TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – In a case being watched by local-government groups, the Florida Supreme Court will hear arguments Nov. 4 in a fight about whether the Alachua County sheriff could transfer money within her budget without approval from the county commission.
The court issued an order Tuesday scheduling arguments in an appeal by Alachua County.
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The 1st District Court of Appeal last year backed Sheriff Sadie Darnell in the dispute.
Under state law, sheriffs propose budgets to county commissions, which then can make changes before giving approval.
The legal dispute has centered on whether Darnell had “unilateral authority” to subsequently transfer money within her budget without approval from the commission, according to the appeals court.
In part, the appeals-court ruling pointed to the sheriff’s status as a constitutional officer and a section of state law that it interpreted as a “broad preservation of all powers necessary for the sheriff to carry out the duties and responsibilities of her office, which necessarily must include authority over her budget and office’s expenditures.”
The Florida Association of Counties, the Florida Association of County Attorneys and the Florida Sheriffs Association have filed friend-of-the-court briefs in the case.