As Deerfield Beach leaders weigh whether to renew the city’s long-standing contracts with the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO[1]), new polling shows that despite rising costs, a supermajority of voters want to keep the existing arrangement.
Nearly 2 in 3 Deerfield Beach voters — 63% — support renewing the city’s BSO contracts for police and firefighting services with requested cost increases, a survey by Frederick Polls[2] found.
That preference is constant across party lines.
Thirty-four percent of voters would rather toss the BSO contract in favor of something new, while 3% remain undecided.
When voters heard several pro-renewal statements and additional information about alternative options — including Deerfield Beach potentially re-establishing its old Police Department, which the BSO absorbed in 1990 — support for keeping the current contract jumped to 75%.
The poll, which Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony’s political committee[3] commissioned, also found that a significant share of Deerfield Beach voters hold the quality of BSO services in high regard.
Overall, 82% of respondents gave the BSO a positive job rating. When broken down by department, BSO deputies received 69% positive ratings compared to just 8% negative, while firefighters scored 79% positive marks, 60% of which were “very positive.”
“Clearly, this satisfaction with the status quo drives support for BSO’s position in the contract renewal process,” pollster Kenneth Frederick wrote.
The new survey, conducted Sept. 11-15 with 365 registered Deerfield Beach voters, couldn’t be timelier. BSO negotiations dominated a City Commission meeting Monday[4], with residents and officials expressing frustration over the impasse between the agency and municipality.
Tony has sought increases of a 9.4% for Fire Rescue and 10.1% for policing[5], well beyond the 5% limit stipulated in the BSO’s agreement with the city.
The added cost, not counting the increase contractually contemplated, would be roughly $2.4 million.
Notably, 58% of voters polled said they’d be willing to pay higher taxes to adequately fund police and firefighter salaries.
Seventy-two percent said Deerfield Beach could find the extra funding the BSO wants to cover competitive pay raises for its first responders if the city reduced other spending.
The deadline to decide is fast approaching; on Sept. 30, the BSO’s contracts with Deerfield Beach are set to lapse.
While based in Salt Lake City, Frederick Polls has done ample work for Florida clients on both sides of the political aisle.
The BSO-Deerfield Beach poll has a 5.2-percentage-point margin of error.
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References
- ^ BSO (www.sheriff.org)
- ^ Frederick Polls (www.frederickpolls.com)
- ^ political committee (browardvotes.gov)
- ^ dominated a City Commission meeting Monday (www.local10.com)
- ^ 9.4% for Fire Rescue and 10.1% for policing (www.wlrn.org)