SHERIFFS TALKS ABOUT HIS BUDGET AND THE COUNTY'S DRUG
PROBLEM

Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson will be the first to admit his
department has issues.

"I am pretty open to criticism," he said. "We do have some problems
and we are working on them. That's why we are here."

Adkinson, who took office Jan. 1, 2009, also said his department has a
lot of potential.

The sheriff invited citizens south of the bay to the Walton County
Sheriff's Sub Station on Highway 331 Tuesday night for a town hall
style meeting to discuss topics ranging from the department's budget,
to drugs, to parking issues and noise ordinances.

"I just like to know what is going on in the county," said Santa Rosa
Beach resident Sandy Luchtefeld, who attended the meeting. "I think
the sheriff is doing a great job and we really appreciate what he is
doing."

Adkinson led off the meeting by welcoming citizens to "their sheriff's
office."

"You paid for this," he told the crowd of about 70 people. "You pay
our salary, so you should know where your money is going."

The sheriff said there have been a lot of issues, from the extremely
serious to the common nuisance issues since he took office.

"One of the first things we wanted to do was get control of the
financial issues that were taking place in the department," he said.

The sheriff's office 2009 budget was $16,377,757, with 79 percent of
that being used to pay salaries and the other 21 percent used for
operating expenses and capital outlay.

"That is a lot of money folks," Adkinson told the crowd. "We want you
to ask questions."

Walton County Taxpayers Association President Bob Hudson spoke up
during the meeting and said he "wanted to give credit where credit was
due."

"I think you have restored a level of confidence in the community," he
told Sheriff Adkinson.

He followed by saying "we are going to be faced with some real tough
choices" in Walton County this year and wanted to know what the
sheriff was going to do about it.

"That is a great question and actually something we have been talking
about," Adkinson said. "We are going to have to find more creative
ways to reduce our impact. We are asking our people what makes fiscal
sense and what level of service we can live without. What we do costs
a lot of money."

He added that personnel costs are especially tough when you are not
bringing money into the department.

"Most of our deputies have not had a raise in three-and-a-half years
and their insurance premiums have gone up," he said. "These people at
least deserve a cost of living adjustment. I'm saying it, and I stand
by it. I think I can find a way to make that happen while using
responsible and fiscal management of our budget."

In addition to the budget talks, Adkinson said another major concern
in the county was the drug problem.

In 2008, the sheriff's department raided eight meth labs. In 2009,
that number increased to 25 and they have already busted another eight
so far this year.

The problem in itself is not just illegal drugs though.

"Prescription medication is a major issue," Adkinson said. "It is
driving all of these burglaries you are seeing in the south part of
the county."

Adkinson said these people were not just common criminals breaking
into homes looking for pills and money.

He called them "professional criminals."

To the amazement of the crowd, the sheriff said one of the biggest
drug busts in Walton County netted 330 pounds of cocaine.

"We have a lot of work to do in that area," he said, "and we are
making progress."

After the meeting, the sheriff told the Sun he was surprised with the
turnout and overall support from the crowd.

"This was tremendous. We had very thoughtful and insightful
questions," he said. "I am very pleased."

When asked what the biggest concern facing the department was,
Adkinson said it was a two-pronged issue.

"One, is the budgetary issue. We have some folks that are struggling
to make it," he said. "Then the secondary issue is the upswing we have
noticed in the violent resistance to law enforcement. That has really
become an issue."

Moving toward the next town hall meeting April 8, at the Freeport
Community Center, Adkinson said he expects to hear more about the
budget and more about issues that are specific to the location.

When asked on a scale of 1 to 10 how he would rate the job he has done
so far, Adkinson said he would rate his performance so far in terms of
what he was capable of. He gave himself a six.

"I think we are capable of a lot more, we have not been as efficient
as we could have been in some areas," he said. "There is a little bit
of a learning curve. I would give the agency a much higher grade,
probably an eight. They have done a great job and I am proud of them."