Seminole County public safety leaders are pushing back on Amendment 3, warning that drastic cuts to their budgets could slow response times and reduce the number of deputies and firefighters available to help in emergencies.
Amendment 3 will be on the ballot this November. If approved by 60% of voters, it would reduce property taxes for some homeowners statewide. But county leaders said Tuesday those savings would come at a cost.
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“Simply put, it is the biggest threat to the office of sheriff that we’ve ever experienced,” Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said during a Board of County Commissioners meeting. “Calls into 911 are likely going to be delayed if they’re not life-threatening emergency situations, and it would definitely, without question, have effect on the quality of life.”
The sheriff was tasked by county commissioners to identify what a permanent 20% reduction in funding could look like. That would equal roughly $41 million cut from the sheriff’s office budget, which could include eliminating 300 current and vacant positions.
“I know people will label me as fear-mongering. ‘He’s saying all of these things,'” Lemma said. “You cannot reduce by $41 million and 300 people without a realistic expectation that some services are going to be compromised. That is not politics. That is simple math.”
Seminole County Fire Chief Matt Kinley said a reduction in property tax revenue because of Amendment 3 could eventually mean fewer ambulances on the road and fewer firefighters in trucks.
“At the end of the day, we’re not just measuring the budget sheet,” Kinley said. “We’re looking at how quickly the community wants firefighters and paramedics to arrive to the scene and solve their problem.”
When it comes to hurricane preparedness, Seminole County Director of Emergency Management Alan Harris warned there could be fewer people to help.
“If we have less public works people to do sandbags, less parks and recreation (workers) to open up shelters, we’re talking about schools being shelters for much, much longer because we will not have recovery shelters,” Harris said.