Negotiations on salary increase at Sarasota Police Department postponed

SARASOTA, Fla. – Sarasota police officers may have to wait several more days or weeks for a meeting with city officials to negotiate their new contract for next year.

A meeting scheduled for negotiations with Sarasota’s human resources management and lawyers from a contracted law firm was suddenly postponed on Tuesday morning.

Representatives of the Sarasota Police Association said they are currently working to reschedule the meeting with the city team.

The focus of discussions at the meeting was the issue of equal pay and the impact of the current pay scale on employee retention and recruitment.

According to the documents, representatives of the Sarasota Police Officers Association want to push for better pay for police officers, sergeants and crime scene investigators.

Union leaders said they are underpaid compared to their police counterparts in the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.

They explain that burnout has taken away their passion for the job, while inflation and the high cost of living in Sarasota have eaten deep into their pockets.

“Times are tough economically for everyone, the cost of living, the cost of shopping and eating,” said Eric Urbain, president of the Sarasota Police Officers Association.

They are looking for certified police officers with a starting salary currently around $68,000 to match that of Sarasota sheriff’s deputies, who start at around $75,000. That figure represents an 11% increase.

“This would compensate the women who respond to calls, perform community service, assist the homeless and perform a variety of tasks in accident investigations and enforcement activities,” Urbain said.

“We believe that with community engagement, we do the same job, if not more, all under the scrutiny of body cameras and everything we say and do every day. And that is judged by the citizens and our own leadership,” he said.

Urbain added that the lack of affordable housing remains a key and ongoing issue that poses a challenge for officials.

“Life is expensive here in Sarasota. Most of our officers live north or south of the city in neighboring communities or districts so they can afford to have their families close to them,” he said.

He explained that this problem has contributed to officers leaving the agency or turning down offers. According to the union, only about 105 officers have been hired and 95 fired in the last five years.

“We want to retain the people we put a lot of energy into training and turn them into successful police officers who will provide Sarasota with the first-class service they expect and, frankly, deserve,” Urbain said.

According to Sarasota Police Department records, 33 officers were hired in 2022, 27 in 2023, and 6 officers so far in 2024. The police department lost 28 officers in 2022, 22 officers last year, and 9 officers so far this year.

The total number of terminations includes retirements, inability to complete field training, layoffs and voluntary resignations, a department spokesman said.

Sarasota Police Chief Rex Troche declined to comment on the matter because it is an ongoing negotiation process, but a city spokesperson said they would provide an update once talks resume.

Both sides must agree on a new collective agreement for police officers by the end of September.