Official recommends sheriff suspended after Parkland shooting be reinstated

A Florida Senate special investigator is recommending that Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel be reinstated after his suspension due to alleged negligence during the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. 

Special Master Dudley Goodlette said in a Wednesday report that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) did not adequately prove the suspension charges following the 2018 attack, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported on Wednesday. The full state Senate will decide if Israel gets his job back in October.

“Sheriff Israel and [the Broward Sheriff’s Office] are not blameless for the tragedy at Stoneman Douglas,” the report read, according to local TV station WSVN. “I agree with the MSD Commission that mistakes were made and areas should be improved. That said, the evidence offered has not demonstrated that Sheriff Israel should be removed from the office based on this incident.”

{mosads}Goodlette described the high school shooting in Parkland as “a culmination of individual failures,” WSVN reported.

DeSantis suspended Israel in January, accusing him of incompetent and negligent actions. Several relatives of shooting victims from the high school attended the announcement of the suspension and supported the governor’s decision, the Sun Sentinel reported.

Scot Peterson, the first deputy on the scene of the Parkland shooting, which left 17 dead, resigned after failing to either enter the building or confront the shooter.

“The rule of law has prevailed,” Israel said a statement after the special master’s decision was made public. “I humbly ask the Florida Senate to approve my reinstatement, so I can continue to serve all Broward County as the people’s elected Sheriff.” 

The Hill has reached out to DeSantis’s office and Goodlette for comment.