Amid accusations of fraud being leveled at Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno, one local leader is proposing a change to how the Sheriff’s office is funded.
Tuesday, Lee County Commissioner Brian Hamman began a discussion of creating a new taxing unit for the Sheriff’s office.
The idea, according to Hamman, is to show the public on their tax bill exactly how much money is going to the Sheriff’s office every year.
“Obviously, people are keenly aware of the sheriff’s budget right now. I get a lot of questions from people from the public. They ask about different expenditures. They ask about people’s names on cars and things like that. I think it’s important for them to see how much money they are dedicating towards law enforcement,” said Hamman.
Lee County Clerk wants External Auditor to take a closer look at the Sheriff's budget
Fox 4 has confirmed a federal grand jury met Tuesday morning in Orlando.
The FBI will not confirm or deny that they are investigating Sheriff Carmine Marceno or the Sheriff’s Office.
The Sheriff says the accusations of fraud that surfaced during his re-election campaign are baseless and politically motivated.
Some Lee County residents spoke out against the accusations and called for further investigations.
“Please bring in an outside investigator and auditor and ease our concerns,” one man pleaded with commissioners about the allegations.
“I suspect there are reasons why audits and investigations do not happen in this county like they should,” said another Lee County resident.
Lee County leaders call for changes after fraud allegations against Sheriff's office surface
Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass urged patience before any major rule changes are made.
“I know everyone wants to respond with the big elephant in the room,” said Pendergrass, speaking of the accusations against the sheriff.
“Grand juries convene for two weeks. We aren’t going to know anything for a few weeks.”
This year’s budget for the Sheriff’s office is $315 million, by far the most of any county agency.
Hamman says while the law enforcement budget has gone up in recent years, other county agencies have been forced to make cuts.
Hamman’s proposal would show a line on a resident’s tax bill, indicating how much goes to the Sheriff’s office and how much goes to other county services.
“It’s not about cutting anything. It’s about highlighting the priority that is the law enforcement budget,” Hamman said.
It’s not entirely clear the Board of Commissioners is legally allowed to make the move.
Commissioners agreed to explore the idea in an upcoming workshop.
Though newly elected Commissioner David Mulicka is already expressing his doubts.
“I’m not sure what breaking out those line items, the benefit to the taxpayer long term is,” Mulicka said.
