Deerfield Beach formalizes plan to create city police and fire departments amid resident concerns about costs and transparency

The Deerfield Beach City Commission on March 3 formalized its earlier decision to form a municipal police department and a municipal fire/first‑responder service, adopting a resolution that authorizes the city manager and the Office of Public Safety to take the steps needed to implement the transition.

The vote to adopt the resolution was 4–1 in favor. Commissioner Shanetzky voted no; Commissioners Hudak, Plaut, Vice Mayor Preston and Mayor Todd Drozky voted yes.

Why it matters: proponents said local control will allow the city to manage costs and retain local oversight after an unexpected contract change with the Broward Sheriff's Office (BSO). Opponents and many residents said the fiscal picture is uncertain and urged delay so the commission can review additional independent analyses and provide clearer estimates of start‑up and ongoing costs.

What commissioners and staff said: Mayor Todd Drozky, who called the resolution a formalization of a prior vote, said the document provides the piece of paper required by state and federal partners to continue transition steps. "We are not revoting or recalculating; we are authorizing the issuance of the piece of paper those agencies need to move forward," he said.

Vice Mayor Preston urged the commission to address a broader trust issue. "When the residents are not confident in this commission, we have a problem," he said, calling for greater transparency about projected costs and possible offsets.

Commissioner Shanetzky, who opposed the resolution, pressed for slowing the process and pointed to other municipal studies showing longer timelines and larger start‑up figures for comparable changes. "This is a major policy decision," he said, urging more time for analysis and community workshops.

Public input: The public comment period ran for over an hour and a half, with dozens of residents both supporting and opposing the move. Speakers who urged caution pointed to recent outside studies suggesting higher start‑up costs and longer start‑up timelines than presented by the city; several urged that the commission hold additional workshops and share more detailed transition budgets before finalizing next steps.

Supporters countered that multiple nearby cities operate municipal departments and that local control can improve responsiveness and accountability. "We control our own destiny," said former Commissioner Bernie Parnas.

Operational steps and next actions: Director Sean Gladio of the Office of Public Safety delivered an update at the meeting listing near‑term operational work: apparatus procurement and staging, leadership recruitment, training partnerships, access to regional logistics and reactivation of the city's ORI (originating agency identifier) so Deerfield Beach can manage enforcement programs directly. Gladio also outlined a community outreach schedule to gather resident input in late March.

The resolution does not itself fund every start‑up line item; staff said a sequence of implementation steps, grant seeks and interagency arrangements will follow. The commission directed staff to continue reporting back with regular updates; a majority indicated they will proceed unless a majority later moves to reconsider the prior vote.

What's next: The commission will continue implementation work and hold public outreach sessions; any major funding decisions (capital purchases, staffing levels, or assessments) will require separate budget actions and additional public notice.