Union officials blasted recommendations to fire ten Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) deputies over a Tamarac triple homicide. The International Union Of Police Associations (IUPA) Local 6020 condemned the recommendations made by the BSO Professional Standards Committee to terminate the deputies in a letter Friday afternoon. Earlier this week, REDBROWARD first reported the PSC findings from its investigation to deputies conduct surrounding the murders of Mary Gingles, David Ponzer and Andrew Ferrin in February 2025.
In its letter, Union president Dan Rakofsky blasted “this biased disciplinary process and this scapegoating of our members in the pursuit of public relations goals.” He said the deputies’ due process rights were continuously violated due to a February press conference by Sheriff Gregory Tony.
“These excessive punishments demonstrate an overreaction by the Sheriff, where gaps in the agency’s capabilities have been exposed, along with many systemic and institutional processes in need of better oversight and/or revision,” Rakofsky said. “Employees who have dedicated their lives to protecting this community throughout their police careers have been sacrificed as political cover for the failures of the systems and processes of the agency at large.”
“This is an overreaction for public effect that does nothing to prevent the next tragedy. The termination of many of these heroes does nothing to make the people of Broward County safer,” he said.
Rakofsky vowed to vigorously defend his members as this process continues.
Days after REDBROWARD revealed the Broward Teachers Union (BTU) failed to achieve automatic union certification with less than sixty percent of dues paying membership, President Anna Fusco has finally addressed the matter. On Monday, BTU promised a forthcoming coming email from Fusco would “clear up the fake news” about the decertification process. During a School Board workshop on Tuesday, David Azzarito, the District’s Chief People Person, confirmed BTU (and its Units) failed to be automatically certified.
So much for “fake news.”
On Wednesday, Fusco sent an email to teachers. In the email, Fusco attacked School Board Members Torey Alston and Brenda Fam by name.
Fusco wrote, “Torey Alston, along with anti-worker Board Member Brenda Fam, is spreading misinformation about the BTU and the upcoming PERC elections. We are not surprised that these two continue to attack educators and support staff.”
Neither Alston nor Fam plays any role in the union certification process. By Florida law, the certification and recertification processes are done by the Florida Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC).
Here is Anna Fusco’s entire email:
As many of you may have heard, fresh off of his resounding defeat, Torey Alston, along with anti-worker Board Member Brenda Fam, is spreading misinformation about the BTU and the upcoming PERC elections. We are not surprised that these two continue to attack educators and support staff.
These are the same people who:
• Voted against your salary increases and later, even tried to take : Contrue to tree tooth and nay:
Voted against referendum money, and to deny salary increases to
Now, they want you to leave the only union that fought AGAINST all of this. Hmm, I wonder why they want to get rid of the BTU….
It is true that under anti-union legislation passed in 2023, certain unions representing public works in Florida must report their membership rate on a yearly basis, and if their membership is below a super-majority of 60%, they must petition for an election with the Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC).
PERC is processing the BU’s petitions and elections will soon be hold.
No determination has yet been made about whether those elections will be conducted on-site or by mail ballots.
But let’s be clear – the BTU has not been decertified.
BTU remains the certified bargaining representative of all four units – Education Professionals (EP), Education Support Professionals (ESP), and Technical Support Professionals (TSP), supervisory and non-supervisory personnel.
Because we are united, have contracts, and are represented by the BTU, management cannot unilaterally change benefits, or other terms and conditions employment.
Your contracts remain in full force and effect and all of your rights and benefits remain secure.
It’s undeniable that anti-union politicians are working hard to silence our voices, but we will not allow them to succeed. Now, more than ever, we must stand united and ensure that our union remains strong by boosting our membership. Our strength lies in our numbers, and by standing together, we protect our careers, our contracts, and the future of our profession.
Voting to keep BTU as our bargaining representative is not just a choice; it’s a necessity to safeguard everything we’ve fought for.
A “yes” vote keeps BTU strong, while a “no” vote doesn’t just weaken us—it removes the ability for ANY union to represent us.
A “no” vote means no other union, leaving us all unprotected and vulnerable to exploitation. We cannot, and will not, allow teachers to become ununionized and stripped of their collective power.
This is our moment to rally our colleagues, encourage them to join BTU, and show that we are an unbreakable force. Together, our voice is powerful, and our unity is our greatest strength!
Websites store cookies to enhance functionality and personalise your experience. You can manage your preferences, but blocking some cookies may impact site performance and services.
Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the proper function of the website.
Name
Description
Duration
Cookie Preferences
This cookie is used to store the user's cookie consent preferences.
