Statistic on support for BSO salary increases

MEDIA NOTE: Please click on the image above to view a video explaining the poll.

An overwhelming majority of respondents to a new poll feel safe from crime in Broward County and support competitive pay for the Broward Sheriff’s Office employees who provide that safety every day.

Those are a few of the takeaways from a new poll released today. In the video above, Broward Sheriff Dr. Gregory Tony dives deeper into the numbers to educate the community about the need to pay BSO employees in line with similarly sized agencies like the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office (MDSO) and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO).

For instance, according to the poll:

• 73% of respondents support giving BSO its full $73 million budget increase from fiscal year 2025-26 to raise pay and be more competitive with neighboring counties.

Among the reasons a large majority of poll respondents cited for their support:

• Broward County commissioners could fund BSO’s full $73 million-dollar budget increase without raising taxes.

• Palm Beach County commissioners provided a $116 million (11%) increase to PBSO, and Miami-Dade County commissioners provided a $93 million (13%) increase to MDSO.

• Broward County taxpayers lose out on money spent to train first responders when they leave for a higher paying job in a neighboring county.

Here’s the background you need to know -- three years ago, BSO conducted an independent salary study and found employees’ salaries were substantially lower than those of surrounding public safety agencies. BSO salaries also lagged behind the salaries of Broward County employees. This has resulted in challenges recruiting and retaining qualified employees and has also resulted in a significant number of BSO employees separating from BSO to pursue more lucrative offers elsewhere.

BSO’s budget request in fiscal year 25-26 reflected those pay increases established in the salary study. However, the Broward County Commission rejected BSO’s request for a 9% budget increase. Following that rejection, BSO appealed its budget to the Florida Administration Commission. That appeal is pending.

The men and women of BSO take enormous pride in serving and protecting the community. They do so because they feel called to public service. Providing a competitive, comparable salary not only rewards their service and sacrifice but allows them to support themselves and their families.

To learn more about this important issue and the poll behind these results, please visit the BSO “Know the Facts” page.