$3.5 million is headed to the Sarasota County sheriff’s budget after county commissioners unanimously approved the multi-million dollar appropriation for the department to purchase a used helicopter.
The sheriff’s office currently has only a single chopper- Sheriff Tom Knight said yesterday Air 1 was missed on more than 320 calls last year due to being out of service.
According to ABC-7, the $3.5M in funds for the purchase will come from law enforcement impact fees and justice facility impact fees.