State Prosecutor Targets Airport Power Play

Florida’s top prosecutors sent subpoenas to every single member of Broward County’s government, and the sheriff’s own deputies delivered them.

Story Snapshot

Florida’s Office of Statewide Prosecution subpoenaed the entire Broward County Commission and senior staff.
The probe follows the county’s review of whether to remove the Broward Sheriff’s Office from the airport and seaport.
A hired consultant found an independent airport police force “feasible,” though it stopped short of a full recommendation.
Commissioners say the push was about controlling costs, not punishing the sheriff’s performance.
Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies were the ones who physically served the subpoenas.

Entire Commission Served With Legal Papers

Florida’s Office of Statewide Prosecution issued subpoenas to every sitting Broward County commissioner in early September 2026. The subpoenas also went to County Administrator Monica Cepero and other senior leaders. A report described the move as a “sweeping investigation” into county government, with Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies carrying out the actual delivery of the legal documents to commissioners and staff.

Local outlets confirmed the subpoenas tie directly to the commission’s ongoing review of law enforcement at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Port Everglades. That review has been building for months, as commissioners debated whether the county should keep paying the sheriff’s office to patrol two of its most valuable pieces of public property.

County Weighed Ending Its Deal With the Sheriff

Broward County hired the consulting firm Jensen Hughes to study whether the county could safely take over policing at the airport and seaport itself. The consultant told commissioners in September 2026 that building an independent police force was “feasible” and would likely fall within the cost range of similar agencies elsewhere. Still, the report urged more study before any final decision, citing staffing and transition risks.

County records show administrators had already been coordinating with outside consultants on this question well before the subpoenas landed. In a legislative filing, Cepero told commissioners the county was finalizing the scope of that review, covering the airport, seaport, and related services. That paper trail is now central to what state prosecutors are examining.

Commissioners Say It’s About Cost, Not Performance

Commissioners have repeatedly said the push to explore a split from the Broward Sheriff’s Office was never about the agency doing a bad job protecting the airport. At a May 2026 workshop, officials stressed the interest in change came from wanting more control over how taxpayer money gets spent on security services, not from any complaint about how deputies handled the job.

That distinction matters because it shapes how the subpoenas should be read. The commission was engaged in a public, months-long budget and governance review, complete with public workshops and a 53-page consultant report presented openly to elected officials. Nothing in the public record so far shows commissioners hiding their intentions from voters or the sheriff’s office.

Why a Statewide Prosecutor Gets Involved

Florida’s Office of Statewide Prosecution normally steps into cases that cross judicial circuit lines or involve organized schemes touching multiple jurisdictions. Its decision to subpoena an entire county commission over a policing contract review signals prosecutors believe something in that process may cross legal lines, even though no charges have been filed and the investigation remains open.

Turf fights between county governments and sheriff’s offices over control of airports and ports are not new. Similar battles have played out in cities like Boston, where state and local police clashed for years over jurisdiction at Logan Airport and the Seaport district. Those disputes show how high-value public assets often become flashpoints for power struggles between agencies that both want control and the budget that comes with it.

For now, Broward County residents are left watching two things happen at once: an elected commission publicly debating who should protect their airport and port, and a state investigation quietly examining whether that same debate involved any wrongdoing. Both processes remain unresolved, and no commissioner has been charged with a crime.