Republican DeSantis allies help Democratic Sheriff Gregory Tony raise reelection cash

Anthony Man, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
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Two prominent Broward Republicans — both of whom have strong ties to Gov. Ron DeSantis — are part of a high-wattage group raising money to support Democratic Sheriff Gregory Tony’s reelection.

Shane Strum and George LeMieux have joined forces as hosts of an Oct. 11 fundraiser for Broward First, the political action committee that bankrolled most of Tony’s successful 2020 candidacy, and has been raising money since then on behalf of his 2024 effort.

Because Broward First is a political action committee — instead of his official campaign committee — it can raise and spend unlimited amounts. So far in 2023, nine contributors have given a combined total of $120,000. Two contributions were for $5,000; three were for $25,000.

His actual campaign committee can accept contributions of only $1,000 per person or entity for the primary $1,000 for the general election. Tony didn’t formally establish his campaign committee until Sept. 13, so it hasn’t yet had to file a finance report.

In 2020, his official campaign committee raised and spent $200,000. Broward First raised $1.7 million.

There’s no suggested donation amount on the Broward First fundraising invitation, which invites people to “Join Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony” and the hosts for the event at the home of Michelle and Wael Barsoum in Fort Lauderdale’s tony Las Olas Isles neighborhood.

Broward is overwhelmingly Democratic, which makes Republican DeSantis allies helping the Democratic sheriff raise reelection money noteworthy – but not necessarily shocking.

Tony has described himself as a “lifelong Democrat” who was briefly a registered Republican.

DeSantis appointed Tony as sheriff in 2019 in one of his first major acts after he took office. The Tony appointment came at the same time DeSantis suspended the previous Democratic sheriff, Scott Israel.

Strum, who is CEO of the North Broward Hospital District (which operates hospitals in the northern two-thirds of the county under the brand name Broward Health and is governed by a DeSantis-appointed board) was DeSantis’ first gubernatorial chief of staff co-chairs for the transition from his first to his second term after his 2022 reelection.

LeMieux, who is chairman of the board of birectors of the prominent Florida law firm Gunster, was one of the four co-chairs of DeSantis’ transition team after he was elected to his first term in 2018.

LeMieux and Strum, both former chairs of the Broward Republican Party, have long been political allies. In 2007, it was LeMieux who brought Strum into state government to run an agency, back when LeMieux was the top aide to then-Gov. Charlie Crist.

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Crist, who was a Republican when he was governor from 2007 to 2011, also appointed LeMieux as a U.S. senator, to fill a vacancy. In 2020, LeMieux helped raise money for Tony’s campaign.

“The Sheriff has done an excellent job in reforming and improving the office he was first appointed to by Governor DeSantis. I fully support his work to keep our community safe. Safety is not a partisan issue,” LeMieux said Thursday via email.

Strum and representatives of Tony’s campaign weren’t immediately available.

Other hosts of the fundraiser for Tony’s Broward First PAC include the Barsoums, whose home is the location of the fundraiser. Both are registered to vote with no party affiliation.

Wael Barsoum, a physician and orthopedic surgeon, is a 2021 DeSantis appointee to the state Board of Medicine, which licenses and disciplines medical doctors.

Barsoum is president and chief transformation officer of HOPCo, formerly known as Healthcare Outcomes Performance Co. Previously he was CEO of Cleveland Clinic.

Other Republican hosts for the fundraiser are Brady Cobb and Philip DeBiasi.

In 2020 DeSantis appointed and in 2022 reappointed DeBiasi to the Board of Nursing Home Administrators, which licenses and disciplines nursing home administrators. The governor’s office described DeBias as CEO and general manager of Advocate Home Care.

Broward is so overwhelmingly Democratic that winning the August primary is tantamount to winning the office. (In the last two elections, the Democratic candidate finished 40 points ahead of the Republican.)

So far no Republican has come forward to run in 2024. Two candidates — Steve Geller and David Howard, both with backgrounds in law enforcement — are running for the 2024 Democratic nomination for sheriff.

“It makes people wonder if he is telling the truth about being a Democrat,” Geller said via text message.

Howard objected to the Republicans helping Tony’s PAC. “Politics is dirty,” he said. “I don’t have a PAC. I’m raising money $10, $20, $30 at a time. I don’t want to owe anybody anything.”

Anthony Man can be reached at aman @sunsentinel.com and can be found @browardpolitics on Facebook, Threads.net and Post.news.