FILE - In this Nov. 15, 2018, file photo, Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel speaks before the state commission in Sunrise, Fla. A judge on Thursday, April 4. 2019, dismissed a lawsuit filed by Israel, whom Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended after accusing him of failing to prevent the Parkland school shooting. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
April 09, 2019 - 11:02 AM
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - A lawsuit claiming Florida's governor improperly suspended a county sheriff for failing to prevent last year's Parkland school shooting is going directly to the Florida Supreme Court.
The Fourth District Court of Appeal transferred the case to the state's highest court Tuesday, certifying the case to be of great public importance.
A circuit court dismissed the lawsuit last week, ruling Gov. Ron DeSantis' executive order removing Scott Israel as Broward County sheriff was consistent with the Florida Constitution. Israel appealed the decision.
DeSantis has said Israel displayed poor leadership and failed to keep children safe during the February 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17 people.
The sheriff has said DeSantis overstepped his constitutional authority and interfered with the public's right to determine their elected official.
News from © The Associated Press, 2019