Legislative push to give Sheriffs more budget power continues

A second Senate committee advanced legislation to give consolidated government Sheriffs more latitude in shifting funds in their budgets.

The Rules panel advanced Republican Sen. Clay Yarborough’s bill (SB 1704) that would allow a Sheriff, including one of a consolidated city/county government, to move funds “between the fund and functional categories” without the approval of the County Commission or Budget Commission after their budget is approved by the legislative body. This independence extends to procurement and personnel issues.

The legislation is backed by the Florida Sheriffs’ Association, and was presented by Sen. Danny Burgess in committee Wednesday. A technical amendment was added in committee that simply clarified preexisting language in the bill.

Republican Rep. Wyman Duggan is carrying the companion bill (HB 1447), which was temporarily postponed in Wednesday’s meeting of the State Affairs Committee due to an amendment that changed the title, requiring that procedural delay. It’s not likely that postponement will slow the bill’s progress though.

Both sponsors represent Jacksonville, which has a Democratic Mayor and a Republican Sheriff that don’t always align. In the consolidated government, the Sheriff’s budget has a particular provenance and has been a flashpoint in the past.

Locals will remember a move from 2020 by former City Councilman Garrett Dennis, now a senior staffer for Mayor Donna Deegan, to hold half of the Sheriff’s budget in abeyance “below the line.”

That gambit didn’t succeed. But given worries about the Deegan administration from the city’s GOP establishment, this bill could be considered to be of a piece with other legislation attempting to curb mayoral powers.

The legislation moves forward even as Jacksonville’s local government passed legislation Tuesday that would allow the Sheriff to have a say in settlements involving his department.