Sheriff Flowers Launches Countywide Budget Campaign.
Sheriff releases $93.5 million budget proposal for fiscal year, 2025-2026. Suggests raising taxes as 'one solution' to fund it.
In a 3-minute video on YouTube, Sheriff Eric Flowers announced the release of the IRCSO’s 2025-2026 budget. Sheriff Flowers described the budget proposal as a “thorough and transparent document.”
The $93.54 million budget request is $14.6 million over last year’s initial budget of $78.9 million. Every page - 105 of them - is for public review at the IRCSO website. Last year, County Administrator, John Titkanich, called Sheriff Flower’s budget proposal, with an $11.7 million increase over the previous year, “unsustainable,” further stating, “Increases at these levels are financially unstable and will place pressure on the county in terms of millage rate increases.”
At the budget workshop in 2024, commenting after agreeing to accept a lower, 6.5% increase, Sheriff Flowers said he would be back to “ask for the future.” His opportunity will be at the Budget Workshop scheduled for July 9th before the County Commission.
The future is now
Many employees at IRCSO are paying close attention to the County Commission. At a meeting of the Republican Club of Indian River (RCIR), Sheriff Flowers and his budget team unveiled the reasoning behind their proposed budget. In responding to questions about the large funding increase, Sheriff Flowers said $9 million would be going directly to deputies and civilian staff for across the board pay increases. It was revealed at a local workshop held at the IRCSO headquarters for media that Sheriff Flowers wants to increase entry-level salary 22% to $61,585.
The Sheriff’s Office notes the starting salary comparisons between other Treasure Coast agencies. Presented by the Sheriff’s "senior guys," Sergeant Matt Redstone and Detective Phil Daugherty, the men shared that currently, Indian River County starting pay is $50,618 compared to $58,900 for Saint Lucie, and, $62,100 for Martin County.
A year of service represents a step. At each step, deputies already receive a 4% increase. Across the 11 ‘step’ levels, all deputies will see pay increases commensurate to their experience to avoid less experienced officers entering into the force making more per year than veterans. The top pay tier would increase to $94,808 which is up from the current $87,655. The Sheriff noted they have been working 4 years on the new pay structure to be fair to all deputies and civilians who put their lives into protecting Indian River County.
The Union and the Sheriff are in agreement. However, is the County Commission going to approve the budget?
Competition from other agencies
In a phone interview with The Sunshine Journal, Sgt. Redstone shared that 32% of deputies that leave IRCSO go to other agencies to continue their policing career. In one example, a deputy, Joseph Bologna, who was a school resource officer at Vero Beach High School making $52,643 after three years, left for Port Saint Lucie’s Police Department for the same position to make $79,236. That’s a 50% pay increase for a lateral move to a neighboring agency. As a recruitment strategy, agencies allow candidates to transfer their corresponding ‘step level.’
Under the proposed budget by IRCSO, Sgt. Redstone shared by phone that Deputy Bologna would have potentially earned a very competitive $72,000 annually. According to the presentation, in the exit interview, Bologna said, “I love working for this Sheriff’s Office, but my family and I are struggling financially due to my salary. Port St. Lucie PD offers a much higher salary, which will allow greater financial success for my family and me.”
Sgt. Redstone’s family has been in this community for 5 generations. His father was a police officer for nearly 50 years on the Treasure Coast and volunteers at IRCSO. Sgt. Redstone said his dad has never seen this much budget transparency by a department. He can also point to many other stories about the difficulty of IRCSO families living in Indian River County, and also be engaged in the community they serve. They have to work overtime and live outside the county to afford their position at IRCSO. By phone, Sgt. Redstone said, “We want our deputies living in our community. It is good to see a police car in a driveway where you live. When I was growing up, now retired deputy, Teddy Floyd, worked in Community Affairs and coached football at Vero Beach in his off-time. Deputies become known and trusted by the community because they are engaged like their neighbors.”
Overall, it makes for better policing as deputies build trusting relationships with people. Sgt. Redstone added, “In my free time, I coach soccer at Vero Beach High School. I’ve built a strong network of relationships in the community, and I often get asked questions and hear concerns from citizens throughout the county.”
Raising taxes to fund the budget?
The document is not without controversy. It suggests that Indian River County can raise taxes to fund the budget. Before the beginning of the presentation by his team to the Republican Club, Sheriff Flowers asked people to have an open mind. He said, “They are going to present some stuff about potentially raising taxes. That is but one solution. The thing that I will tell you is this, the county is spending a ton of money on all kinds of different things. But, we need to fund our budget one way or another. My guys are giving you one option. If the county decides to [cut elsewhere] to fund our budget, awesome. Let’s do that because I don’t want to raise taxes.”
Indian River County has the seventh-lowest property tax rate, according to state data. However, revenues have been going up every year as property values have risen. For example, the Children’s Services Advisory Council (CSAC) just received a 15% increased budget allocation from the County without an increase in their .125 millage rate portion. Many have looked at CSAC as a place to cut because of how it has inefficiently given millions of dollars to third-party non-governmental organizations.
As part of the budget process, Sheriff Flowers will meet with Titkanich and his staff to do a line by line audit of his proposal. In those negotiations, the budget could shrink. After last year’s $83.75 million budget proposal, the Sheriff and county negotiators settled on the $78.9 million allocation. The Sheriff wanted to raise salaries last year and was unable to do so. For Sheriff Flowers to be able to pay salaries competitive with regional police departments, he and the County will have to find the dollars.
Transparent proposal to protect Indian River
While he has slated $9 million for deputies and civilians, the very transparent budget notes that $4.2 million is allocated to Treasure Coast Community Health (TCCH) to provide all necessary medical services. TCCH is responsible for doctors, nurses, dentists and mental health providers that treat those who enter the jail. Every new inmate receives a physical. IRCSO is responsible for their total care while under their supervision. For example, if an inmate is an insulin dependent diabetic, IRCSO has to pay for that care while they are in custody. The Sheriff noted there are currently 422 inmates at the jail. He commented, "I asked on the campaign trail, ‘how many do you think spent the night in the jail?’ I would hear ’25’ or ’12.’ People think we live in Mayberry.”
Sheriff Flowers talked about the programs they have implemented in Corrections that have drastically reduced recidivism. Yet, new criminals still emerge. Flowers shared that over the weekend, they picked-up two individuals on the roof of the mall stealing copper out of the air-condition units. The suspects were illegal aliens from outside the county who were immediately turned over to I.C.E.
Sheriff Flowers noted during the question and answer portion of the program that IRCSO is ahead in technology. While maintenance is a priority, there is nothing else they need. He pointed out the helicopters are purchased through a federal surplus program. Each one initially was received for an application and $2500. They are maintained through that same federal program. Commenting how a lot of criminal activity are suspects passing through the county, Sheriff Flowers shared how the license plate reading technology and Real-Time Crime Center have aided in reducing crime immensely. Burglaries are not even a top-10 crime in Indian River. Yet, at the end of the day, it’s people that do the work and Sheriff Flowers was very proud telling the stories of the County’s heroes. He said, “We have got to figure out a way to do this because the future of Indian River County depends on it.”
$93,000,000 blows my mind. I’m flabbergasted and thinking. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$. How many TV sets should one own? Our children are spoiled or neglected. We’re all living materially high. A decadent society! And yet, safety and security are at stake. So, pay the price! Hospital district spent $4,000,000 taxpayer dollars on a handyman building without doing its due diligence and “the taxpayers are stuck”. County Commissioners do your homework. City of Vero has its own problems. Where’s the outrage? I’m venting but not relieved.
Something doesn't seem right. It appears that the foundational argument for the substantial increase is to "keep up with the Jones," prevent officers from going to higher paid jobs outside the county. The analogy comes to mind of providing tax and other incentives to lure businesses, and doing so by offering more than competing cities. It often doesn't work out (there is research on this but that’s another topic).
Is it unrealistic to think that Indian River County is a desirable place to raise a family and participate in the community, and, therefore, in the long run a higher quality and motivated staff will result? This is organic retention and, in my opinion, over time quality (value) wins out over quantity (money).
I thought to add this: Our country being so materialistically biased, the solution to a problem is often: "more money." Schools have had this mantra for many years, and with huge increases in spending (and taxpayer burden) how has this worked out? Same with healthcare. And I suspect the same with the sheriff's department's budget request: "more money, problem solved." Oh yeah?