Sheriff Bob Gualtieri recently presented county commissioners an increased budget for the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office for a fiscal year that will run through Sept. 30, 2026.
Gualtieri began his July 17 presentation by highlighting the effectiveness of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. Between 2014 and 2024, the rate of serious crimes in the department’s service area decreased by 54%. It has been able to reduce crime, while having a lower amount of deputies per resident, he added.
The submitted budget for FY26 is $476.5 million, up 4% from FY25’s $456.2 million…