Jesse Scheckner
Clermont Police Chief Charles “Chuck” Broadway will be an inaugural member of Florida’s State Immigration Enforcement Council, courtesy of an appointment from Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Like his seven peers on the newly created panel, which will advise the Cabinet on how best to coordinate immigration enforcement with President Donald Trump’s administration, Broadway boasts ample law enforcement experience.
Broadway responded to the appointment on X. He said he is “humbled and grateful” to have been chosen.
“Thank you, Gov. DeSantis, for trusting me and your confidence in me to serve on this immigration panel along with other Police Chiefs and Sheriffs,” he said. “(We will) ensure the best measures are in place to address illegal immigration, ensuring safe streets and safe communities throughout the state of Florida.”
Broadway has been Chief of the Clermont Police Department since December 2012 after serving for about three years as captain. Before that, he worked from January 2004 to June 2010 at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, where he investigated multijurisdictional violent crimes, complex narcotics cases, human trafficking and gang activities before being promoted to special agent supervisor.
He began his policing career in 1996 with the New York City Police Department, working there until 2002, when he joined the Gainesville Police Department as a detective, according to his LinkedIn page.
Broadway’s bio with the Florida Police Chiefs Association notes that he was among those who first responded to the World Trade Center attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and worked with search-and-recovery efforts at Ground Zero.
Today, in addition to his work as Clermont Police Chief, he serves on the Executive Board of the Florida Police Chiefs Association and is a member, also by a DeSantis appointment, of the Criminal and Juvenile Justice Information Systems Council.
Broadway also serves on the Criminal Justice Advisory Committee, Live Well Foundation of South Lake, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Public Safety Coordinating Council and is a member of the Kiwanis Club of Clermont and the International Association of Police Chiefs.
He’s also a past President of the West Central Florida Police Chiefs Association.
Born in North Babylon, New York, Broadway earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from St. John’s University in Queens. St. John’s later published an article after Broadway became Clermont Police Chief, noting he is the first African American person to serve as the city’s top cop.
“I always wanted to be a police officer and join a profession that was bigger than me, where I could make a difference in the lives of people and my community,” he told the school. “This is my passion.”
Broadway described himself as a “people person” who is proud of his profession.
“I wear the uniform every day,” he said. “I believe it brings pride to the agency, and it shows the men and women that work for me that I care about our success.”
Established under SB 2C, a sweeping immigration measure DeSantis signed less than an hour after lawmakers passed it last Thursday, the State Immigration Enforcement Council is composed of eight members: four appointed by the Senate President and House Speaker, and four appointed by each member of the Cabinet.
All must be Police Chiefs or Sheriffs.
Once up and running, the Council will advise and make recommendations to DeSantis and the Cabinet on local immigration enforcement efforts, needs and information sharing. The Council will also seek training and strategic guidance from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and provide DeSantis and the Cabinet, acting as a new State Board of Immigration Enforcement, on strategies to increase the number of available detention beds that ICE can use.
State Immigration Enforcement Council members will typically serve four-year terms; however, to ensure staggered terms, the four members initially appointed by DeSantis, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, CFO Jimmy Patronis and Attorney General James Uthmeier will serve two-year terms.
Other Council members include Sheriffs Bob Gualtieri of Pinellas County and Grady Judd of Polk County, whom Senate President Ben Albritton appointed; and Sheriffs Bill Prummell of Charlotte County and T.K. Waters of Duval County, whom House Speaker Daniel Perez appointed; St. Cloud Police Chief Douglas Goerke, whom Simpson appointed; Fort Walton Beach Police Chief Robert Barge, whom Patronis appointed; and Naples Police Chief Ciro Dominguez, whom Uthmeier appointed.
The original appointing authority must fill any vacancy on the Council.
