The Sebring Community Redevelopment Agency discussed adding paid sheriff deputy patrols to its draft budget to provide a visible law-enforcement presence and serve as “ambassadors” for downtown visitors. Staff described an initial cost estimate of roughly $125,000 and said the draft budget line was increased to about $200,000 to include coverage for special events. "We kind of backed into a number, which is somewhere around a 125,000, I think. And then we beefed it up for special events," a staff member said during the meeting.

Staff said deputies would be hired as private-duty officers assigned to downtown shifts in pairs, with an estimated pay rate of about $50 per hour per deputy, or roughly $100 per hour for a two‑person deployment. "They want to operate in pairs. So you're looking at a $100 an hour," staff said. The deputies would be additional to regular patrol staffing and would have full law-enforcement authority while on duty for the CRA — including making arrests and issuing citations, staff said.

Board members and downtown business owners discussed likely shift windows and times for the patrols. Several business owners suggested late‑morning through mid‑afternoon coverage; one business owner recommended "From 11 to my input, 11 to 4, 11 to 5." Staff also described a need to cover later afternoon hours on high‑traffic nights such as Thursday through Saturday, when foot traffic can extend into the early evening.

Staff identified the most frequent downtown concerns as loitering by people experiencing homelessness and groups of middle‑school–age youth after school; staff said the goal of the patrols is to reduce visible congregation in visitor areas and improve visitors’ sense of safety. The sheriff’s office indicated it could provide deputies willing to be assigned special duty to the CRA, and staff said a representative from the sheriff’s downtown detail is expected to attend an October meeting to collect input from the board and help finalize a schedule.

No vote was taken on the budget line; staff presented the draft for discussion and said the full budget will come back to the board at the next meeting for final approval. The board also discussed the possibility of flexing start and end times after initial deployment to identify when the patrols are most effective.