- December 4, 2025
A 14th Flagler County School Resource Deputy, who will act as a floater, will be able to fill in for other deputies and alleviate overtime hours. But because Flagler Schools will be responsible for 100% of the costs associated with the new deputy, having the floater will not save the district money.
Instead, District Safety Specialist David Bossardet estimates that adding the floater will cost about $40,000, according to an email Bossardet sent to School Board members.
The board voted on July 22 to add the floater on a one-year trial basis for 2025-26. Janie Ruddy was the only board member to vote against the floater deputy as the board renewed the new SRD contract with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. While the county pays for 50% of the cost of 10 School Resource Deputies, a commander and a sergeant, Flagler Schools pays 100% of the cost for an additional deputy and now 100% cost of the floater at $154,606 each. The school district is also responsible for all overtime pay.
The floater will be able to cover SRD absences for what would have been overtime costs for an estimated savings of $85,480. Based on last year’s absences, the floater will also be available for 363.5 hours of event coverage, which would save an additional $29,080 in OT. With that savings the new deputy would cost the district about $40,000 instead of $154,606.
Board member Lauren Ramirez said the floater will provide other benefits such as allowing Flagler Palm Coast High School SRD Nicholas Champion, who handles K-9 Nitro, to take Nitro to other school campuses with the floater filling in at FPC.
Board member Derek Barrs said, “We need to evaluate (the floater model) for a year to see what it looks like.”
Ramirez noted that many other districts have a floater. But Ruddy was concerned that the additional cost exceeds the savings. The SRD program along with nine school crossing guards and the floater will cost the district $1,649,403 this year.
The board also approved hiring a school choice specialist which upgrades a vacant position in pay scale and responsibilities. Superintendent LaShakia Moore said the perception of the position is just about drawing student families back into the school district, “but it’s really about providing families with excellent consistent responses to what is changing. It is our goal to ensure that everyone knows all the things related to choice.”
Ruddy was the only board member to vote against the position, preferring to see metrics first.
