Q&A of the Day – How PBSO’s Budget Works
Each day I feature a listener question sent by one of these methods.
Email: brianmudd@iheartmedia.com
Social: @brianmuddradio
iHeartRadio: Use the Talkback feature – the microphone button on our station’s page in the iHeart app.
Today’s Entry: Brian- With the election coming up. I understand Bradshaw receives a % of the total budget for the PBSO. He has increased salaries for deputies. Will that mean he gets a large increase also? It is my understanding that if the County Commission tries to reign in his budget, he is able to go around the commission and get everything he wants. I guess my question to you is if these are true, can we (Taxpayers) afford him anymore?
Bottom Line: The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office budget is always a hot topic of conversation for those who pay attention to the County’s budgeting process. It tends to be even more so when the conversation coincides with an election for sheriff which is happening in this cycle. I’ll address your question piece-by-piece because it’s helpful to understand how the process works, who approves what, and the role the sheriff specifically plays in the process as well.
I’ll start by addressing your first question, whether PBSO receives a percentage of the total budget from the county. That’s not actually the case. Here are the steps in the process:
- Step 1: PBSO’s COO, in conjunction with PBSO’s budget staff creates a proposed budget (with recommendations from the sheriff)
- Step 2: PBSO’s Sheriff presents the proposed budget to the county commission
- Step 3: Palm Beach County’s Budget Division provides guidance to county commissioners and administrators
- Step 4: The Palm Beach County Commission votes on PBSO’s approved budget as part of the county’s overall operating budget
The sheriff makes the case for why he wants the funds requested in his department’s budget, but it’s the county’s commissioners that have the final say. It’s worth noting that Palm Beach County’s commission has had a Republican majority since January of 2023, meaning that the current operating budget of PBSO and the budget that will soon be approved for the upcoming fiscal year will take place with majority GOP governance locally.
Regarding the compensation of PBSO’s employees. Compensation is determined through the collective bargaining agreement between the Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association and the Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Bradshaw’s salary is currently $243,786 up from $172,013 in 2015. One area that has been of particular focus and that was done at the direction of Sheriff Bradshaw was the reconfiguring of bonus programs starting in 2021 that’s enabled executives within PBSO to have additional paid time off that can be cashed out. This has led to enormous paydays for select officials with the highest amount obtained to date totaling $743,000 (ironically that payout went to Michael Gauger, his former Chief Deputy (2nd in command), who is his challenger in this election. And that leads to another concern you expressed, about the sheriff having the ability to do an end around the county commission if he’s not happy with the budget results...
The county commission sets the total budget based on what’s proposed. Once it’s adopted that’s a static situation. There’s no way for Sheriff Bradshaw or any sheriff to work around the Commission on the funds allocated for operations. What there is, is leeway in terms of how funds are used once they’re approved. Under Florida law, sheriffs have broad authority on the ability to reallocate funds approved for the agency. So, while the budget proposal presented to the county commission is with specific budget lines with specific budgeted purposes, it is possible for funds to be reallocated within what’s been budgeted once approved. That’s been a controversial policy since the Florida legislature first adopted the law. The premise behind it was that sheriffs should have the ability to be nimble and to react to a community’s needs as they arise as opposed to having to seek approval for changes within the budget from the county commission as may develop throughout the year.
As for the current budget proposal and the affordability concerns... I’ll report and you can decide. The proposed budget for the 2025 fiscal year for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office is $952 million which is an increase of 8.6% over 2024. $769.9 million is allocated for salaries (an increase of 8.3%). Last year the Sheriff’s Office budget accounted for just over 11% of Palm Beach County’s operating budget. As always there are two sides to stories and one side to facts. Those are the facts.