ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — St. Johns County Sheriff Robert Hardwick took to the podium during the Board of County Commissioners meeting Thursday night to ask commissioners for an additional $3.9 million to go towards deputy salaries.
“We’ve done all that good stuff with you approving these budgets, but we’re not putting enough money in their pocket to pay their bills,” Sheriff Hardwick said to commissioners. “I don’t blame them for leaving — They can’t afford to live here.”
Hardwick says the budget increase would give approximately 420 deputies an additional $9,000 per year, which he says is almost as much money as what’s being advertised on recruitment flyers recently found under some St. Johns deputy cars.
“Some flyers were stuck under the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office cars from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office [that were] not approved by the sheriff,” Hardwick said. “Basically trying to recruit our people with a $10,000 pay increase to go up there.”
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office website states that their salary is just above $70,000 after one year of continuous service.
During the meeting, Hardwick mentioned that when he took over the agency almost six years ago, dispatchers were making roughly $40,000 a year. Now, he says they’re at about $55,000, but between the $9,000 raise and 84-hour pay period, they’ll sit just below $70,000.
But Hardwick says this isn’t about comparing agencies — it’s about making sure his deputies can put food on the table after a long work week.
“This is not a us-against-them thing,” Hardwick said. “This is how we provide a better service, and the way we do that is we recruit and retain the 582 deputy sheriffs that are currently here.”
Some St. Johns County residents in attendance agreed with Hardwick’s proposal, especially if it means no additional money will be spent on license plate reader technology.
“I want them to be paid what they’re worth,” said one resident. “I don’t want our money spent on technology to catch criminals and replace our officers.”
The county’s final public hearing on next year’s budget will be Sept. 15.
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