BRADENTON BEACH – Following extensive discussion and an outpouring of public support, the Bradenton Beach City Commission decided to retain the Bradenton Beach Police Department and discontinue the discussions about the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office possibly serving as the city’s contracted law enforcement agency.
The commission made this decision during a special city commission meeting held in the packed city commission chambers on Thursday, May 7.
“This is a meeting to consider a proposal for law enforcement services from Manatee County Sheriff’s Department,” Mayor John Chappie said when opening the meeting. “As you know, the commission had decided to get more information to see where we’re at and make some comparisons.”
SHERIFF’S PROPOSAL
The $1.35 million proposal recently received from the sheriff’s office included $1.27 million in annual salary expenses for eight deputies and one sergeant. The proposal listed eight deputies’ salaries at $80,623 and one sergeant’s salary at $119,248. The $1.27 million figure also included additional incentives, FICA tax reductions, retirement benefits and health benefits for the deputies and the sergeant.
The sheriff’s office proposal includes an additional $85,163 for operating expenses, bringing the total estimated first-year cost for county-provided law enforcement services to $1.35 million.
The city’s discussions with the sheriff’s office occurred at a time when the Bradenton Beach police officers were exploring the potential unionization of the city’s police department – an action that now appears unlikely after six officers recently informed the city, in writing, that they would vote no on unionization, leaving only two voting police department members still in potential support of unionizing.
COMMISSION DISCUSSION
Serving as the city’s labor attorney, Robert Eschenfelder provided a brief recap of the previous commission discussion on April 23.
“At the last meeting, you discussed authorizing staff to go back to the sheriff’s office to negotiate an agreement for you all to consider. Your (police department) budget is $2.1 million. In the first year of the contract, Manatee County Sheriff’s Office is offering services for $1,358,000, which is an $822,000 savings. The sheriff does indicate that number is premised upon entry-level officers and that for second and ensuing years, the salaries of the deputies that are assigned would be more – to about what Anna Maria has, which is $1.6-$1.7 million, so that savings becomes $480,000 a year based on what you’re currently paying.”
Eschenfelder said the sheriff’s office included a clause for policing the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) district, which includes Bridge Street.
“Their hourly rate is $20-$30 higher than the rate you currently pay,” he said. “The chief (John Cosby) also wanted to make sure marine patrol would be covered to the same frequency, and the sheriff’s office agreed to that.”
Speaking next, Mayor John Chappie gave a pretty clear indication as to what the commission’s decision would be.
“Apples-to-apples is what we were looking for,” he said of the cost comparisons being discussed. “It’s not in any way, shape or form all about cost. It’s about the service. It’s what we get for our residents, visitors and business owners. Chief Cosby, in his 39 years of service, has developed what we all agree is a stellar police department.”
Chappie said it’s important for the officers to know the residents, the neighborhoods and the city’s possible hot spots.
Chappie said the city’s police officers are familiar with the vacation rental “party houses” and the Bridge Street area.
“They know how to patrol those areas,” he said. “If we would make a change, it’s permanent and there’s no going back.”
“If we do make a change, it would make a big difference,” Chappie said. “Some of the other things that concern me is the cost of staffing. After the first year, it’s going to go up, and it could be significant.”
Chappie said while there appears to be a cost savings with the sheriff’s office proposal, it doesn’t take into account the $147,000 the city anticipates collecting from parking ticket fines during the current fiscal year, and the $129,417 the city receives from Manatee County for the city police department’s patrolling of the county-owned Coquina Beach and Cortez Beach areas.
“I’m not in favor of this, I don’t think it’s right for us,” Chappie said. “There are many unknowns with regard to future costs. I’m happy with our police department.”
Commissioner Ralph Cole expressed concern about Bradenton Beach losing its personal feel.
“If we get rid of our police department, we’re going to lose our small-town identity,” Cole said. “I’m totally for keeping our police department.”
Commissioner Deborah Scaccianoce said this was not just a financial decision, but also an emotional one.
“These guys know our citizens, they know our businesses, they know where they need to be at certain times,” she said. “Knowing our residents is important because they know who needs them – whether it’s for medical emergencies, or for our businesses on Bridge Street when they get busy.”
Scaccianoce said she has a special attachment to ssBradenton Beach Police because her brother, Sam Speciale, was the former police chief.
“I’ve known Chief Cosby since he got hired and I know I can depend on all of them on a moment’s notice because they know this community,” Scaccianoce said. “Financially, the numbers look good for the sheriff, but as the mayor said, this is pretty much bare bones. This is starting salary for new deputies; we don’t know what next year will look like. I really think this is not an apples-to-apples comparison. I could see us back at $2.1 million before you know it and what we’ve lost we can never get back.”
Commissioner Scott Bear expressed concerns about the sheriff’s office’s ability to provide additional coverage during holidays and special events, and the potential overtime costs associated with doing so.
“Although the numbers look good, there’s a lot of risk to the city,” he said. “We would be saving some money, but I’m not sure how much because there’s overtime and things we can’t control. It seems to me we would not be getting the same level of policing if all we’re getting is new recruits.”
Commissioner Robert Talham said he was in favor of keeping the city’s police department.
PUBLIC COMMENT
During public comment, longtime Bradenton Beach resident Jim Hassett was the first of many speakers to express support and appreciation for the city’s police department and police officers.
“After the hurricanes, the chief of police came by to check on how I was doing,” Hassett said. “After the hurricanes, Officer (Eric) Hill stopped by to double-check on how I was doing. I’m a believer in the police that have protected us. I think they’re worth their weight in gold.”
Officer Tom Ferrara, a 29-year veteran of the police department, spoke on behalf of himself and his fellow officers.
“The majority of our officers bring over 20 years’ experience. We practice true community-oriented policing. We use discretion, empathy and we treat people how we want our own families treated. Both locals and visitors comment on how approachable we are. This feedback means an awful lot to us,” he said.
Ferrara said Bradenton Beach maintains one of the lowest crime rates in Manatee County, even as the in-season population explodes from 1,000 full-time residents to as many as 20,000 to 30,000 visitors.
“A lot of officers give our personal cell phone numbers to residents, tourists and visitors. I can name probably half a dozen people in this room, from the public, that have my number,” Ferrara said. “The relationships and friendships we’ve built here go far beyond this job.”
He said after the 2024 hurricanes officers left their own damaged homes to work 12-hour shifts, seven days a week for more than a month.
“That level of dedication we bring every single day,” Ferrara said. “I’m not here to bash the sheriff’s office at all. I’m simply asking you to consider what we’ve built here and how our community truly values what we do. The warm, safe feeling they get when they visit is directly tied to the community policing.”
Drift-In manager Doreen Flynn praised the officers and said, “They’re kind and honorable, and they protect us in every way. They come in and check on us two to three times a week and make sure we get in our car on the way home because we’re getting out so late at night. We always feel comfortable that they have our back. To abolish this police department would be ludicrous.”
“The small town feel you talk about is true,” Drift-In owner Derek Williams said. “It’s important as a citizen and a business owner to know that we have people like our police having our backs and watching our people. These guys are beat cops. They walk in and they talk to our customers. We are in support of keeping our police.”
Former Bradenton Beach commissioner and longtime business owner Jake Spooner broke down the numbers involved in keeping the city’s police department.
“I put the numbers together. The $700,000 to $800,000 (savings) that’s been thrown out there, but if you take off the $279,000 that the force actually brings in, that actually makes it a $490,000 difference. Then, if you add the overtime and holidays, that’s going to knock it down significantly. That amount is unknown. If you take the CRA money off that, the difference is $347,000,” Spooner said.
Regarding the property tax implications associated with the estimated cost savings, Spooner said,
“A house that’s $1.43 million in assessed value pays $22,000 year in property taxes. Out of that, Bradenton Beach gets $3,300, so the amount of savings that we’re saving between our police force and the sheriff is about a 7-to-10-percent savings on that portion of Bradenton Beach taxes. That equals one percent of your total tax bill. So, on the $22,000, you’re talking about saving $234, which is very insignificant. You get what you pay for, and everyone seems really happy with what we’ve paid for,” Spooner said.
“The majority of our homes out here are owned by corporations and LLCs and they’re carrying the major cost of our budget,” he said of the property taxes paid on the vacation rental homes and the non-primary residences that don’t receive tax-saving homestead exemptions.
Spooner said that after the first year of the contract, the city would have no negotiating strength with the sheriff’s office.
In reference to the city of Anna Maria’s use of the sheriff’s office, Spooner said, “Anna Maria, just this year, went up 13%. There won’t be any savings.”
Bradenton Beach resident Sharon Clarke said, “This shouldn’t even be a question, because we have something totally unique here and the uniqueness of our city requires that we keep our police and everything they do for us.”
After public comment ended, Chappie said, “By my count, we’re all unanimous in wanting to continue with our police department. We thank the sheriff’s office for giving us an opportunity to compare.”
After the meeting, some of the officers expressed their gratitude.
“We were very well-supported and I’m very thankful for having my job,” Officer Eric Hill said.
Officer Devon Straight said he was thankful to the community and appreciative of people who came to the meeting.
“It’s great to have the support of the community and see that they recognize us,” Officer Kyle Orms said.
