FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The Broward Sheriff’s Office is seeking roughly $937 million for its fiscal year 2027 budget, an increase from its adopted budget of $833 million.
The request was the focus of a Broward County budget workshop Thursday.
Sheriff Gregory Tony was absent from the meeting but was watching via livestream.
“I think Sheriff Tony is watching, I think we should pull the plug and drive him crazy,” Broward County Mayor Mark Bogen joked during the workshop.
Undersheriff Steve Robson addressed commissioners about the department’s need for additional funding.
“Of course the elephant is our unresolved issue, money of this current year rolled into next year’s budget,” Robson said.
Robson also highlighted deputy starting salaries, saying they are the lowest among Broward law enforcement agencies and that deputies are leaving in large numbers.
BSO is requesting 50 additional positions, with much of the proposed budget tied to employee costs and staffing.
“Here’s a pie chart showing within the agency the different categories where the funds flow to. Personnel is 80%,” Robson said.
The budget discussion comes amid an ongoing dispute between BSO and Deerfield Beach as the city moves toward operating its own police department.
“October is when October 1 takes over, they have their own force. What happens to the 150 officers? So we plan to absorb them through our transition plan that we’ve given to the city, and the city has refuted the plan that we put forward, so we’re kind of in that position right now,” Robson said. “Before October 1 of ’27, I plan to absorb all of those officers into the BSO.”
Commissioners raised concerns about the size of the budget request, including Commissioner Steven Geller.
“Tony asks us for more money than is available,” Geller said.
Geller said public safety remains a top priority but noted that other county services also require funding.
“It is a top priority, but it is not our only priority,” Geller said.
“Currently, out of our general revenue budget, we’re spending approximately 54% on public safety. But there’s a lot of other things we have to pay for,” he added.
Mayor Bogen agreed that the request may be difficult to accommodate.
“Based on our budget constraints right now, it isn’t realistic,” Bogen said.
The final county budget is scheduled to be approved in September.
BSO declined a request for an interview with the undersheriff and referred questions to remarks made during the meeting.
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