FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. \u2014 On Tuesday, Broward County commissioners unanimously decided to return the fire department back to civilian control. The Broward Sheriff\u2019s Office had been in charge for two decades.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it was prudent for us to really take back control and make sure we can be cost-efficient,\u201d Broward Commissioner Lamar Fisher, one of the driving forces behind the change, said. <\/p>\n
The move comes as the county and Sheriff Gregory Tony have clashed over BSO\u2019s $937 million budget request.<\/p>\n
Tony is calling the move a \u201cbetrayal.\u201d<\/p>\n
No other county in Florida puts its sheriff\u2019s office in charge of fire rescue services. Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue serves multiple cities within the county under contracts, as well as the county\u2019s unincorporated areas.<\/p>\n
Fisher said he and fellow commissioners want greater control and transparency over how dollars are spent.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not the sheriff\u2019s fault by any means,\u201d Fisher said. \u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity for Broward County to really control its department and its costs at the end of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s unclear on what those costs will be.<\/p>\n
There are more than 900 employees that will be part of the transition, but commissioners say it shouldn\u2019t affect everyday services.<\/p>\n
Tony blasted the decision in a statement released on Tuesday<\/p>\n
\u201cToday\u2019s decision by the Broward County Commission not to renew its contract with Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue is deeply disappointing, a betrayal of the public\u2019s trust and a disservice to the men and women who have dedicated their careers to protecting this community,\u201d he said in part. <\/p>\n
Tony said it was \u201cparticularly troubling that the same Commission that has refused to provide our first responders with the compensation they deserve is now prioritizing control over a proven public safety system that has served this community since 2003,\u201d as he touted multiple \u201ccritical innovations\u201d by the department.<\/p>\n
\u201cPublic safety is not about control,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat matters is the skilled, timely and coordinated response of highly trained public safety professionals, like the men and women of Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue.\u201d <\/p>\n
The union representing BSFR firefighters and paramedics said in a statement that its members \u201clook forward to working with the administrations of Broward County and the Broward Sheriff\u2019s Office through this transition\u201d and \u201cwill continue to uphold our mission and protect the communities we proudly call home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udfe0 News From Your Neighborhood<\/p>\n
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