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Sheriff, clerk, health department and others present largely flat FY2027 requests; medical examiner share rises
Summary
Line‑item presentations showed largely flat requests for the sheriff ($114M) and health department ($1.7M); clerk and property appraiser requested modest levels, the EDA sought $422,004.27, and Walton County’s medical examiner allocation rises by $155,000 due to caseload share changes.
At the workshop, county staff reviewed FY2027 requests from constitutional offices and local service providers.
Devin said the sheriff's FY2027 request is $114,000,000, "flat compared to prior fiscal year with no overall increase in county contribution," and includes funding for one additional school resource officer to comply with state requirements.
Other constitutional office requests presented included the clerk of courts at $6,900,000 (additional technology and three IT positions), the tax collector with a preliminary $8,200,000 (final submission due Aug. 1), and the property appraiser requesting $5,000,000 with one eliminated position noted.
The health department asked for $1,700,000 to continue primary care, epidemiology, environmental health and clinical operations without an added county contribution. The Economic Development Authority requested $422,004.27; staff said that request returns funding closer to prior years after a reduction.
Devin also outlined that the District 1 medical examiner allocation increased because Walton County’s proportion of caseload rose from 11.3% to 11.7%, increasing Walton County’s contribution by $155,000, ‘‘from $720,000 in '26 to $881,000 in '27,’’ reflecting changed caseload shares.
Volunteer fire departments Liberty and Argyle requested baseline operational funding consistent with prior years ($125,000 each) and Liberty asked for an additional $50,000 to help cover communications equipment needs tied to the county’s planned radio decommissioning.
The Defuniak Springs Senior Center requested an increase in annual county contribution from $30,000 to $42,000 to help offset operating costs; staff noted the city pays utilities under the current agreement and offered to provide the board a copy of that agreement.
The board did not take a formal vote on these requests during the workshop; staff will return with additional information and recommendations in later budget sessions.
