The former Broward County sheriff who was removed from office by the governor because of his agency's response to the Parkland school shooting that left 17 people dead has found a new job as the police chief of Opa-locka.
Opa-locka Interim city manager Darvin Williams named Scott Israel the next chief of police at a ceremony Friday.
"I believe that he brings a lot of history to the force, he brings a lot of gravitas to the city of Opa-locka and he brings a lot of experience about how to address some of the needs and concerns for the safety of our city," Williams said.
Williams said the former sheriff will start Monday and oversee 47 officers. By comparison, Broward's sheriff’s office has about 5,600 employees, including about 2,700 deputies and about 700 firefighters.
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"I look so forward to the opportunities to becoming one team with the citizens of Opa-locka," Israel said.
Gov. Ron DeSantis removed Israel from office in 2019, nearly a year after the February 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
DeSantis appointed Gregory Tony to take over the Broward Sheriff's Office. Tony beat Israel in the Democratic primary for the position last August and went on to win the general election.
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“I won't let you down,” Israel said Friday.
Israel had been hired last year by the Davie Police Department as a traffic infraction enforcement officer, reviewing the footage of red-light cameras.
