Defund the St. Johns County Sheriff Department

This petition is to demand that the St. Johns County Government establish a plan to divert funds away from the St. Johns County Sheriff Department and reallocate them towards other funds that promote the county’s health, safety, and welfare. This would include but not be limited to funds going towards public schools, Health & Human Services, Human Services - Independent Agencies, and the Community Redevelopment Agency.

As of the 2020 fiscal year, over 25% or $80,000,000 of the St. Johns County Budget goes towards the St. Johns County Sheriff Department. This money must no longer go towards policing our people, but rather promoting a better community through education, healthcare, affordable housing, job opportunities, mental health facilities, trauma services, and drug rehabilitation clinics which will all in turn lead to a reduction in crime. Many jobs taken on by the sheriff’s department can become the tasks of other professionals such as social workers, nurses, and firefighters, who may be better equipped and have better training to perform given duties. Overall, police reform has shown to have little effect on police injustices or accountability and the most beneficial solution to the people of St. Johns County would be to defund our St. Johns County Sheriff’s Department.