Whichever way you look at it, the Flagler County Commission’s and its administrator’s letter to the school district calling for a plan to defund the county’s portion of money for school deputies was clumsy, terribly timed, and an unnecessary invitation to political grandstanding in an election year. Deputies aren’t going anywhere, nor is the county’s funding. But nor should this be another invitation for the School Board to consider harebrained ideas like arming staffers.
Flagler County Sheriff
School Board and Parents Grapple with County’s ‘Blindsiding’ Call To Defund Its Portion of School Deputies
Flagler County School Board members and parents spoke of surprise, concern and “blindsiding,” in the words of the board’s chair, in reaction to a Feb. 13 letter from County Administrator Heidi Petito to the superintendent saying the county had reached “an important decision” to “gradually transfer the financial responsibility” for $1.4 million in “these legacy expenditures to the school district,” including the county’s more than $1 million commitment to school resource deputies.
Sheriff Staly to County: ‘Defunding School Resources Deputies Is Fundamentally Wrong’
When the the County Commission first raised the possibility of ending its contribution to the Flagler County school district’s school resource deputy program a year ago, Sheriff Rick Staly wrote the commission chairman a four-page letter sharply criticizing the possibility and explaining why. Now that the County Commission is pushing that possibility further, Staly’s letter is relevant again, and presented here in full.
Flagler County Plans to End $1.4 Million Contribution for School Deputies, Administrator Tells Superintendent
Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito last week wrote Superintendent LaShakia Moore that county government will no longer pay the $1.4 million a year in subsidies for the school district’s School Resource Officer, ending a 50-50 cost-sharing agreement that’s been in place for a decade. The county is not required by law to share the district’s security costs.
Clarifying Its Own Roles, School Board Finally Approves Carver Gym Agreement with Expanded PAL Presence
It took half a year, but the Flagler County School Board Tuesday evening approved the new agreement that will revamp and control the operation of the Carver Center, or Carver Gym, in Bunnell, in cooperation with Flagler County, the City of Bunnell, the Sheriff’s Office and its Police Athletic League. PAL will have a much larger role running activities at the center.
Flagler County and New Florida State Guard Sign Lease on $10 Million Training Facility Near Sheriff’s Jail in Bunnell
It is no longer just a possibility. It is now a certainty. The Florida State Guard’s training facility will be located in Flagler County next to the Flagler County jail on Justice Lane in Bunnell. The County Commission on Monday approved a 30-year lease with the Guard. As with the National Guard armory on county grounds near the county airport, the State Guard will not pay rent.
Sheriff’s Citizen Observer Patrol (COP) Unit Hosts Annual Awards Banquet
The banquet was led by volunteer Chief Roberson Brown, who leads the dedicated COP Unit volunteers in handling various tasks that allow sworn deputies to handle and investigate more serious crimes. The banquet was also attended by Sheriff Rick Staly and his wife Debbie, Chief Jon Welker, Chief David Williams, Commander Scott Vedder, and Commander Kenny Goncalves.
Approval of Carver Center’s Joint Agreement Is Upended as School Board Has Late-Breaking Changes
In the works since June, a new, joint agreement on management and oversight of the Carver Center in Bunnell will have to wait until at least January before it is enacted, because a misstep at the school district delayed a legal review of the agreement. That kept the School Board from seeing the revised proposal for the first time until the County Commission had already approved the original version.
Sheriff Staly Is Honored with Bethune-Cookman’s Law Enforcement Leadership Award
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly was recognized with the Law Enforcement Leadership Award at the 6th Annual Florida Historically Black Colleges and Universities (FL HBCUs) Law Enforcement Luncheon hosted by the Center for Law and Social Justice at Bethune-Cookman University (BCU). Sheriff Staly received the award for his leadership, community-policing engagement efforts, and for providing internships and opportunities to minority applicants and BCU interns.
Sheriff’s Shop With a Cop Raises Over $35,000 for Christmas Spree, Shattering records
Flagler County Sheriff’s Office employees contributed nearly $25,000 and community organizations another $10,000 to the Flagler Sheriff Children’s Charities Shop With A Cop event set for Dec. 15 at the Palm Coast Walmart.