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Fire chief seeks flat operating budget but requests $125.3M FY26 program amid rising equipment and labor costs
Summary
Seminole County Fire Department presented a $125.3 million FY26 request driven by personnel and capital costs; chiefs proposed targeted fee increases and listed station projects, equipment needs and statewide firefighter safety legislation implications.
Seminole County’s fire department told commissioners its FY26 budget request is $125.3 million, driven largely by personnel and capital costs and funded almost entirely through the department’s MSTU, department leaders said.
Budget office staff Tim Jekes said the department asked for a larger transfer but that 96.3% of the FY26 request is funded through the fire MSTU and 3.7% through the general fund. Fire Chief Matt Kinley told the board the department would enter FY26 with 580 full‑time positions and no proposed FTE increases.
Chief Kinley outlined inflationary and sector‑wide cost pressures: vehicle prices, construction and personal protective equipment have all risen sharply in recent years. "When you're…
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