily provided.
Bogen has argued that greater transparency could help resolve the dispute without further escalation.
“Everything stops if they just open their books and say, ‘Here is what we’re spending our money on.’ It’s that simple,” he said.
Commissioner Steve Geller has raised similar concerns, particularly about the total amount of funding BSO receives from sources outside the county government.
Geller said Broward County has allocated approximately $885 million to the sheriff’s office, but commissioners lack a complete accounting of the agency’s funding from state and federal sources.
“We know how much he gets from the county. We know how much he gets from the cities. I don’t know how much he gets from the state, federal government,” Geller said.
Geller also pointed to differences in annual funding increases for BSO compared with other county departments.
According to figures he presented to commissioners, funding for other county agencies increased by 2.7% in 2025, while BSO’s funding grew by 8.7%.
In 2026, allocations for other county agencies declined slightly, while funding for the sheriff’s office increased by 3.1%. For 2027, funding for other county agencies rose by 3.4%, compared with a 6.4% increase for BSO.
The sheriff’s office has maintained that additional funding is necessary to cover employee salary increases and related expenses.
The differing positions have complicated budget discussions between the county and the agency responsible for providing law enforcement and other public safety services.
Sheriff Cites Alleged Criminal Investigation
Tony has also defended his refusal to cooperate with the commission’s demands by citing what he described as an ongoing criminal investigation involving county commissioners and a statewide prosecutor.
The sheriff has referred to the situation as a “cone of silence,” suggesting that the alleged investigation limits his willingness to engage with county officials.
However, Broward County Attorney Annika Ashton said during Tuesday’s emergency meeting that she was unaware of any criminal investigation involving commissioners or county staff.
“Mayor, I’m not aware of any criminal investigation on any of the commissioners or any of our staff,” Ashton told Bogen.
Tony had told reporters Monday that he would not be pressured into allowing county officials into the facility while, in his characterization, county leaders remained under a “massive criminal investigation.”
He also denied allegations surrounding the controversy and said employees who wanted to remove their names from a letter associated with the dispute would not lose their jobs.
The competing statements have added another layer of tension to an already strained relationship between the sheriff and the county commission.
Commissioners Consider Changes to BSO Responsibilities
The disagreement over the training facility comes as county commissioners reconsider which public services should remain under the sheriff’s office.
In September, the commission voted to remove Broward County Fire Rescue from BSO’s control and return the service to county oversight.
Commissioners have also discussed the possibility of transferring additional responsibilities from the sheriff’s office, including airport and seaport security operations and the county’s regional 911 emergency response system.
Those proposals, combined with the dispute over financial records and access to county-owned facilities, have heightened tensions between the two sides.
The county funds a substantial portion of BSO’s operations, making questions about spending, budget increases and accountability central to the disagreement. Broward County’s fiscal year 2027 began Oct. 1, with the sheriff’s office budget reported at approximately $875 million.
The different funding figures cited during the dispute reflect amounts discussed in different contexts and should not necessarily be treated as interchangeable.
Legal Action Remains a Possibility
Tuesday’s unanimous vote gives the County Attorney’s Office the authority to pursue legal options to enforce the county’s claimed rights to access its own facilities.
The next step will depend on whether county attorneys determine that court intervention is necessary and whether the sheriff’s office changes its position on inspections and access.
For now, the commission’s action represents an escalation rather than a completed lawsuit.
If the county proceeds with litigation, the dispute could force a legal examination of the competing claims involving county property ownership, the sheriff’s independent constitutional authority and the commission’s ability to oversee taxpayer-funded operations.
The confrontation also threatens to widen the divide over BSO’s budget and responsibilities, as commissioners seek greater financial transparency and consider shifting certain services back under direct county control.
What began as an attempt to inspect a training facility has evolved into a broader dispute over accountability, government authority and the limits of oversight between Broward County’s elected commission and its sheriff.
