The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has a current deficit of 37 road deputies, according to an analysis by the University of North Florida produced for the Sheriff’s Office, Palm Coast and the county. The analysis is intended to yield an objective, permanent method of paying for law enforcement based on calls for service.
Don’t expect those deputies to be hired in one swoop, but the sheriff’s plan is to have the county and Palm Coast jointly hire 12 deputies next year, 12 in 2026, and 13 in 2027, by which time they would be “caught up” with needs. Beyond that, they would have to hire about five deputies a year, based on growth.
The analysis was the centerpiece of a joint meeting today of the two governments and the Sheriff’s Office, which is funded by the County Commission, contracting separately with Palm Coast for supplemental policing. Palm Coast does not have its own police department.
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly last year requested that the county and city develop a joint staffing plan.
“As a sheriff,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said, “I’m kind of caught in the middle between the County Commission and the city of Palm Coast with competing interests on who is responsible for the service level for specifically law enforcement in Flagler County. That was the impetus for this meeting, along with the studies that we had previously commissioned on staffing needs of the sheriff’s office and the growth.”
Calls for service is key to the funding method. Calls for service by residents have risen from 43,385 in 2019-20 to 49,631 last year, although total calls for service have remained flat, at just over 119,000. The total includes calls initiated by community policing. It does not include calls generated in Bunnell and Flagler Beach. A little over 82 percent of the calls for service are in Palm Coast, Staly said.
He went further, suggesting that the ratio could be used as a guide in coming years when the county and the city are deciding how to share the burden. “Those are all decision points to be made,” he said, proposing various ways to offset the cost of initial deputy hires with development impact fees. That revenue may be used for capital expenses such as patrol cars and guns and ammunition, but not salaries.
The average call for service by law enforcement is 121 minutes on average. That metric is used to calculate the number of deputies needed to cover shifts. Using those metrics, “the meat and potatoes,” as Palm Coast Acting manager Lauren Johnston described it, one deputy sheriff would be required for every 308 calls for service. That’s the key number.
That calculation would enable the local governments to determine more precisely the need for additional deputies, if any, simply by applying the formula based on each year’s difference in calls for service.
The crime rate is going down steeply even as the population has grown. “We also know that our crime rate is going down because our population is growing older,” Johnston said, as she also cited technological improvements such as the Real Time Crime Center and inmate rehabilitation programs.
Close to a year of meetings to develop the presentation today, involving Johnston and Mark Strobridge, the sheriff’s chief of staff, especially. Staly made a plug for “She could be a high paid consultant right now on manpower staffing studies for law enforcement across the country,” he said. Johnston returned the compliments.
Johnston said that often, law enforcement needs are based on a per-capita approach–the 2.4 deputies per 1,000 residents recommended by public safety associations. “However, there are some limitations to using the per-capita approach for law enforcement,” Johnston said, such as intensity of workload, demographics (older people require less law enforcement), environmental differences, and so on.
There has been significant increases in funding for law enforcement, but calls for service have continued to increase. Last year there were no new additional road deputies. The increases in uniformed deputies were at the county jail. The road deputy deficit has been growing over the last few years: 141 law enforcement officers were needed in 2021, leaving a deficit of 24. In 2023, 161 were needed, creating the deficit of 37 deputies.
“We’re talking strictly about law enforcement,” Staly said. The numbers don’t include other factors such as detention and courts, which have their own impacts. In addition, every 2.4 deputies require one support staffer. He said Palm Coast will also need an additional district office in coming years.
Council member Nick Klufas asked whether technology, which the sheriff has touted for years, could be used as a “force multiple” to slow the need for additional deputies. “I think we’ve reached the saturation factor for that,” Staly said. When people call, they want a deputy. “It makes it more effective, but I think we’re at the point now where where you got to have people answer the calls.”
For the local governments, the county and Palm Coast must now decide to what extent they will rely on the new methodology, how they intend to share the burden, and how they will pay for it all. Johnston provided only two specific options: the property tax, which local officials have been loath to raise for whatever reason, and an additional half-penny sales surtax.
Commissioner Greg Hansen said a sales surtax would be “helpful,” though Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin took exception for the way Hansen said Palm Coast “bombed” the proposal before it had a chance to be vetted. In fact, the city rejected the proposal a few years ago, when the county first suggested it and when Alfin was not on the council. When the county proposed it again last year, it bombed itself before the proposal had a chance to get to Palm Coast, because it was done clumsily and with wrong facts. (“I was part of the minority that did recommend passing along the recommendation for the half cent sales tax,” Council member Nick Klufas said.) That tax would be for both police and fire.
Council member Theresa Pontieri favors an objective metric that can be applied year after year, as long as it is compared to that of other cities to ensure that the assumptions validate the results. But she was amply supportive of the proposed approach.
“I don’t know what the appetite is to come to a unified level of service between the county and the city,” Pontieri said. “But I at the very least hope that our city council is willing to adopt a resolution after we get some of these data points and have a more in-depth conversation based on those, so that we can have a resolution or adopt something that we can continuously fall back on and that future city councils can fall back on and rely on so that when we come up with the budget every year, we’re not caught off guard, and we can budget for all of public safety, including fire and police.”
Some of the questions from the panel were peripheral to the hard issues facing the elected. Who, one of the council members asked, was the sheriff competing for when hiring? Other agencies, he said–with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office having 200 openings, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office likely getting 25 new deputies, and millennials having different work priorities than their predecessors: overtime is not their obsession.
Next, the staffers will produce some of the additional data the elected have asked for, then draft a proposed resolution that would lay out a funding formula. An additional joint meeting will be scheduled to discuss those results. That may happen “over the next couple of months,” Johnston said, concurrently with budget submissions.
Dennis C Rathsam says
If they didnt build all these houses, we wouldnt have all this traffic, & we wouldnt need all those new deputy,s! TAXING the residents is not an option. TAXES are too damm high now!
Denise says
Dennis you are 100% CORRECT! Put the price tag on the BUILDERS, we are growing too fast for our SHERIFF DEPARTMENT, OUR ROADS, OUR SCHOOLS…. HMMMM Did anyone think of that before we started putting a house/apartment on every vacant lot? TRUST ME in a few years, a lot of those apartment buildings will be sitting fairly empty or will become low housing options. Don’t tax us citizens who’ve been here for years, we didn’t want this kind of growth in our small town, PUT THE BLAME, PRICE TAGS ON THE PEOPLE CREATING THIS MONSTER.
Steve M says
I agree 100% with you. I’m tired of going to council meeting and telling Alfin to slow down. We need Cops, water Treating plants, fire house. When does it stop. One good not FL HB 1365 goes into effect Oct 1, 2024. Now council needs to get homeless off park benches around City Hall.
Palm Coast Citizen says
The City of Palm Coast doesn’t build the homes. Private land owners do what they want with the land they own within zoning requirements. To be fair, residential homes create less traffic in the area than commercial businesses, and we need more commercial businesses, yet we don’t have the population density (smaller homes, more multifamily) to get it. Population is going to grow whether residents like it or not. The City and County just have to manage it.
raw says
Go up to the county north of Flagler and see what high taxes are! Definitely an eye opener.
JimboXYZ says
Like fast food chains & Wal-Mart, there will be a day when one has to provide their own law enforcement as self service. It’s already the Wild West for drugs & crime in Bunnell in spurts. That much was obvious over the last 3+ years when Bunnell chose to contract with FCSO. Bunnell hired a new Police Chief & 2 weeks in, that guy resigned for another job elsewhere. Bunnell was without Police leadership. What exactly does Bunnell PD do since FCSO handles the heavy lifting now ? Speeding citations ? That’s Flagler Beach PD just the same. Speeding in 25 mph zones created over the last 3+ years. Maybe handle the bar scuffle of the eternally addicted & stupid village idiots that have always been the primary source of problems ?
Tired of it says
Wait, I thought the Sheriff had almost eradicated crime in Flagler. 37 deputies in three years? And Staly says : “In addition, every 2.4 deputies require one support staffer. He said Palm Coast will also need an additional district office in coming years.
This is what heppens when you elect Republicans.
TR says
Your last sentence imo is arrogant. Has nothing to do with what the sheriff wants. (insert sarcasm) It could also be said that if Democrats wouldn’t commit so many crimes there wouldn’t be the need for so many police officers. See how stupid that sounds? BTW, what is heppens??? Just wondering.
Dennis mcduscowitz says
Arrogant and ignorant.
Democrats have nothing to do with crime. If that were the case in this county, crim would be less than 20%, moron.
If we need 36 road deputies… why are we sending 3 or 4 to each fender bender?? Staly needs to be cited in half by the “city” of palm coast wearing their big pants and getting community police. You Yankees wanted a city in 99 when we all told you you’d pay…. ante up
James says
“… You Yankees wanted a city in 99…”
Well?… how else would you get the late George Steinbrenner to move the spring training camp here?
Perhaps now with a west side stadium they can seal a deal once and for all.
Just one Yankee’s opinion.
Eh, yeah btw… I should clarify that I am just joking… no need to give Alfin any encouraging ideas.
TR says
Look in the mirror and you’ll see the moron. I was telling Tired of it that what is happening has nothing to do with Republicans, but you didn’t read where I wrote (insert sarcasm).
However if you think that the majority of people committing crime in this county are mostly Republicans, then you apparently have you head up a dark hole.
One for fact for you. I was also one of those people back in 99 that told people not to incorporate Palm Coast. Funny thing is I’m a Yankee from up north and left there because of the bs that was happening and that was in 89. Hahahahaha
Tom says
Acting manager Lauren Johnston stated that “older people require less law enforcement.” I believed that this statement can be misleading as we need to account for older people are often more often victims of crime to include victims of fraud, neglect, and physical or emotional abuse. These types of crimes create a need to for community outreach from our law enforcement as well as investigating these crimes.
Although it is good news that the crime rate continues to drop, typically fraud cases (especially against the elderly) is not reflected in these crime statistics.
Steve says
Geez Sheriff why not just mobilize the State Militia
E says
His wish
Gerald Jacobs says
It would be best to slow down spending tax dollars so fast. Let FCSO take care of the courts, The jail and unincorporated law enforcement of Flagler county. Palm Coast could create it very own Police Dept. With Federal grants. That would give the city more control of the budget. The sheriff’s office then can be back up when needed. As they back up Flagler Beach and Bunnell police now. Take control,
Tim says
City of palm coat can’t run the city or water department and you want to give them a department with Guns . Stop holding your breath so much and think before you post . We pay the sheriff to do more , hold him too it and get are money’s worth out of him.
Darksideofthemoon says
Yup when you hire republicans you get to live in safety under law and order. Crime statistics bear that out.. thank you
Lorie says
You have any receipts for your claim?
James says
With the huge increase in housing building, almost 200,000 actual residents. Palm coast will need more like 100 new deputies to keep up! This town is going to the dogs fast!
Palm Coast Citizen says
“This town is going to the dogs fast!”
I remember when the very first McDonald’s was built in all of Flagler County. We had about 14,000 people in the whole county, and guess what people said?
Palm Coast is growing as it has for a while, and every year, people complain.
It’s going to be okay. Palm Coast is fantastic compared to what people thought it would be before it was even incorporated as a city! It’s not done yet.
James says
“… every year people complain. …”
People have apparently been complaining about Palm Coast even before there was a Palm Coast!
Well, as this James has said on occasion… Palm Coast just ain’t what it never was now is it?
Just a sad observation.
Thomas Hutson says
Tom Hutson says “If the voters in Flagler County and specifically in Palm Coast buy into Sheriff Staley’s request for 36 deputies over the next three years and up to 18 new staffers to support them…then I know a bridge in Arizona you can buy.”
Sheriff, get real!! Use a legitimate study on calls for services, if your deputies are taking 121 minutes on a call they must be reading the newspaper. No department I have been associated with has had anything near that time or would tolerate it. Your call load does not justify anywhere near 36 additional deputies at the end of your 3 year wish list.
Emily says
Ridiculous
I see them driving around town all day in their fancy cars and big egos, giving out speeding tickets. They get a call at night and everyone of them show up .
If they were organized and WELL TRAINED, we have plenty.
More tax payer dollars, that is getting really old in PC ,
That will be the demise of PC , people here don’t make the $ you need to pay for all this wishful thinking
Kevin Gessner says
Give the plan a chance. The city is growing by leaps and bounds. Crime is trending down. Let’s keep it that way.
TR says
There is nothing fancy about the police cars. They are the same in most countries in the area, Volusia, Putnum and St. John’s to name a few. The reason you see them during the day more is because there are a lot more people out and about during the day and are home at night like you are where you can not see what’s going on on the roads in PC. With the amount of new homes being built and more people moving here. The calls to the police department will increase and who do you think will answer those calls? The deputies we have now? People are complaining that it takes a deputy to long to get to them when they call 911 dispatch. So can you imagine how long it will take without adding more deputies to the growing population? Then you can complain about that if you ever need a deputy and have to wait a long time for them to show up, which I hope you never do. If that’s what you want is to keep the sheriff from getting more deputies, then I have three words for you “Lock and Load” I say give the sheriff 50 new deputies if it helps keep crime down with the large growth to Flagler County.
Again! says
Again….this Sheriff is a life long tax and spend DEMOCRAT! He was a Democrat his entire life. He ran as Sheriff in Orlando as a DEMOCRAT. He only switched to republican when he moved here and realized his chances were better getting elected in this predominantly republican county as a republican. He is a true RINO. Look at his budget and spending. He plugs low crime as a reason to relect him while using scare tactics of more crime if we don’t cave to his thirst for more tax money and larger budgets…wake up people the swamp is alive a well here in Flagler County!
Ray W. says
The county’s population is growing, just as it has been for the past 50 years. A study was presented to the commission that establishes a current and probable future shortage of road deputies. The issue, I argue, should be discussed, vetted, evaluated, compared, etc., until the commission comes to a decision. Citizen commentary is important. If 10 or 20 deputies are approved, instead of 36, so be it. The growth issue will not soon go away, so the staffing issue will return and return and return.
From reading the many comments in this thread, it seems that almost every FlaglerLive commenter understands that no new deputies can be hired by Sheriff Staly unless and until the commission votes to fund and hire them, regardless of need; he just can’t add to his workforce on his own impetus.
If almost every FlaglerLive commenter understands that a commission vote is necessary before any additional deputy can be added to the agency, then why do so many commenters think that our current president can simply sign an executive order to hire additional federal hearing officers, border agents, and support staff to help with the multitude of immigration problems at our borders? Doesn’t it take an act of Congress to authorize any expansion of the workforce of the relevant federal agencies dealing with those problems? Isn’t the fault for any staffing shortages at the border with Congress and not with the executive? Why aren’t FlaglerLive commenters redirecting their ire about border problems to the House and Senate?
Pogo says
@Thank you, exactly right.
https://www.google.com/search?q=basic+civics
As for why, well you know that answer too…there’s one born every minute. And they accumulate.
“It Ain’t What You Don’t Know That Gets You Into Trouble. It’s What You Know for Sure That Just Ain’t So.”
— Mark Twain
Directly related
https://www.google.com/search?q=law+enforcement+organization+and+administration
P.S.
I’m personally sanguine about what I speak, framing matters as we, IMO, isn’t the same thing.
Greg says
Staley is always trying to build his empire in Flagler County.
Tina Olive says
People are always asking of Facebook…”I hear sirens, what’s going on? Where do you think these sirens are going to? ..People don’t want police until you need them and then people can’t get enough police….The bigger the city the more of everything your gonna need…Police, Firefighters, Hospitals, along with buildings to house these people….Not to mention waste water, water plants for basic human needs….The more you build the more it costs. All this building just opens the door for undesirable people to move here and we have to have people willing to risk life and limb to keep people and property safe. If the person in charge that deals with this everyday says “We are going to need help to keep things safe and sound” Then we need to listen….
Tom Gillian says
16K people moved into Flagler in 3 years…One would think that revenue would be spent where it needs to be.
Maybe fcso should sell 1 or 2 of their armed vehicles? Really no need for those.
fcso is the main reason the county has no money every year. They suck up the budget & the board just caves every time.
Look around the roads, Rymfire, Whiteview, old kings, Pine Lakes, anyone see all the burnout trails all over? I hear them at night doing it. Where are the cops then?
Tim says
We need more Deputies? Explain to me why you can’t drive anywhere in Flagler without seeing at least 2 sometimes 4 Deputies bullshiting with each other. I can’t tell you the last time I’ve seen a deputy drive around my neighborhood! What ever happened to community policing? I really hope that someone with common sense runs against our current sheriff!
sick of it says
i see them hiding all over the place. our tax money hard at work!
TR says
I also see them all over Palm Coast on a daily bases. I travel different areas on a daily bases and I’ll bet I see at least 3 to 5 deputies driving around any given area. Unfortunately with the amount of people here and the amount of different situations that come up on a daily bases, there are not enough deputies to do community policing like Tim asked. I’ll be that the dispatch center is busy 24/7 and the calls are responded to in the importance as they are received.
Gerald Jacobs says
Our sheriff department and our sheriff we have now. Is the best thing that Flagler County has ever had.
hjc says
1/2 million dollar mobile command center used for the home show, pow wow and the fair. Harley’s for a deputy to get injured or killed on, mustangs don’t they look nice and deputies sitting on every corner having a pow wow.
Why are we paying Staley from the county taxes, city taxes and school taxes this guy has it figured out.
The fraternity that is the sheriff’s department needs to cut their budget. They do not need to keep up with every other department in this state.
TR says
No they don’t but they do need the tools to do their job to handle any situation that comes up. What would you like the department to use to patrol the county. A mini van when there is a hostage situation? the deputies should drive around in smart cars, or try and chase someone on a bicycle? I hope your never in a situation where you want a deputy to respond to help you as fast as they can. especially using your logic. You make it sound as if the department issued vehicles are not needed. I bet you have a car, or truck to get from point A to point B, right? Maybe you should give that up and walk everywhere so you don’t get into an accident and get injured or killed.
Again says
Irony is, they do have a minivan……used for undercover activities lol
hjc says
Another person who thinks General Staley should be given a blank check.
John Costa says
Every year Staley cries he needs
More deputies, Every year !!!! I say no make due with what we currently have if they need 2 patrol cars to pull over 1 person for a speeding ticket then my assessment would be we have to many deputies how you justify another 36 ??? Heavy is the head that wears the crown it’s all about power
Sam says
We Don’t need more Deputies, Staly and his Deputies need training. You can find numerous videos of Flagler county police officers violating people’s constitutional rights.
So they want tax payers in Flagler county to foot the bill for 36+ more ego driven above the law tyrants.
No thanks. We need to fix the shitty policy for hiring officers first, maybe hire officers that don’t slip women their phone numbers and then let them get away with a crime. Officers that don’t harass people for eating in a parked car, officers that KNOW the law and aren’t making it up as they go.
TR says
Will comment on John and Sam’s comments with this comment.
I say give the Sheriff 50 new deputies if needed to control the large number of calls that will come into 911 with all the new residences moving into all these new homes that the PC city realtor council is allowing. Projected population growth for the next three years is where sheriff Staly got his number of 36 new deputies. If you both think that the department has enough deputies now to handle lets say another 16,000 residence like in the past 3 years, you have to living with your heads up somewhere. I hope you both (and anyone else) never needs a deputy for anything and have to wait for a long time because the short staffed department has all the other calls to attend to. This isn’t a small city anymore and the larger it gets the more deputies they need. Any good sheriff that has a brain sees what the department needs to keep everyone safe based on the population.
Last comment to only Sam. Kinda stretching a bit with your description as to what the deputies do besides enforce the laws. Hugh?
TR says
Forgot one thing for Sam. If you know of any so called videos of a Flagler County deputy violating people’s constitutional rights. Then I would suggest you send those videos to the Sheriff first and if you don’t get any action taken, then send them to the governor. I have done something similar and got great results. You may think the sheriff has a big head and want to build his empire. Well he definitely doesn’t want any deputy make him look bad and will take action if said video exists.
sass says
The sherif is doing an excellent job. The city needs him and honestly his proposals too. Glad to have him and anymore that keep it safe here. We are growing and that means so much his force. A few online trolls complaining thankfully won’t be deciding this.