[clears throat] >> Good morning and welcome to the special call meeting on this 14th day of April 2026. The purpose of this meeting is to resolve any outstanding issues that we have with the Indian River County Sheriff. At this time, please rise for a moment
of silence and reflection. The invocation, I'll be privileged to do the invocation followed by the pledge of allegiance by Commissioner Joe Harmon. >> [clears throat] >> Please pray with me. Our heavenly Father, today we reflect
with heavy hearts. Today's moment of silence seems to be significant for the global activities throughout our world, specifically our country. Father, we ask that you protect and guide
not only our law enforcement, but our military members throughout the globe. Father, as we reflect on the past actions of this board, we're reminded in James 4:10 to humble ourselves before the Lord, and
he will lift us up. I will say that again. Humble ourselves before the Lord, and he will lift us up. Father, we know that budgets are a moral contract with our community. Father, as we strive together in unity
to make this county the best that it can be, we know that you are overlooking us and all the parties involved. We say this in your son's name. Amen. Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance to the greatest greatest country in the world, the United States
of America. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Well,
good morning, ladies and gentlemen. As mentioned earlier, today is a special call meeting. We do not expect this meeting to last too long. We will have an overview by our general counsel,
Jennifer Shuler. Prior to that, in kind of a preamble for our residents and our members of the audience, please know that last Tuesday we had a very detailed and long
shade meeting where the five of us, as well as the administrator and the general counsel, spoke in concert and in cooperation with Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers. We hope today will be a successful day,
and we're very proud that hopefully we can move forward. General Counsel Shuler. Thank you, Mr. Chair. As you know, we have two pending cases with the Sheriff, circuit court case and administration commission budget appeal. We're here today in hopes that we can
settle both of those cases. Since that shade meeting that we had last week, I've been negotiating with counsel for the Sheriff, Mr. Adam Federman, in an attempt to bring to you a proposed settlement agreement that would settle both of the cases, and I want to just take a minute to thank Mr. Federman for
his cooperation and his efforts. Under the attached proposed settlement agreement, in exchange for the county agreeing to the to provide the Sheriff an additional appropriation of $3.5 million for his fiscal year 2025-2026 budget, the Sheriff agrees to dismiss
both his circuit court case and his administration commission budget appeal, and not to seek any further budget amendments for the fiscal year 2025-2026, except in the event of a declared emergency that materially affects his budget.
In addition, both parties agree to a $4 million increase in the Sheriff's fiscal year 2026-2027 budget, and the Sheriff agrees not to appeal if the fiscal year 2026-2027 budget is funded in that amount. I just wanted to point out that
this is signed by the Sheriff, and and both parties agree to bear their own attorneys' fees and costs. So, commissioners, we're hopeful that this is a settlement agreement that would be pleasing to you, and at this point, I just want to invite the Sheriff. He'd like to make some comments, and
certainly willing to answer any questions that the board might have. Good morning, Sheriff. >> Hey, good morning. Thank you so much, and I greatly appreciate you working with Counsel Federman as well. I thank you guys for meeting last week and for all the meetings that occurred. I appreciate all the dialogue that has
happened, and you know, again, as I said in my letter, I'm so sorry for your loss as as a a board for the loss of your two employees, and I hope that we can put all of this behind us and move forward in a positive way and I have a great working relationship. So, I
thank you for your time, and thank you for entertaining this. Thank you. Thank you, Sheriff. Commissioners, you've had an opportunity to review the documents that were sent to you electronically on Friday. What's your pleasure? Mr. Chair. Mr. Fletcher.
Thank you. Um, I want you to know that this has been a uh long and arduous journey. Uh it has taken many turns. And this is where we should have been
many months ago. And if it was not for the um the road in which you traveled, we would have been there. If you recall, uh I or although I couldn't make a motion as chair,
that we wanted to make the budget request whole again. Um, I say we uh it was my intent to go into the reserve to do that. Although it was not the best option,
it was an option to make the Sheriff's budget whole. And we would have to work a little more diligently to uh recover from such an input. As it stands, it goes through the MSTU, uh another topic
in which I had discussed with the Sheriff on a few occasions. Uh I believe that uh that ultimately is where we're going to be up the road. Uh but uh I won't be here for that.
Um, I I hope that that's where it travels. This way we have a consistent uh supply for the Sheriff's needs, the men and women who serve, and the public at large for
the safety and security of our citizens. It as I said earlier, it took many turns. And there was some unfortunate turns. We don't have the benefit I don't know if I see Andy Hodges here.
I don't know if I see Gary Wheeler here. I don't know if uh I see Red Palmer here. Um, I do see some individuals that were cause for the alarming rhetoric in which
we had to deal with. Um, it was not a comfortable situation. It was unsettling. It was unfair to the public. It was unfair to the citizens that we serve. It
was unfair to all of us. It was unfair to the men men and women who serve. With that said, that's all behind us. And um um
we all had our shade meeting, which we can't discuss at this time. But in the future that will be revealed, the discussion that we had. Um, I'm pleased that the Sheriff has signed this
agreement, and that even keeled like minds have come to an agreement that will best serve our public. With that, I'd like to make a
uh motion to approve as presented. We have a motion by Commissioner Fletcher. Second. We have a second by Commissioner Vice Chair Commissioner Moss. Any further discussion? Um, I'd like to say one thing. Uh I'd like to go forward with a thank
you to all the members of your agency. We learned, unfortunately, this past year that even everyday duties can become deadly. And that's Sergeant
Terry Sweeting Mascaw. And we have to be thankful every day for the members of your agency who are willing to put their lives on the line to ensure the safety of the community. So, we pray for their safety, and thank
you to you and to all those members. Commissioner Adams. Yes. Thank you. Um, I agree with my fellow Commissioners, but I I also feel like we need to um point out that
there's still an issue with the number that's being presented. I agree with that number. We we've had that discussion, but from a fiscal sustainability perspective, this settlement gives the Sheriff the
entirety of the increase of new property taxes that came in next last year plus more. We had to go into um reserves or fund balance to accomplish this. And that has always been a an issue for
me is paying operating costs out of reserves. However, I do think this is in the best interest of the county to put this aside, and let's just move on. What I appreciate, and and what was um I thought very helpful in this settlement and
negotiation, is the Sheriff's willingness to talk about next year's budget, and try to get ahead of things, which is what I have been asking for for several years. Let's talk about how we get to wherever it is that you need to be in a responsible and sustainable
manner. So, I appreciate that perhaps that's going to become the new norm of at least having kind of a forecasting discussion with relation to the budget. Um and I'm very happy we're here. I'm supportive of it. I support the motion,
but I do again just want to raise that kind of caution flag on the sustainability of um budgeting and and budgeting kind of the way we have gone about it this year in relation to this issue. So, but with that, I really appreciate the
conversation. I'm glad the door is back open, and I look forward to kind of rebuilding what we've always enjoyed in Indian River County, which is a fantastic relationship with all of our constitutionals. So, thank you for that. Thank you, Commissioner. Mr. Arman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um,
I too agree with all my fellow Commissioners that that uh this was a hard journey that probably shouldn't have happened the way it happened, but we're glad that that we we that we made it to the end, and I appreciate all of our hard work. I appreciate the the
Sheriff's hard work to get this done. And um Commissioner Adams did make a good point. I hope this is back to the new norm to where we can just do the county's business in a in a frugally and responsive manner to the taxpayer. And um
just do what we're we're supposed to do. And uh I think I thank each and every one of you. I thank, you know, the counselor for her hard work, and the county administrator also. They were played a big part in this, but uh yes, I'm I'm I'm glad we're
we're moving on. Thank you, sir. Thank you, uh Commissioner Arman. With that, we have a motion. We have a second. I will close by saying that our community expects and understands budgets beyond uh
not only constitutionals, but this body as well. And in fact, it is a moral contract that we're responsible for the dollars that we're trusted with. Mr. Chair, this is action item, so I ask that you open it for public comment.
Thank you. At this time, we will open the floor for public comment. Excuse me. Hey, sure. Please go to the podium. Name and address for the record, please. Hi. I'm Mary Martinez. M A R T I N E Z,
and I'm at 810 A Street. Um lot number 54. I just I'm new to Vero Beach, and I got to meet some of the Sheriff's deputies. And they were wonderful. I had the unfortunate um encounters with a problematic neighbor
in that uh mobile home park. Like I said, I'm new to Florida, new to Vero Beach, didn't realize it was that bad. And I stood my ground as a former drug abuse aid, and the deputies were amazing. And I believe that is indicative of good leadership. So, I'm
here in support of the Sheriff um because he wouldn't have good deputies if he wasn't a good leader. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. Any further from the public? Hearing none and seeing none, public comment is over. Commissioners, all in favor? Aye.
>> Aye. And the motion passes 5-0. Thank you. At this time, this meeting is adjourned.