By Kyle LoJacono
A late compromise by Pasco County Sheriff Bob White and county commissioners prevented a hearing with Gov. Rick Scott and his cabinet.
White was appealing the commission’s decision to not raise the budget for his department for the current fiscal year, part of a long-running feud between the two offices. The Pasco Sheriff’s Office received $85.5 million in funding, but White was asking for a $4 million increase to pay for 28 new deputies and offset the rising cost of pensions and retirement for those already on staff.
The commission rejected White’s counter offer of a $2 million increase to bring on 21 new officers because they are projecting as large as a $10 million shortfall next year.
“We won’t have the money to keep new officers on board,” said Pasco Commission Chairwoman Ann Hildebrand.
The commission voted 4-1 at an emergency meeting Feb. 12 to offer White an increase of $945,000 to pay for the rising cost. He called Hildebrand the following day to accept the proposal.
“He said his department was in the red and needed the money to level his costs,” Hildebrand said. “He still wanted to hire new officers, but said this was more important right now.”
The new deputies were slated to bolster law enforcement presence in west Pasco.
The meeting in Tallahassee was to take place on Monday, Feb. 14. Hildebrand said Scott’s office was pressuring the two sides to come to an agreement before the hearing.
“The commissioners decided this was the only way to work this out,” Hildebrand said. “No one really wanted to take it to the governor.”
