Photo: CBS 12
A contract dispute with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office could be the reason why a Town Council member was ousted by voters yesterday.
Loxahatchee Groves has a contract with PBSO for the agency to provide law enforcement services, but the town hasn't paid a dime since late last year according to Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.
"I needed to give a small increase and they said no we can't afford it. And I said okay but this is the contract and we've done the best we can with it. And they decided we're not going to pay it."
The dispute was a major talking point in the election, with incumbent Councilman Todd McLendon being the most outspoken against paying the Sheriff.
He lost the race to challenger Manish Sood, who opposes how the council has approached the standoff.
The Town Manager has recently said that it appears the Sheriff's Office will allow both sides to simply cancel the contract with no arrears owed, but that has not been confirmed.