FLORIDA BULLDOG Watchdog News You Can Sink Your Teeth Into
PRESS RELEASE — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: March 25, 2026 Source: FloridaBulldog.org — Independent Nonprofit Watchdog Journalism
Florida Bulldog, South Florida’s premier independent nonprofit investigative news organization, continues its vital mission of watchdog journalism with another remarkable collection of public-interest investigations. From the inner workings of the Broward Sheriff’s Office to a school safety tech executive’s bribery arrest, from a Trump campaign operative threatening a sitting judge to the Florida Bar’s decision to shield a prominent political figure from professional accountability — the four stories below demonstrate exactly why independent, nonprofit investigative journalism remains essential to a functioning democracy. Readers are encouraged to visit FloridaBulldog.org for the full reporting and to support this work with a tax-deductible contribution.
Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony Fires His Undersheriff — Reportedly Fearing She Would Run Against Him in 2028
By Dan Christensen | FloridaBulldog.org | February 25, 2026
In a story that sent shockwaves through the Broward County law enforcement community, Florida Bulldog editor and founder Dan Christensen broke the news that Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony abruptly fired his longtime second-in-command, Undersheriff Nichole Anderson, along with two members of her staff — and that the reason, according to police sources, had nothing to do with performance or misconduct. Instead, Tony reportedly acted because he had heard that Anderson was privately considering a run against him in the 2028 sheriff’s race.
The sudden firings unfolded on a Tuesday night, catching the Broward Sheriff’s Office off guard. By the following midday Wednesday, Anderson’s photograph and official biography had already been scrubbed from the Executive Command Staff page on BSO’s website — a move that underscored just how swift and deliberate the purge was. Also fired alongside Anderson were Sharon Hayes, her longtime civilian aide and a veteran BSO employee, and Captain Jamie Smith, who served as Anderson’s driver. None of the three were given public explanations for their terminations.
Anderson, who did not respond to a request for comment before Florida Bulldog’s publication deadline, had served as undersheriff for years under Tony and was widely regarded within BSO as one of the most capable and experienced executives in the agency. Her removal was seen by many within the department as a deeply political act — the kind of preemptive strike by an incumbent official who prioritizes self-preservation over institutional stability and morale.
In Anderson’s place, Tony elevated Col. Steve Robson, a 29-year BSO veteran who had previously held the titles of Chief Deputy and colonel overseeing BSO’s Department of Law Enforcement. Robson’s appointment was almost immediately overshadowed, however, when Florida Bulldog’s follow-up reporting revealed additional turbulence at the agency. Shortly after Robson’s promotion, he was involved in a physical confrontation with a suspect in the BSO Finance Department — a development that quickly became known inside the department as the “patty cake” case, generating its own wave of internal debate about how command staff handle use-of-force situations.
The bloodletting at BSO did not stop with Anderson, Hayes, and Smith. Florida Bulldog’s continued reporting revealed that Tony subsequently fired Col. Andrew Dunbar, a veteran BSO employee who had been with the agency for nearly 34 years and whom Tony had promoted to colonel as recently as 2024. Dunbar’s photograph and biography were also removed from the BSO website, reinforcing the pattern of swift erasure that accompanied Tony’s purge of senior staff.
The firings raise significant questions about leadership, institutional culture, and the use of law enforcement command authority for political purposes. Broward County’s sheriff is one of the most powerful elected offices in South Florida, overseeing a large and complex agency that serves over two million residents. When a sheriff fires senior staff members not for cause but to eliminate potential political competition, it signals a troubling prioritization of personal political survival over the operational interests of the agency and the communities it serves.
Florida Bulldog’s exclusive reporting on this story — breaking ahead of every other outlet in South Florida — reflects the depth of the newsroom’s sourcing within the region’s law enforcement community and its unwavering commitment to covering those who wield public power, regardless of political affiliation. The story has generated thousands of views and significant public commentary, with many readers expressing concern about the precedent set by Tony’s actions and the potential chilling effect on other BSO employees who might consider public service in an elected capacity.
SaferWatch CEO’s New York Bribery Arrest Sends Florida Sheriffs, Police Chiefs, and School Officials Scrambling
By Dan Christensen | FloridaBulldog.org | February 14, 2026
In a story with sweeping implications for school safety technology contracting across Florida, Florida Bulldog has reported that the arrest of SaferWatch’s CEO on federal bribery charges in New York has sent law enforcement agencies, school districts, and county officials throughout the state into a state of alarm. SaferWatch is a widely used school and public safety app that has secured contracts with numerous Florida sheriffs’ offices, police departments, and school systems — making the arrest of its chief executive a significant and unsettling development for the public institutions that have come to rely on its technology.
The federal bribery arrest, which originated in New York, alleges that the SaferWatch CEO engaged in corrupt conduct to secure government contracts — the very type of contracts that have made the company a fixture in Florida’s school safety landscape in the years since the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland prompted a wave of state-mandated investment in campus security technology. Florida law now requires school districts to implement robust safety reporting and alert systems, and SaferWatch’s app has been among the tools deployed to meet those requirements in multiple counties.
Florida Bulldog’s reporting identifies a notable connection in the SaferWatch story: Miami lobbyist Rodney Barreto, who is identified as having ties to the company, is also co-chair of the Miami Host Committee for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Barreto, a well-connected South Florida political figure, has long operated at the intersection of business, lobbying, and civic leadership. His proximity to the SaferWatch controversy adds another dimension to a story that already touches multiple layers of Florida’s political and institutional establishment.
For Florida’s sheriffs, police chiefs, and school superintendents who entered contracts with SaferWatch, the CEO’s arrest creates immediate practical and political headaches. Government officials must now assess whether the contracts they signed were procured through improper means, whether they are legally exposed, and whether continuing to use SaferWatch’s platform is appropriate while federal criminal proceedings are underway. In some jurisdictions, officials have reportedly begun reviewing their procurement records and consulting with legal counsel.
The SaferWatch story is a reminder of the vulnerabilities inherent in government technology contracting, particularly in high-stakes domains like school safety where the urgency of post-tragedy reforms can create pressure to move quickly — and perhaps less rigorously than due diligence requires. When public agencies sign contracts with technology vendors in the wake of tragedies, the political pressure to “do something” can override the careful vetting processes that protect taxpayers and institutions from corrupt actors.
Florida Bulldog’s coverage connects a federal criminal case in New York to the daily realities of school safety in South Florida — a connection that required the kind of patient, multi-source reporting that Florida Bulldog’s experienced journalists are uniquely equipped to provide. The SaferWatch CEO’s arrest is not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of corruption risks in government technology procurement documented across the country. Florida Bulldog’s reporting ensures Florida officials and their constituents know how their public safety investments were secured — and whether those investments were tainted by fraud from the start.
Trump Campaign Spokesman Jason Miller Accused of Criminally Threatening a Miami-Dade Judge in Paternity Battle
By Francisco Alvarado | FloridaBulldog.org | February 16, 2026
In a story that has captured national attention, Florida Bulldog reporter Francisco Alvarado has revealed that Jason Miller — the Washington, D.C. lobbyist and veteran spokesman for all three of Donald Trump’s presidential campaigns — is accused of criminally threatening a Miami-Dade Circuit Court judge. The threat caused Judge Spencer Multack to recuse himself from Miller’s long-running paternity case, and it is the latest extraordinary development in a legal saga that has wound through multiple judicial districts spawning accusations of bias, conflicts of interest, and now alleged judicial intimidation.
The paternity dispute has its origins in 2016, when Miller — who was married — had an affair with Arlene “AJ” Delgado, a Hispanic outreach director for the Trump campaign. Delgado became pregnant, and since the birth of their now 7-year-old son William, the two have been locked in a bitter and at times sensational legal battle over child support. Miller, who has continued to hold a prominent role in Trump’s political orbit and now operates as a lobbyist in Washington, has reportedly been unwilling to meet Delgado’s child support demands.
The case itself has become a legal odyssey. Before landing before Judge Multack in Miami-Dade Circuit Court in 2021, it had passed through a rotating carousel of judges across three separate judicial districts, each recusal or reassignment driven by conflicts of interest or claims of bias. The sheer number of judicial turnovers in the case is itself unusual and speaks to the difficulty courts have had managing a dispute involving a figure with Miller’s political connections and combative legal strategy.
Florida Bulldog’s reporting details how the situation with Judge Multack escalated to the point where the judge felt it necessary to step down from the case entirely. The accusation that Miller criminally threatened a sitting judge is an extraordinarily serious allegation — one that, if substantiated, could constitute a criminal offense under Florida and federal law. Threatening a judicial officer to influence the outcome of proceedings strikes at the foundation of an independent judiciary and the rule of law.
The story’s national significance is amplified by Miller’s role as one of the most prominent figures in Trump’s political world. As a senior spokesman and advisor across three presidential campaigns, Miller has been a ubiquitous presence on cable news. The allegations that he threatened a judge in a private family law matter paint a picture of a man who may believe his political connections insulate him from the normal consequences that would flow from such conduct.
Alvarado’s work on this story involved close review of court filings, judicial recusal orders, and records from the three judicial districts through which the case has traveled. This is the kind of painstaking, court-focused reporting for which Florida Bulldog has earned a national reputation over more than a decade. When individuals in positions of political power are alleged to have threatened members of the judiciary, the integrity of the entire legal system is at risk — and Florida Bulldog’s reporting ensures the public has the information it needs to hold them accountable.
Florida Bar Closes Case Against Matt Gaetz, Ruling That Statutory Rape Has No Bearing on Fitness to Practice Law
By Noreen Marcus | FloridaBulldog.org | January 2026
In a decision that has drawn widespread outrage and renewed scrutiny of Florida’s attorney discipline system, Florida Bulldog reporter Noreen Marcus has exposed that the Florida Bar quietly closed its case against former Congressman Matt Gaetz — President Trump’s original nominee for U.S. Attorney General — despite a congressional finding that Gaetz had committed statutory rape. The Bar’s grievance committee concluded that even if the congressional report’s findings were accurate, statutory rape had no connection to Gaetz’s fitness to practice law and therefore warranted no disciplinary action against his Florida law license.
The decision, communicated in a letter dated August 15, 2025 and signed by Casey Pless Waterhouse, chair of the Bar’s grievance committee, stated that the closure of the case was explicitly not based on a determination that the House report’s findings were inaccurate. In other words, the Florida Bar did not dispute the substance of the congressional findings — it simply concluded that personal moral offenses, including alleged crimes, do not bear on an attorney’s professional competence unless directly connected to the practice of law.
The distinction the Florida Bar drew — between offenses of “personal morality” and those that “indicate characteristics relevant to law practice” — has been met with sharp criticism from legal ethics scholars and public advocates. Critics argue that the Bar’s reasoning creates a dangerous loophole: if an attorney’s alleged criminal conduct in their personal life is deemed categorically irrelevant to their professional fitness, it effectively means that serious moral and legal transgressions carry no professional consequences as long as they occur outside the courtroom.
The Florida Bar’s admission standards require an extensive character background check for prospective attorneys. The Bar’s own criteria have historically included assessments of whether an applicant’s personal conduct and any alleged crimes reflect on their character. The decision to dismiss the Gaetz complaint without discipline appears to create a contradiction between how the Bar evaluates law students seeking admission and how it evaluates practicing attorneys accused of serious misconduct.
Gaetz, who represented Florida’s 1st Congressional District before withdrawing from consideration for U.S. Attorney General amid renewed scrutiny of the House Ethics Committee’s findings, holds a Florida law license. The House Ethics Committee’s investigation detailed serious allegations including drug use and sexual misconduct involving minors. The committee’s final report, released publicly, provided the basis for the Florida Bar complaint that has now been dismissed.
Florida Bulldog reporter Noreen Marcus has developed deep expertise in Florida Bar accountability over years of covering the intersection of politics, law, and professional discipline in Florida. Her reporting on the Gaetz case connects directly to Florida Bulldog’s earlier coverage of Attorney General Pam Bondi’s efforts to extend Bar discipline immunity to DOJ lawyers — painting a broader picture of a Florida attorney discipline system that consistently finds ways to protect politically connected lawyers from consequences that would fall squarely on ordinary attorneys. Florida Bulldog’s reporting ensures this consequential decision does not go unexamined.
ABOUT FLORIDA BULLDOG
Florida Bulldog is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization dedicated to serving the public interest across South Florida and the state of Florida. Founded by award-winning journalist Dan Christensen — a veteran of The Miami Herald and Daily Business Review — Florida Bulldog is staffed by experienced professional journalists whose work has resulted in criminal indictments, government reform, and landmark court decisions.
As a federally tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, Florida Bulldog relies entirely on the generosity of readers, donors, and foundations who believe that independent watchdog journalism is essential to democracy. There are no advertisers influencing coverage, no corporate owners, and no political patrons — only a commitment to the truth.
To read full stories and explore the complete archive, visit: www.FloridaBulldog.org
To make a tax-deductible donation and support this work: Donate to Florida Bulldog — Support Watchdog Journalism Today
CONTACT INFORMATION
For general inquiries: Mail@floridabulldog.org
Editor and Founder: Dan Christensen dchristensen@floridabulldog.org Phone: 954-603-1351
Director of Development: Kitty Barran kbarran@floridabulldog.org Phone: 954-817-3434
Mailing Address: Florida Bulldog P.O. Box 23763 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33307
Florida Bulldog delivers fact-based watchdog reporting as a public service essential to a free and democratic society. Nonprofit · Independent · Nonpartisan · No Fake News © 2026 Florida Bulldog Inc. | FloridaBulldog.org
