Florida man picked by GOP governor to be Broward Sheriff admits to fatal shooting as a teen: report

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is facing yet another political scandal after a blockbuster new report.

"Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony shot and killed a man when he was a teenager living in a poor urban neighborhood in Philadelphia, according to records and interviews with family members of the dead man," the Florida Bulldog reported Saturday. "Tony, 41, kept the May 3, 1993 killing secret for years."

The sheriff reportedly admitted to the killing.

“When I was 14 years old, growing up in a neighborhood in Philadelphia filled with violence and gang activity, I shot an armed man in self-defense. The juvenile authorities reviewed my actions and cleared my name,” he wrote in an email. “This was the most difficult and painful experience of my life and I have never spoken of it publicly. I worked every day from that time forward to leave the violence that surrounded me in Philadelphia behind.”

The Bulldog noted that the dead man's girlfriend says he was not armed.

"Tony did not disclose his Philadelphia arrest on murder and firearms charges on forms he filled out to become a law-enforcement officer in Coral Springs more than a decade ago. He also apparently kept the matter under wraps early last year when Gov. Ron DeSantis chose him to replace Sheriff Scott Israel," the Bulldog noted.

Tony has been facing political troubles.

"Tony has been roundly criticized in recent weeks by vocal members of the Sheriff’s Office, including deputies’ union president Jeff Bell," the Sun-Sentinel reported. "On April 20, the deputies union overwhelmingly voted that it has no confidence in Tony as Sheriff."