BROOKSVILLE, Fla. -- People who live in Brooksville are rallying together to let city council know that they don’t want to lose their police department.
Steven Wyatt owns a printing business in downtown Brooksville and wants city council members to know that getting rid of the police department is not a way to solve the city’s budget problem.
"Mortified, just to think that you're going to take away a law enforcement that protects our city here in this area," he said.
The city’s budget is close to $7 million and nearly $2.5 million of that pays for the police department.
Brooksville citizens say they're also upset to learn they're paying $1.6 million a year in county taxes for Hernando County Sheriff’s patrol services that they don’t use.
Brooksville citizens have formed a Facebook support group and signed petitions supporting Brooksville P.D.
Stormie McCleary, a waitress at the Little Lady Cafe signed that petition because she says she feels safer with the police department so close.
"The county is all around but city is right here when you need them," she said.
Wyatt believes without a police department, Brooksville wouldn’t need to be a city at all.
"So if we take that away, we don’t really need a city council we don’t need a city mayor. If you’re going to do that turn it all into Hernando county, let it be ran by the county commissioners," Wyatt said.
