Broward Sheriff's Office abruptly fires second-in-command after sheriff spoke at Pompano Beach meeting
Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony said in a Pompano Beach meeting for the city to consider splitting with BSO that he has terminated 200 employees in his 7-year tenure, and he added one more name to the list after the meeting.
Colonel Nichole Anderson, his undersheriff and second in command, was terminated in a brief phone call after the sheriff left the meeting.
When reached, Anderson said she could not talk about what happened as she was going through the work separation process.
Anderson has been with BSO for 30 years - starting on road patrol and working her way up, becoming the first African American woman in the department to achieve one of the highest ranks in its history.
The move comes as the sheriff begins another delicate dance with Pompano Beach over whether to stay with BSO or create a standalone department.
The city commissioned a study last fall to compare costs after the sheriff put in a new contract proposal for 2026 that increased the city's cost by over 6 million dollars, according to the city.
Pompano is currently under a one-year contract extension with BSO.
This is not the first time a city has split with BSO
Increased costs and a contentious negotiation process led to Deerfield Beach breaking away from BSO.
In a presentation Tuesday night, a consultant told the commission that forming a standalone department will cost hundreds of millions in start-up costs and
The yearly cost to operate would exceed the current BSO estimate.
Clearly pleased, Sheriff Tony congratulated commissioners on their due diligence and said, "Whatever you decide, we will support this city until the last day."
The sheriff also pledged to get to the bottom of an incident last month in Pompano Beach when BSO deputies were seen on video kicking and pinning Jeremyah Taylor, 22, to the ground in a takedown.
His mother, Tamara Taylor, told commissioners she wants accountability.
"For 42 days, I have replayed kick after kick after kick. When I close my eyes, I can still picture it," she said
The sheriff told the family that an investigation is underway into the incident.
"Let me go through the process, and you will have justice," he said
When asked about Colonel Anderson's termination, the sheriff issued this statement:
"One constant in public safety is change to improve services provided to the public. I'm constantly strategically thinking about what we're doing and how we're doing as an agency serving the residents and visitors in Broward County. Working with my executive command staff, I made some structural organizational changes. As part of this restructuring, Col. Steve Robson has been appointed as the Broward Sheriff's Office's new undersheriff, effective immediately."