More staff. New equipment. Better pay.

Across four budget workshops — the final two held this week — Sarasota County leaders made their cases for the coming year. Nearly every department and constitutional office is asking for more, and commissioners seem inclined to give it.

If all the proposals move forward, the county’s spending for fiscal year 2026 will exceed $2.5 billion — the largest budget in its history.

But behind the confident presentations and cordial exchanges, Sarasota is approaching a fiscal crossroads.

County projections show that by 2028, expenses will outpace revenues by $31.6 million. The deficit climbs to nearly $41 million the next year and remains above $39 million into 2030.

That’s under the current millage rate, and under the assumption that the county’s biggest revenue source, property taxes, continues to grow. The county’s budget projects annual increases in property values ranging from 4.3% this year to 6.2% by fiscal year 2030.

Yet after years of rapid appreciation, home values in Southwest Florida have begun to dip, raising doubts about whether future revenue will keep pace with projections. If that trend continues, an already imbalanced budget could become even harder to reconcile.

“We’re heading in the wrong direction,” Commissioner Mark Smith said after this week’s final workshop.

Much of the pressure is coming from increases in the Sheriff’s Office. Its proposed $225 million budget is the largest in the county’s general fund and has grown by more than 30% since 2022 — fueled largely by salaries, staffing and infrastructure.

But it’s not the only department seeking more.

Almost every county office is asking for increases this year, from Public Works to the Planning and Development Services. Sarasota County Tax Collector Mike Moran, for example, is seeking a 27% budget bump — a $3.1 million increase — though his final proposal isn’t due until August.

County Administrator Jonathan Lewis has acknowledged the strain, writing in the proposed budget that not all priorities may be funded this year. But he framed the plan as a strategic investment — one that avoids raising taxes while targeting what he called “the most critical areas of concern.”

Christine Robinson, a former county commissioner and executive director of the Argus Foundation, said the projected shortfalls warrant careful attention and a proactive approach.

“Every dollar they spend now will be compounded in future years,” said Robinson, who has watched every budget workshop this year.

She recalled joining the commission in 2010, when the effects of the Great Recession had already forced deep cuts. Committees were formed to find savings wherever possible — even limiting the use of small appliances at desks to reduce electricity bills.

While today’s challenges aren’t as severe, Robinson said the county would be wise to start prioritizing its spending now.

“Top priorities should be the focus,” she said. “And they should be cutting from the bottom.”

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Sarasota County has highest deputy salaries in Florida

While other departments are seeking budget bumps, none carries the financial weight — or long-term implications — as the sheriff’s office. The sharp rise in personnel costs, combined with ongoing investments in equipment and facilities, has made the department a major force in the county’s fiscal trajectory.

Sheriff Kurt Hoffman took office in January 2021. His staff prepared their first full budget for fiscal year 2022, when the office’s spending totaled $153 million. Since then, the budget has grown by $47 million. If commissioners approve his current budget request, it will balloon by $72.4 million since the start of his administration — a 47% increase over four years, with average annual growth topping 10%.

Much of that growth is tied to staffing. Sarasota County now leads the state in starting pay for deputies, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the cost of bringing on new personnel has surged. 

In 2016, the average cost to hire a deputy — including salary, benefits, vehicle, and equipment — was about $133,000. This year, that figure is nearing $250,000, according to a slide Hoffman showed at Wednesday’s budget workshop.

Hoffman defended the increases during Wednesday’s budget workshop, citing a continued drop in violent crime and the need to modernize facilities and technology. From 2021 to 2024, violent crime in the county — including murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft — fell by more than 10%, he said, and has dropped nearly 63% since 2009. He also noted that his agency remains understaffed compared to neighboring counties.

Hoffman’s predecessor, Tom Knight, now sits on the County Commission. He did not criticize the request for more money, instead focusing his comments on ways the sheriff could leverage inter-agency collaboration that may allow Hoffman to reduce his budget in future years.

But Smith pointed out that the sheriff’s proposed 12% budget increase far outpaces the general fund’s projected revenue growth of just 4% — a gap he suggested may not be sustainable.

“I’m not questioning the need,” Smith told Hoffman. “Is there going to be a leveling off?”

Hoffman responded that many of the increases are likely to recur in future budgets.

Derek Gilliam is an investigative/watchdog reporter for Suncoast Searchlight, a nonprofit newsroom of the Community News Collaborative serving Sarasota, Manatee, and DeSoto counties. Learn more at suncoastsearchlight.org.