Deerfield Beach officials opened an urgent discussion Aug. 5 after the Broward Sheriff's Office (BSO) told the city it would terminate contracted services Sept. 30 if the city would not accept higher costs for fiscal year 2026.

City Manager Rodney Brimlow said the dispute began when BSO submitted its May 1 “consideration letter” with personnel and other cost increases. The city asked BSO to modify the request because the contract contains a cap on certain cost elements; Brimlow summarized the cap as “essentially a 5% limit” on many personnel-related charges. He said the sheriff’s legal counsel responded on June 23: “if you are unwilling to allow the sheriff’s office to violate those caps, you have 1 week to decide. Otherwise, your services are terminated.” The sheriff’s notice took effect June 30 and lists Sept. 30, 2025, as the termination effective date.

Why it matters: the city says the combined BSO increases for police and fire exceed Deerfield Beach’s projected property tax revenue increase for the coming year. Brimlow told commissioners that the sheriff’s original request for the two contracts would outpace the city’s property tax increase by roughly $2.25 million, and that the city cannot absorb that without cutting other services or raising revenue.

What BSO offered and what the city heard: at a July 16 meeting BSO proposed a six-month arrangement on the policing side that would freeze eight vacant positions and remove about $202,000 in capital spending and $15,000 in operating costs for the first half of fiscal year 2026. Brimlow said that would generate about $448,000 in savings for the six months but would not bring the contract under the contractual cap; the sheriff told the city that renegotiation of a new contract would begin when the current contract expires March 31, 2026. On the fire-rescue side, Brimlow said the sheriff’s office reported it could not identify comparable cost savings and instead suggested revenue measures: raise rescue-transport fees, raise fire-assessment and inspection fees, eliminate a current resident transport-fee waiver and pursue collections for unpaid transport bills, and pursue compensation from Broward County for responses to unincorporated areas.

What the commission discussed: commissioners emphasized that the dispute is with BSO leadership and not rank-and-file deputies or firefighters. Several members asked for greater transparency in the transition timeline and for cost scenarios the city could use in the FY2026 budget. Brimlow told commissioners that, under the contract, a transition period could last up to 24 months and that during the transition the city would be billed “actual cost,” a figure to be negotiated with BSO. To manage that process he asked the commission to authorize hiring a transition manager “as soon as possible” to oversee service levels, staffing and billing during the run-up to Oct. 1.

What was directed (not a formal vote): the commission heard Brimlow’s update and asked staff to proceed with planning for the transition period, including onboarding a transition manager and continuing negotiations with BSO. Commissioners discussed potential fee and assessment changes if a long-term increase is unavoidable, while stressing they will not permit service levels to fall during any transition.

Background details and constraints: Brimlow repeatedly noted the contract contains two caps — a general 5% cap on most personnel-related costs and a separate cap on health-insurance costs — and that some costs (retirement, workers’ comp) are treated differently under contract terms. Brimlow also said the sheriff’s letter set an effective termination date and triggered the transition provisions rather than an immediate cessation of services.

City manager’s context: Brimlow asked commissioners to treat the matter as a negotiation of municipal finance and labor-market pressures, not as a judgment on front-line personnel. Commissioners said they will prioritize maintaining public-safety service levels while protecting the fiscal health of the city.

Ending note: no formal vote was taken on the floor Aug. 5. The commission directed staff to continue negotiations with BSO, to pursue a transition-manager hire, and to report back with budget scenarios and recommended resident-facing fee changes if needed.