After initially agreeing to nearly double the rate to hire an off-duty Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputy for extra security, PBSO along with the Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association agreed to reverse that decision, a memo obtained by WPTV said.
Last month we told you about the Trends neighborhood in West Boca that decided to end their relationship with PBSO after they said they couldn’t afford the price hike. The price jumped from $46 per hour to $80.
Instead, the neighborhood hired the Florida Highway Patrol for a rate around $50 an hour.
In the memo, PBSO said they received complaints from vendors following the increase and they didn’t want to risk those relationships. The memo continued on to say they didn’t want to take the extra hours away from their deputies, as many rely on them to supplement their income.
PBSO says they will revisit the rate during their collective bargaining negotiations with PBA this summer and hope to work on a gradual increase.
The Trends neighborhood tells WPTV they will give the bulk of their extra duty work to FHP, but will work with PBSO in the future.