BIOGRAPHY

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For 30 years, Tony Pustizzi served the public with dedication, honor, and integrity, most notably as the chief of police in Coral Springs, Florida. In addition to his contributions to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, Tony  provided decades of leadership and crisis management and developed strong working relationships with federal law enforcement agencies.

Tony was the highest-ranking officer on the scene during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. He, along with his command staff, led the Coral Springs Police Department in its valiant response to this tragedy.  The training and equipment provided to Coral Springs first responders were instrumental in saving the lives of 17 victims with gunshot wounds who were removed from within the building. 

Tony began his career with the Coral Springs Police Department in 1988. Over his 30-year tenure, he supervised every unit within the agency with a strong emphasis on homicide and special investigations. Additionally, he served on the SWAT team for 15 years, the last eight of which as team commander. He rose through the ranks to ultimately become chief of police in 2012. Under Tony's leadership, the Coral Springs Police Department was nationally recognized for its low crime rate for a city with a population of over 100,000. It was also recognized for best practices in policy development, community outreach, and professionalism. He also served as the city’s interim city manager and retired in March 2018 as the chief of police/deputy city manager.  

In 2019, Tony came out of retirement from law enforcement when he was appointed as special counsel to the sheriff of Broward County, Florida. There, he provided his expertise and guidance as the agency transitioned under new leadership, with responsibility for:

• Restoring respect
• Instituting best practices and policies
• Restructuring the agency
• Surrounding the sheriff with an executive staff that would promote his and the agency's success

Tony graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in criminology and law and received a master’s degree in public administration from Florida Atlantic University. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, the Southern Police Institute Command Officers Development Course, the FBI’s Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar, Eckerd College's Center for Creative Leadership Program, and Florida Atlantic University’s Executive Leadership Program.

He has served as state president for the Florida chapter of the FBI National Academy Associates, the chair for the National Benchmark Cities Chief’s Association, an executive board member of the South Florida High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program, and an executive board member of the Broward County Chiefs of Police Association. 

Strongly committed to public safety and leadership development, Tony has been a keynote speaker with the FBI  National Academy in Quantico, Virginia and has worked with the FBI National Academy Associates School Shooting Prevention Leadership Forum. He also continues to work with the School Safety Advocacy Council.