Jesse Scheckner
As cross-rotunda budget negotiations continue this week, the Senate and House are still far apart in what they want to set aside for the development of a youth museum and education facility under the Florida Sheriffs Association (FSA).
The Senate is proposing a $7 million set-aside in general revenue funds for the project — half the sum Tallahassee Republican Sen. Corey Simon sought in a March appropriations request and equal to what Coral Gables Republican Rep. Demi Busatta asked for the month before.
As of Tuesday, the first day lawmakers reconvened to deliberate over the state’s 2025-26 spending plan, the House is offering zilch.
There’s still time to hash out the details and settle on an earmark with which both chambers are comfortable. It wouldn’t be the first time they compromised on spending for the project.
The FSA proposed building the Florida Sheriffs Youth Learning Center as “a place to preserve the more than two-century history of the Office of Sheriff in Florida as well as to create a place for children to visit and learn more about the honor and tradition of serving in law enforcement.”
“The center will be a facility for youth to explore the possibilities of a future career as a law enforcement officer, correctional deputy, dispatcher or civilian employee in a Sheriff’s Office by connecting them with a series of interactive displays, videos and activities that will inspire them in a future public safety vocation,” a short FSA description of the project says.
Simon’s funding request says the center would welcome children and young adults, feature a theater room for educational film viewings, a driving simulator and an area where visitors can experience receiving and dispatching calls for service.
“Failure to build and operate the Florida Sheriffs Youth Learning Center should require a return and reimbursement for all state funds,” the funding request noted.
That would include $10 million the project received last year, which was close to what Busatta requested then and less than half of what Simon requested.
The FSA is also seeking direct donations for the project through its website.
According to the organization’s 2024 financial report, the FSA purchased land and a building adjacent to its Tallahassee headquarters where it plans to build the new facility. “Total purchase price net of selling costs was approximately $2,426,000,” the report said.
The Department of Financial Services is also maintaining a page online about the project.
The Sheriffs Youth Learning Center will add to other minor-focused programming under the FSA, including Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches program that since 1981 has offered camping activities aimed at strengthening the bond youngsters can have with law enforcement.
