Sheriff and county spar over $14.6 million budget request as deputies and residents press for raises

Sheriff Eric Flowers pressed the Indian River County Board of County Commissioners on July 9 for a $14.6 million increase to his proposed FY2026 budget, saying most of the added money is needed to raise deputy and civilian pay and to retain staff. County Administrator John Tkanic told the board he recommended a smaller increase — roughly $4.7 million — and warned the board to be cautious about long-term fiscal commitments.

Flowers told the board he had submitted his budget on May 1 and said the sheriffs office needs more money to avoid losing deputies to neighboring agencies. "If you choose to fund less than what Im asking for, you are required by [statute] to provide me in writing exactly what it is that Im supposed to cut," he said, citing Florida Statute 30.49 in his presentation to underscore the statutory notice requirement if the board reduces an approved sheriffs budget.

County Administrator John Tkanic outlined revenue limits and fiscal pressures in the proposed county budget, noting that new ad valorem revenue available to the general fund totaled about $8.68 million. "The sheriff's request is $14.6 million increase," he said, adding that continuing at that trajectory could put the county in a precarious position if state-level tax reforms or an economic slowdown reduce local revenues.

The two sides met privately and at a lunchtime session during the workshop to try to bridge the gap. Tkanic and the sheriffs office staff jointly identified a scenario that would add roughly $6.1 million more for sheriff pay increases beyond the administrators original recommendation by trimming items across several county budgets (including delaying certain capital or program expenditures) and by rebalancing some fund transfers. Tkanic advised that more work was needed to refine scenarios before the county advertises proposed millage rates and before final adoption of the budget in September.

The public comment period produced sustained support for the sheriff's request. Dozens of current and former deputies, union representatives and residents urged the commissioners to fund larger increases to starting pay and to civilian salaries. Speakers, including correctional staff and a corporal in the sheriff's explorers program, described recruitment and retention problems and the difficulty many current employees face affording housing and basic living costs on current pay. Several callers said deputies were leaving for nearby agencies that pay substantially more.

Sheriff Flowers and his finance staff said the personnel portion of his request includes a $9.06 million increase for wages (sworn and civilian), and noted other operating and capital increases in the request. County financial staff flagged a small set of discrepancies in a spreadsheet the sheriff's team supplied and indicated corrections would be made; the sheriff and county staff agreed to reconcile those figures.

The board did not decide final funding levels for the sheriff at the July 9 workshop. Commissioners said they wanted additional scenarios and further reconciliation between county staff and the sheriff's budget team before making a final decision at the August/September budget hearings. The board did, later in the meeting, set the countys proposed millage rates for FY2026 (see separate article).