VERO BEACH — Indian River County commissioners on Wednesday tentatively approved a $6.8 million boost to the sheriff’s office budget, coming up short of the $12.2 million that Sheriff Eric Flowers had sought but still delivering raises for deputies and other employees after a fiery public hearing.
The boost brings the sheriff’s total budget to approximately $87.8 million for the 2025-26 fiscal year, according to County Administrator John Titkanich. Flowers, who was absent due to an emergency, had initially sought $14.6 million but later revised it downward. The funds are intended for pay raises for the office’s roughly 560 employees, new vehicles, equipment like body cameras and vests, and retention efforts.
To fund the increase without raising taxes or tapping reserves, commissioners cut $850,000 from other departments. That included eliminating six positions—such as a full-time park foreman, a maintenance worker in parks, a staff assistant for conservation lands, a senior maintenance crew leader, and reducing a guest services attendant and recreation leader to part-time—and slashing program funding. Annual allocations to the Humane Society were reduced, and funding for mental health court was halved, with the hospital district covering the remaining costs…