Deerfield Beach proposes higher fire rescue fee, keeps tax rate flat

Deerfield Beach is proposing a $365 fire rescue assessment for each residential dwelling unit while keeping its property tax rate flat for a seventh straight year. The change would hit household bills directly even as city leaders continue building police and fire services outside the Broward Sheriff’s Office.

The move follows months of friction over public safety in Deerfield Beach. In August 2025, the dispute between the city and BSO escalated into public allegations. On Jan. 8, the city delayed a vote to sever the relationship, and on Jan. 21 it cut ties with BSO.

A Feb. 1 memorandum from Sean Gladieux, director of the Office of Public Safety, said the final report from the Center for Public Safety expanded on projected costs, staffing methodologies, operational assumptions and financial modeling for independent police and fire department models. The report is a feasibility analysis, not a binding financial commitment. A separate Deerfield Beach feasibility document evaluated the potential transition of the city’s fire rescue and emergency medical services from the existing model.

A November 2025 monthly financial report put Fire Protection Assessment fee reporting at 17%, or $3.2 million, up $200,000 from fiscal 2025, when the figure was $3 million and also 17% of the budget. Deerfield Beach’s total consideration obligation to BSO for fire rescue services covered Oct. 1, 2025 through Sept. 30, 2026, while the city builds its own structure.