The Broward Sheriff\u2019s Office is asking the state to force the county to increase spending on law enforcement, accusing county government of misrepresenting how much of its budget is dedicated to the agency.<\/p>\n
The Sheriff\u2019s Office accounted for $833 million of the $1.8 billion budget passed by the Broward County Commission for the budget year that started Oct. 1. But that number can be considered misleading \u2014 the Sheriff\u2019s Office is funded by the portion of the county\u2019s budget funded by property taxes. The overall budget passed by the commission includes funding for the airport and seaport, reducing the Sheriff\u2019s Office percentage from nearly 50% to less than 10%.<\/p>\n
The county\u2019s commitment to law enforcement needs to be reconsidered, according to Sheriff Gregory Tony.<\/p>\n
The sheriff requested a 9% budget increase over last year. The County Commission approved a 3% increase.<\/p>\n
The sheriff appealed to the state\u2019s administration commission, which comprises the governor and his cabinet. The governor has accused Broward County of being wasteful<\/a> in its spending practices, but he has not included the Sheriff\u2019s Office in his criticisms.<\/p>\n The county will respond to the sheriff\u2019s appeal early next week, according to administration spokesman Greg Meyer.<\/p>\n