Broward County can afford — in the long run — to cut ties with the Broward Sheriff’s Office to provide security at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, according to a county-sanctioned study sent to government officials Monday. The county could move such responsibilities to the Broward County Aviation Department, the study said.
The report by the consulting company Jensen Hughes comes after two cities have cut ties with the Broward Sheriff’s Office and a third, Pompano Beach, is considering making the same move.
Jensen Hughes was asked to look at the financial wisdom of pulling the Sheriff’s Office out of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and replacing it with a new security force. The consultant was also asked to look at security concerns at Port Everglades, but the report issued to commissioners Monday did not address that issue.
“We were asked to assess the feasibility of implementing a fully functioning public safety agency serving the FLL airport,” the report’s authors wrote.
“Our assessment identifies it is feasible for Broward County Aviation Department to establish its own independent law enforcement agency,” the consultants concluded. “The BCAD team, at all levels, demonstrated a significant level of knowledge and pride in their efforts to maintain a secure operating environment at FLL (the airport).”
Over four years, the consultants found it would cost the county more than $85 million to sever ties with the Sheriff’s Office. “This illustration is intended to identify that it is feasible to transition to an independent law enforcement agency,” the consultant found. “However, there is a financial risk that requires full evaluation.”
The Broward County Commission will meet on Tuesday to review the report’s findings and start discussing how to address its ongoing relationship with the Sheriff’s Office.
Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457.