Broward Mayor Launches Probe of Sheriff Gregory Tony's Spending as County Budget Feud Escalates

Broward County Mayor Mark Bogen announced Friday, Oct. 9, that the county will investigate how Sheriff Gregory Tony spends the Broward Sheriff's Office budget, the latest and sharpest turn in a months-long fight between the County Commission and the elected sheriff over money, oversight and control of public safety in South Florida.

The probe will be run through the County Auditor's office and will begin with public records requests seeking a detailed accounting of BSO spending, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported. Bogen said he is prepared to take the sheriff to court if the agency does not turn over the records.

What the county wants to see

Bogen has argued that existing audits of BSO show only totals and not how individual dollars were spent. In remarks reported by CBS News Miami, he questioned whether money goes to law enforcement or to "massages, cold plunges, saunas" and other amenities he said have nothing to do with policing.

His main target is the gym at BSO's Research, Development and Training Center, which he compared to a luxury spa. Bogen accused Tony of opening the facility to personal friends, the Sun Sentinel reported, and said he plans to visit the gym on Monday to see for himself how the money was spent. He did not offer evidence for the allegation that friends used the facility.

Commissioner Lamar Fisher told WSVN that $4.5 million tied to the training center should have gone to deputy pay instead. Commissioner Michael Udine said Tony has not appeared before the commission to discuss his budget since May.

Tony fires back

Tony declined interviews and answered on social media. In a video, he said BSO has been audited repeatedly, that the agency keeps every receipt and that commissioners learned about the training center's cold plunge and sauna from a county audit two years ago. He called the commissioners' criticism a "hit piece" that recycled a 2024 attack, according to WSVN.

In a statement, Tony told Bogen he was welcome to file a false complaint with the Statewide Prosecutor or the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, a pointed reference to a criminal subpoena Bogen received in September. Tony also said in a social media post that he would welcome the FBI to come in if needed, CBS News Miami reported. BSO said it would not discuss details of the county's investigation on the advice of legal counsel.

WSVN noted that as a constitutional officer, Tony has limited legal obligation to comply with the county's request beyond what Florida's public records law requires.

The training center at the heart of the fight

The facility Bogen is targeting has been a flashpoint before. A 2024 report by the Broward County Office of the County Auditor found the training center's cost had grown from an initial BSO estimate of $34 million to an expected $73.7 million, according to NBC 6. The audit counted eight change orders worth $22 million, including $7.4 million for a wellness center, and concluded that the project lacked budgetary controls and oversight.

BSO responded at the time by blaming county administration for not acting on change order requests. The center was built between 2021 and 2024.

A budget feud that keeps widening

The investigation follows a run of confrontations over BSO's budget. Bogen said the commission approved an $885 million budget for BSO in September, about $50 million less than the sheriff requested, and he has accused Tony of already overspending his allocation. Bogen separately cited a figure of $870 million for the sheriff's core budget when announcing the probe.

On Oct. 5, Tony announced he was suspending budget talks with the county, citing an investigation by Florida's Office of Statewide Prosecution into the commission itself. That probe became public in September, when all nine commissioners and several senior county officials were subpoenaed. It followed the commission's approval of feasibility studies on creating county-run law enforcement for Port Everglades and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, services BSO now provides. Commissioners have said they did nothing wrong.

The next day, commissioners unanimously voted to indefinitely defer a $5.8 million BSO budget supplement for dispatch salaries, WLRN reported. County Attorney Annika Ashton told commissioners Tony was not entitled to the money for that service.

The county has also moved to strip functions from BSO. Commissioners voted in September to end the county's 25-year fire rescue arrangement with the sheriff, and on Oct. 6 they directed county administration to develop a plan to move regional 911 call-taking and dispatch from BSO to the county.

The recent sequence of events, as reported by WLRN, CBS News Miami and the Sun Sentinel:

The state appeal still hanging over the dispute

Tony has already taken the money fight to Tallahassee once. In November 2025, he appealed his previous budget to the state Administration Commission, made up of the governor and Cabinet, seeking about $73 million more than the county allocated. He said the money was needed for across-the-board raises to keep BSO competitive at a time when law enforcement and fire rescue applications have slumped.

In its response, the county accused Tony of financial mismanagement, saying he moved money away from salaries to pay for preferred projects, including the training center. A hearing set for February was canceled, Florida Bulldog reported, and no ruling on the appeal has been reported. Florida Bulldog also reported in June that the state's DOGE office ordered Tony to turn over financial records.

Why it matters for Broward residents

BSO is one of the largest line items in Broward's budget and provides policing under contract to many of the county's cities, along with jail operations and, for now, regional 911 dispatch. The outcome of the feud will shape who answers emergency calls, who patrols the port and airport, and how much property tax money flows to the sheriff.

The fight also sits atop two state-level reviews: the Statewide Prosecutor's investigation of the commission and Tony's pending budget appeal before the governor and Cabinet. Either could reshape the balance of power between the county and its elected sheriff.

What's next

The County Auditor's office will send public records requests to BSO, and Bogen has said he will go to court if the agency does not comply. He plans to tour the training center gym on Monday. County staff are expected to report on the fire rescue and 911 transition by the commission's next regular meeting on Oct. 20, according to WLRN. Tony has said he will not comment on investigative details while the Statewide Prosecutor's case continues.