Sheriff asks for $431 million budget and 41 new positions; commissioners debate funding, MSTU options

Sheriff John Mina asked the Orange County Board of County Commissioners on July 17 to approve a $431,000,000 FY2026 budget request — a roughly 12% increase over the current year — that the sheriff said is needed to fund salary increases and hire 41 new positions, including patrol deputies, victim advocates and 911 operators.

Mina called the budget “a request” and urged the board not to fund a smaller package prepared by county staff because, he said, that would translate into hundreds of vacant, unfilled positions and would slow recruitment and retention. “If you don't fund a 125 deputies, it will take us years to catch up from that,” Mina said, warning that underfunding recruitment now would make it harder to meet growing service demands as the county population rises. He also pressed the board to maintain a salary pace that keeps deputy pay competitive in Central Florida.

County staff and commissioners pushed back with fiscal caution. County financial staff presented modeling that showed an $8 million gap between staff recommendations and the sheriff’s ask. Kurt Blecha, the county’s comptroller, laid out options commissioners could use to close the gap: raise the law‑enforcement municipal service taxing unit (MSTU, a property tax for unincorporated residents) or apply one‑time general‑fund reserves. County staff estimated that a 0.1‑mill increase in the MSTU would yield roughly $12.4 million for unincorporated areas based on current taxable values; larger increases would produce proportionally greater revenue. On the other hand, using reserves to close the gap would reduce the county’s reserves from roughly 7.3% to about 6.8% of general‑fund spending, officials said.

Several commissioners said an MSTU increase should be considered but not rushed. Commissioner Scott and others asked for more analysis and for public outreach; Commissioner Simrad and other members said they were reluctant to raise property‑related taxes with broader state policy uncertain and told staff that they preferred more time to study options. Blecha and county staff warned that if the board wanted to increase the MSTU the tentative rate would have to be set at this budget meeting (it appeared on the TRIM/notice paperwork), with a public hearing in September able to lower but not raise the rate.

The sheriff asked commissioners to prioritize public safety funding and argued recruitment and retention efforts — including pay and training investments — were essential to continued reductions in violent crime. Commissioners said they recognized the sheriff’s public‑safety arguments but stressed the budget was a countywide choice about spending priorities and that choices would have to be weighed across public safety, roads, housing and social services.