ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — On Thursday, Orange County Sheriff John Mina went before county commissioners to ask for an increase in funding for public safety.
“As Orange County continues to grow, the sheriff’s office needs to continue to grow as well,” Mina said.
Mina says he needs more money to run the sheriff’s office and hire 25 more deputies. There are currently 1910 deputies.
“We’re asking for a $431 million budget. That is a 12.5% increase over last year,” the sheriff said. “County staff has prepared a budget of 10.5%, which is an $8 million shortfall, so we’re asking them to make that difference up.”
But Mayor Jerry Demings said it’s up to the sheriff to make the current budget work for him.
“Once we set the sheriff’s budget, we do not have the authority to tell you how you can move money around or what you can do with it,” Demings said.
The $8 million gap came as a surprise to some commissioners. They talked about increasing tax dollars for the sheriff’s budget.
Commissioner Christine Moore said, “I wasn’t aware until I got here today that we had an $8 million gap.”
But Mina says public safety is a priority. He said, “We are the busiest agency in central Florida by far, and it’s one of the most dangerous areas in some sections of the county.”
The next public hearing will take place on Sept 4. The final vote will take place on Sept 18.
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