On Thursday, former Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel challenged his suspension in a petition filed in Broward County Circuit Court. His claim: Gov. Ron DeSantis exceeded his legal authority when ousting Israel from office.
The petition says “DeSantis engineered a political power play that interferes with the right of the public to determine their elected officials.” Israel is entitled to reinstatement, the petition states.
Stuart Kaplan, an attorney representing Israel, said DeSantis’ latest comments in his State of the State address Tuesday motivated the lawsuit.
DeSantis said any senator who would vote to reinstate Israel would “thumb his nose” at the families who lost loved ones in the Parkland school shooting. The Florida Senate is responsible for upholding or reversing the governor’s suspension order.
DeSantis replaced Israel on Jan. 11 after the outcry and outrage to the Sheriff Office’s response to the mass killing at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on Feb. 14, 2018.