Sheriffs from rural counties in the Panhandle were among dozens of others from across Florida who traveled to the State Capitol on Thursday to discuss their legislative priorities with state lawmakers, the governor and other officials.
“We’re a small rural county," said Liberty County Sheriff Buddy Money, who's served as sheriff in the rural, Panhandle county for almost two years. "Seventy percent of our land is not taxable."
That's because national and state forests, along with conservation lands, occupy most of the county. "We don’t have industry there," Money said. "It’s incumbent upon the state to look at that and say, 'OK, we understand your needs. We’re going to try to do everything we can to help you.”
Sheriffs from 38 counties across Florida traveled to Tallahassee on Thursday to talk about crime reduction, funding needs and other legislative priorities, as part of "Sheriffs Day at the Capitol."
Lawmakers have been supportive of the county's funding proposals, Money said. Last year, the legislature approved funding for the county jail. This year, the sheriff’s office is asking for upgrades to their police radios — which operate on the Florida Statewide Law Enforcement Radio System or SLERS.
The sheriff's office is requesting $800,000 - $1 million to upgrade its radios to comply with the statewide system. “The sheriff’s office is asking the state legislators to give us that money to replace all these radios and still stay on the SLER system," Money said. "If we don’t, we’re going to be dead in the water.”
Deputies in Liberty County use SLERS to communicate with deputies in other counties, such as neighboring Franklin County.
“We actually answer calls in their county sometimes," said Franklin County Sheriff AJ Smith, who was also at the Sheriffs Day event. "They have a town that’s closer to us than it is to their county seat, so we’ve actually answered calls for them.”
Smith is also asking the state legislature to appropriate about $1 million to upgrade the SLERS radios that Franklin County sheriffs' deputies use.
“We’re on the state radio system, and they’ve upgraded their system," Smith said. "They’ve upgraded all their users, but they did not upgrade the third parties, which are counties and cities on the state system.”
Smith explains the radios are essential, as they allow deputies to communicate with each other while they're on patrol.
"Can you imagine a law enforcement officer with no radio? It's like not having a gun or a car."
Smith and Money ate lunch with state Sen. Corey Simon (R-Tallahassee) who represents Liberty and Franklin Counties. They've also met with Republican state Rep. Jason Shoaf, the other member of their delegation.
Overall, the county's legislative delegation has been supportive, he said. "They understand the issue," Smith said. "They've been very cooperative and very helpful, so we're optimistic."
Gadsden County Sheriff's Office requests funding for IT system upgrades and a new mobile command unit
Col. Bobby Collins, law enforcement bureau chief for the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office, was among several officers from the county at the Capitol. Their office is requesting funding a new mobile command unit, Collins said.
“When Hurricane Michael came through, we were in a situation where our primary radio system went down, so we had to go to our mobile command unit, but it’s outdated, so we need a more recent, more up-to-date mobile command unit," Collins said.
The mobile command unit — which is housed inside a giant truck — can be used for a variety of purposes, he said. “For one, search and rescue missions," Collins said. "Also, in response to manmade or natural disasters, you can take your mobile unit and you can dispatch offsite, so that you don’t inundate the regular dispatchers or the communication center.”
He's spoken about the county's needs with North Florida Republican Sen. Corey Simon and Democratic Rep. Gallop Franklin, and they've seemed supportive, Collins said.
"They governor has been phenomenal with making sure that Sheriff Young's priorities are met," "We have a great delegation, with Representative Franklin and Senator Simon and with the governor backing and his relationship with the sheriff, I think we have a really good opportunity right now to assist us with our funding needs."
During the "Sheriffs Day" lunch, deputies with the Gadsden County Sheriff's Office showed off one of six new patrol SUVs that the department purchased in January.
"We've put all of the communities that we serve on this vehicle, so when you see your community, you can take ownership of it," said Col. Bobby Collins, who's with the Gadsden County Sheriff's Office. "You don't solve crimes without the assistance of the community, and you have to foster those relationships and build upon those relationships before something happens."
"We've noticed that there's a gap — or perceived gap — between law enforcement and the communities' they serve," Collins said. "We want the community to see our message that we are a community of one."
