$500k Boosts Broward Sheriff Tony’s Campaign

BY BUDDY NEVINS

Suddenly it’s a big money race for Broward sheriff. 

Hedge fund mogul S. Donald Sussman has given $500,000 to Tony’s campaign.

The owner of a home in Fort Lauderdale on the tax rolls for $33 million, Sussman has put a lot of money into Florida campaigns in the past. Many of those he chose have been losers. 

S. Donald Sussman outside his house

Now Sussman has chosen Tony. 

Tony was appointed by a Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. He replaced the elected Democrat, Sheriff Scott Israel.

DeSantis removed Israel, accusing him of numerous mistakes in the response to the Parkland school mass shooting. 

Running to recapture his seat, Israel has based a great deal of his campaign on the accusation that Tony is a phony Democrat appointed by a Republican. 

The attention-grabbing donation from one of the nation’s biggest Democratic donors immediately gives Tony the Democratic cred he so badly needs. 

Sussman won his Democratic cred the old fashioned way. He paid for it. 

He gave the largest contribution to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign at $22 million and gave $1.5 million to Andrew Gillum’s 2018 race for governor.  Both lost, so the money didn’t accomplish its goal. 

Sussman also gave $300,000 to the 2018 Democratic state House campaign of Emma Collum.  It was another bad bet. 

Collum lost to the GOP’s Chip LaMarca in the Fort Lauderdale-based beachfront district, which encompasses Sussman’s sprawling waterfront house on Harborage Isle Drive in Fort Lauderdale.

Sussman’s money comes from the Paloma Fund, a private hedge fund with an estimated $3 billion in assets. He moved to Fort Lauderdale several years ago, bought his home, expanded it by buying neighboring waterfront lots and opened an office on Las Olas Boulevard. He calls himself a financial advisor or variations of that occupation on government records of his many contributions.

Two of those contributions — $55,400 in 2018 — went to Floridian for Accountability, a political committee operated by consultant Amy Rose. Rose’s committee mailed “inflammatory” attack ads to benefit Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis’ 2018 campaign, according to the Sun-Sentinel. 

In the funhouse mirror world of political consultants, Rose benefitted from Sussman’s money then. Now she is running Scott Israel’s campaign against Sussman’s candidate Tony. 

Sussman’s money will no doubt allow Tony to introduce himself on broadcast television, which is expensive because ad buyers have to pay for Miami-Dade as well as Broward. The sheriff has a made-for-television Officer Friendly name that is perfect for broadcast ads— Sheriff Tony.   

The $500,000 should also encourage other deep-pocketed Democrats to contribute to Tony. And DeSantis will undoubtedly put his arm on his Republican friends for donations to the cop he appointed. 

It is doubtful that Israel will be able to amass as much money as Tony. 

Tony’s money advantage does not necessarily mean he will win.  There have been countywide candidates who won with much less cash than their opponents. 

Why did Sussman donate the money?  We couldn’t reach him. 

The Miami Herald, which broke this story, quotes Sussman as saying that Tony “was brought to my attention by local law enforcement. He is highly driven. He is low ego … The governor did a spectacular job finding him and appointing him.”




6 Responses to “$500k Boosts Broward Sheriff Tony’s Campaign”

  1. right wing says:

    if tony could distance himself from this liberal shill and dale holeness i could support him but………

  2. Tommy Valence says:

    No matter which way you look at it, the removal of the rightfully elected sheriff Scott Israel was a coup by Republicans to overturn the election.

  3. No accountability says:

    Floridians for Accountability status is “revoked”. A long list of audit failures, errors, ommmissions and failures to file.

    Sorensen and Trantalis and Glassman were happy to take the money though.

    The 2020 campaign is going to be awesome.

  4. City activist Robert Walsh says:

    #3.This is why if I decide to run for elected office I will not take one dime from any PAC,any individual,etc.One man show.Oh and by the way to those elected officials above mentioned concerning if I run that as an ex-felon that( get this) just because u now have the right to vote doesn’t mean u can run for elected office.Watch me….

  5. Broward Voter says:

    A vote for Gregory Tony is a vote for Donald Trump. Out with Tony Trump. We want our elected Sheriff back.

  6. Just sayin' says:

    Scott Israel can send his BSO uniforms to the cleaners as I’m betting he is re-elected in 2020. Seems current sherrif over ruled unanimous decision of advisory board and fired the white cop who banged kids head into pavement back in April at a McDonalds in Tamarac. Cops shouldn t do that in the age of cell phones but the board did not recommend firing. Just saying.