FALLOUT

Florida Senate Votes to Remove Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel After Parkland Massacre

Sheriff Scott Israel has faced criticism for his force’s response to the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

The Florida senate voted to permanently remove Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel on Wednesday, The Sun-Sentinel reports. The state senate voted 25-15 to remove Israel, who many believe mishandled last year's mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The vote was mostly along party lines, with Republicans reportedly backing Gov. Ron DeSantis' decision to suspend Israel in January. Most Democrats voted to keep Israel in his role, including the five senators belonging to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School's county. The vote reportedly wasn't a shock, particularly after the Senate Rules Committee recommended that Israel be removed earlier this week.

Israel was slammed for his and his deputies' disorganized response to the 2018 Parkland massacre at the hands of shooter Nikolas Cruz, who allegedly killed 17 people. Deputies reportedly told officials investigating the shooting that they couldn't remember the last time they were trained to handle an active shooter situation, despite the uptick in school shootings that occurred prior to the Parkland shooting.