Flagler County sheriff warns budget strain from pensions, insurance and soaring CAD/radio fees; proposes shifting dispatch to county

Sheriff Staley told the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners on Monday that his office faces a roughly $4.6 million budget increase next year driven largely by a 4% cost-of-living adjustment, higher Florida Retirement System employer rates and an estimated 15% rise in health insurance costs, and that escalating vendor fees for the county'owned CAD and radio systems are making operations unsustainable.

The sheriff asked the commission to consider a structural move: transfer the county'operated 911/dispatch employees to the Board of County Commissioners. He said the shift would lower his top-line budget next year by about $2,880,000 but acknowledged that would move the cost to the county budget rather than eliminate it.

Why this matters: dispatch and radio/CAD services affect all emergency responders and the location of staff and contracts drives who pays for system upkeep, repairs and vendor fees. The sheriff said Flagler County currently owns towers, the radio system, the CAD and RMS software and the building housing dispatch, while his office supplies the personnel that answer 911 and nonemergency calls.

Major figures and drivers - Collective bargaining, COLA and benefits: Staley presented a $4.6 million increase that includes a 4% cost-of-living adjustment, a 2.4% increase in FRS employer contributions for high-risk positions (which he said represents about $1.2 million of the $4.6 million) and the estimated health-insurance rise. - Deputies requested: the sheriff asked for 12 new deputy sheriff positions as part of a multi'year staffing plan; he proposed that the county fund three of those and the City of Palm Coast fund nine under the existing service contract. - CAD and radio vendor fees: Staley said radio user fees billed to his office were $285,304 in FY 2022-23 and a proposed $1,041,000 for next year (a roughly 265% increase over three years). He said CAD fees rose from about $95,000 to a proposed $346,000 (about a 262% jump) and described the increases as unsustainable. - Alternatives and procurement work: the sheriff said his staff is evaluating alternatives, including a return to SmartCop (an earlier CAD used regionally) and newer radio models that can opportunistically route over cell networks where radio coverage is poor; he said such changes could lower recurring vendor fees. - Inmate medical savings and grants: Staley described the sheriff'office'led inmate medical-contract changes (Prime Medical oversight) that his office says generated roughly $2,000,000 in savings to the county over two years. He also reported $2,657,000 in active grant awards, including a $1,299,000 program for inmate substance-use rehabilitation. - Jail population and programs: Staley said average daily jail population has fallen from more than 300 to a little above 200 inmates and credited in-jail programming and partnerships with state/federal grants and Flagler Technical College.

Board reaction and next steps Commissioners asked for details about what would change operationally if dispatch employees moved to county payroll and whether the county'owned equipment and vendor contracts make such a transfer logical. The sheriff said the dispatch director would come to county administration and report to county staff if the transfer went forward; no formal vote occurred Monday. County staff and the sheriff agreed to continue discussion, and county administration was asked to work with the sheriff on a draft transition agreement.

The sheriff repeatedly framed the issue as fiscal and operational: vendor fee inflation and statewide policy signals (PSAP consolidation recommendations from the Stoneman Douglas commission and possible state legislation) are pushing counties and emergency-service providers toward consolidating technical ownership and staffing responsibilities.

What the sheriff asked for and what remains undecided Staley formally requested the commission consider: (1) transferring the dispatch workforce to the BOCC (which would shift $2.88 million of his projected increase into county budgets); (2) funding three deputies from county general funds and nine deputies through the City of Palm Coast under the city'county service arrangement; and (3) help addressing large recurring vendor fee increases for CAD, radio and related services. The board took the request under advisement and directed staff and the sheriff to continue negotiating and to return with details.

No formal budget decisions were made Monday; the workshop was part of an ongoing budget process with future sessions scheduled to address general-fund priorities.