Other board members put emphasis on spending limitations in future fiscal years
As the former county sheriff, Sarasota County Commissioner Tom Knight made several attempts this week to engage his board colleagues in a discussion about lowering the Sheriff’s Office budget even more for the 2026 fiscal year, which will begin on Oct. 1.
As The Sarasota News Leader has reported, Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman — who succeeded Knight as chief of the agency — sent County Administrator Jonathan Lewis an email on July 9, saying he could reduce his FY 2026 proposal by $2,401,797.
The preliminary budget that Hoffman and his senior staff presented to the commissioners on July 2, during the board’s two days of intensive budget workshops, totaled $225,451,927…