Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw’s budgetis poised to face unprecedented scrutiny.
County commissionershave directed Bradshaw to provide substantially more detail about why his spending plan continues to grow faster than the rest of county government. The commission has also voted to redirect $16 million of the $21 million in surplus revenue from Bradshaw’s budget to county coffers, a move that could prompt a legal challenge.
Commissioner Joel Flores said the county faces a difficult budget year. He argued that unused funds from Bradshaw’s record $1.2 billion budget should be available for other county needs.
The moves took place during a commission meeting earlier this month. They followed months of higher scrutiny of county spending by
state officials and concerns about a sharp rollback in property tax revenue depending on the outcome of a constitutional amendment on the November ballot.
The commission called on Bradshaw to submit a "sub-object" budget, which provides more detail than the sheriff’s current budget format but stops short of a line-item breakdown. Bradshaw has come under criticism in recent years for submitting spending plans that fail to provide the kind of detail that other county departments provide. Instead, his budget include summaries of spending.
For example, PBSO collects more than $65 million to provide special patrols for several municipalities in the county but there is no breakdown provided for what each town pays. To lean what other towns pay, even the municipalities that contract with PBSO have to file a public records request.
PBSO spokeswoman Theresa Barbera said the agency’s budget complies with Florida law and that additional information can be provided at the commission’s request. She noted that PBSO also shares its annual expenditures with the county during the audit process.
Questions remain about PBSO's rising costs
In July, Bradshaw agreed to a $20 million budget reduction that county officials said was needed to help close a $42.4 million deficit. Even with that cut, the sheriff’s budget increased 7%, exceeding inflation and contrasting with a 2% reduction imposed on departments overseen by county administration.
During budget discussions on Sept. 3 when the county's spending plan was adopted on first reading, Flores asked county budget officials why the sheriff had $21 million remaining at the end of the fiscal year.
“We don’t know,” said Sherry Brown, director of the county Office of Financial Management and Budget.
Barbera, in a statement emailed to The Palm Beach Post, disputed the characterization of the money as unspent or held in reserve by saying the funds are already committed. She said some purchases, including vehicles, had not been delivered before the fiscal year ended.
Flores also questioned why the sheriff’s spending has consistently outpaced inflation and the growth of other county departments.
Again, Brown said she could not provide an explanation.
The Post has reported that 4,500-employee agency has the highest-paid workforce among Florida sheriff’s offices. More than 100 employees earn over $200,000 annually, and more than 20 make at least $280,000 a year, according to a review of PBSO salary data.
After Brown said she could not explain the agency’s long-term spending growth, Flores urged commissioners to require the sub-object budget similar to those submitted by other county departments and agencies. Commissioners unanimously approved the request.
Among the information not available in the sheriff’s current budget is the cost of executive compensation.
Former PBSO Chief Deputy Michael Gauger received a $743,000 payout for administrative leave benefits when he retired in 2021, along with another $110,000 for unused sick leave and vacation time. At the time, Gauger acknowledged the payout was excessive and that Bradshaw's executive compensation program was one of the main drivers behind the ever increasing PBSO budgets.
Gauger ran against Bradshaw two years ago in a bitter election contest that saw him lose by about 15 percentage points.
In 2024, The Post reported that PBSO executives have retired with benefit packages worth more than five times a deputy’s starting salary. Records show Bradshaw established enhanced retirement benefits for top executives as early as 2014. Over the next seven years, at least three departing officials received payouts exceeding $400,000.
In 2021, Bradshaw revised the program, replacing cash bonuses with hundreds of hours of additional paid leave that executives can cash out upon retirement. Deputies with at least 20 years of service can receive a benefit equal to 2¾ weeks of pay for each year worked.
Bradshaw has less than two weeks to provide commissioners with a more detailed budget before the county’s second and final budget hearing on Sept. 16.
Mike Diamond is a journalist atThe Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: PBSO told to reveal budget details, return $16M from current plan
