VERO BEACH — Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers has offered a compromise to end a budget standoff with county commissioners, proposing that more than $5 million in unbudgeted funds returned by constitutional officers be redirected to his agency’s fiscal year 2026 budget.
In a letter dated Nov. 5 to Commission Chairman Joseph Flescher and the board, Flowers detailed $5,210,916.01 in excess funds returned to the county’s general fund for the 2024-2025 fiscal year.
He said the money came from his office and four other elected officials: Tax Collector Carole Jean Jordan, who returned $2,586,182.48; Clerk of Court Ryan Butler, $592,379.60; Property Appraiser Wesley Davis, $546,039.37; and Supervisor of Elections Leslie Swan, $68,363.40.
Flowers’ share alone totaled $1,417,951.16.
The sheriff suggested allocating the full amount to his office’s upcoming budget, saying it would “almost satisfy” a secondary request for $12.2 million in additional funding. He asked commissioners to place the proposal on their Nov. 18 agenda.
If approved, Flowers pledged to drop an appeal to the state Cabinet and dismiss a writ of mandamus filed in circuit court against the county.
“As I have said, I never wanted to file a lawsuit against you and want to work together to keep our community a great place to live work and play,” Flowers wrote. “This solution satisfies our current year’s budget needs while not requiring a tax increase, does not draw from County reserves, and does not impact any current County budget items or projects in process.”
He added that the plan offers a “painless resolution” to the dispute, noting all parties were elected to serve the county.
The ongoing disagreement stems from budget negotiations earlier this year, though details of the initial conflict were not specified in the letter.
Flowers argues that without the full increase, his office would face cuts to public services by only approving $6.8 million of the $12.2 million request. The commission, however, maintains the approved budget is sufficient and fiscally responsible, without requiring tax increases.
During a tentative budget hearing in September, the county commissioners were against raising taxes or using reserves to pay for the sheriff’s full budget request. The commissioners said the approved $6.8 million increase provided approximately $9,000 in annual raises for law enforcement personnel and $3,500 for civilian workers.
