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A contract dispute continues between one Palm Beach County municipality and the Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff Ric Bradshaw tells us that for years he subsidized the increases in costs to provide services to Loxahatchee Groves, but couldn't continue that.
"This time I needed to give a small increase and they said 'No we can't afford it.' And I said but this is the contract and we've done the best we can with it and they decided 'We're not gonna pay it.'"
The town stopped making payments to PBSO in December and the sheriff had a message for town leaders.
"Then you will not have an assigned deputy. In other words, somebody that works particularly in Loxahatchee Groves and responds to the calls that are in there in a very timely fashion."
He stresses that law enforcement is still available in the town at the same level as the Sheriff's Office provides to unincorporated areas of the county.
"We'll send whoever's available but there's no guarantee they're gonna be there as fast as they would if you had somebody assigned."
Last month, the town council voted to withdraw from the contract. The sheriff says Florida law mandates that municipalities must provide police protection.
"If they decide that they're not doing this anymore, we will go to Tallahassee and tell them, they're not living up to their end of the agreement. You need to decertify them as a town."
Town Attorney Jeffrey Kurtz claims the town's Charter permits it to avoid having dedicated patrols because Loxahatchee Groves adopted an ordinance in 2024, saying that it was not necessary.
The three councilmembers who voted to withdraw from the contract believe there are better ways to spend the $57,000 per month, including infrastructure.