PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco is sounding an alarm when it comes to the number of deputies he can put on the street given the county’s explosive growth.
Nocco says not only is Pasco’s population outpacing the number he can hire, but that the county also needs to become more competitive when it comes to salaries.
“It’s a battle,” the sheriff told county commissioners Tuesday.
Nocco cited Pasco’s growth, given his current budget, and says his agency is struggling to keep up with other law enforcement agencies offering better salaries.
“Now, it’s even a tougher environment to compete in,” he said.
Sheriff Nocco used a restaurant analogy.
Pasco is popular, he said, but if service is slow, customers will complain. And the highly trained chefs — in this case, deputies — are leaving – to take their skills and training to other places with better pay.
“And that is a major issue as we talk about staffing,” he told commissioners.
Nocco pointed to numbers from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement which show Pasco is 64 out of Florida’s 67 counties when it comes to deputies per thousand people.
He also said the agency is 55 out of 67 when it comes to public safety spending according to Florida Tax Watch.
“You know, we’re just trying to maintain a level that we’re at,” Nocco said. “We keep seeming to be falling behind.”
One County Commissioner also pointed out that the sheriff’s current budget is about $50 million more than it was just six years ago. But Sheriff Nocco says that increase was mostly used to raise salaries for current deputies who were leaving to join other agencies — not to hire more deputies now needed to keep up with Pasco’s growth.
Recently, the sheriff also handed control of the jail back to the county, citing financial issues.
Commissioners and the sheriff talked about possible solutions, including the possibility of additional impact fees on new developments and perhaps higher taxes.
“You know, we brag about our low taxes here, but that comes at a price,” Commission Chair Kathryn Starkey said. “And it comes at a level of service that we’re offering to our citizens with the money that we have.”
Sheriff Nocco says they’re doing all they can to remain competitive by recruiting deputies from law enforcement schools around the nation.
They’ve also encouraged those in The Law Enforcement Explorer Program to stick with them.
County commissioners said they hear the sheriff and promised to take a closer look at the numbers and talk about strategies during a workshop meeting on May 24.