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State attorney requests case-management upgrade, flags medical examiner funding uncertainty
Summary
The State Attorney for the 18th Judicial Circuit requested $735,000 for FY26—paid from Article 5 funds—for a shared case-management upgrade and a potential COLA for a county-funded employee.
The State Attorney for the 18th Judicial Circuit asked Seminole County commissioners May 20 to fund a $735,000 FY26 budget request, paid from Article 5 funds, that includes upgrading the prosecution case-management system and a potential cost-of-living adjustment for a locally funded position.
William Shiner, the newly seated state attorney, told commissioners his office plans to remain with the vendor used for more than 20 years and described the upgrade as a three-year procurement shared between Seminole and Brevard counties to keep costs down. He said alternatives were cost-prohibitive.
Nut graf: Why it matters — Case-management systems affect daily prosecution operations and caseflow; the upgrade represents a material, recurring cost that the state attorney says is necessary for prosecution efficiency, and additional county-funded personnel costs could follow state COLA decisions.
Shiner said the case-management option the office selected is less costly than replacement systems, which his slides showed at $1.2 million to $2.3 million. The fiscal request accounts for Seminole County’s share; Brevard County will also be asked to contribute.
Commissioners asked about related system costs, the duration of contracts and the local share of COLA for a county-funded FTE. Shiner said the COLA request is “hopeful” and would mirror any state employee increases if the state awards them.
Separately, commissioners discussed medical examiner (ME) services and potential costs if Seminole County seeks to stand up a facility or change regional arrangements. Shiner said the circuit is unique nationally in operating with two distinct county medical examiner offices (Seminole and Brevard) and acknowledged the board’s concern that current arrangements are “cost prohibitive.” He said he has meetings scheduled with ME stakeholders to better understand options and funding sources.
Ending: Commissioners thanked the state attorney for the presentation and asked staff to factor the office’s case-management and staffing requests into the FY26 budget scenarios; no appropriation was made at the meeting.
