Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw’s proposed “violence prevention” unit, to prevent events like the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, got a thumbs-up from lawmakers but it’s giving others the creeps.

More than 200 people have e-mailed Gov. Rick Scott asking him to use his line-item veto on $1 million in start-up money for Bradshaw that the Legislature included in the state’s $74 billion budget.

“The Nazis would be proud of this program and it really scares me. There are to many problems that could arise. Bigger government and more programs is not going to result in less crime,” Delray Beach resident Jim Tingler wrote to Scott on May 3. “I, for one, am not willing to sacrifice my liberty for the promise of security.”

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House and Senate budget leaders have awarded Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw $1 million for a new violence prevention unit aimed at preventing tragedies like Sandy Hook from occurring on his turf.

It’s just one-third of what Bradshaw had sought from the Legislature, but it’s a ten-fold bump from what was originally in the budget before House and Senate budget leaders finalized the state’s $74 billion budget this weekend.

Bradshaw wants to use the money for a 15-person “prevention intervention” unit made up of five deputies, five mental health professionals, five caseworkers and a 24-hour hotline where citizens can report neighbors, friends or family members they fear may harm themselves or others.

Bradshaw told lawmakers last month he hopes the hotline and the unit can stop potentially dangerous people before they act out.

Bradshaw’s proposal is a first-of-its-kind in the nation, and he hopes it will become a model for the rest of the state like his gang prevention and pill mill units.

It’s part of the magical budget conference process where House and Senate budget negotiators hash out their differences that items can get increased. In Bradshaw’s case, both the House and Senate had included $100,000 in the criminal justice budget. But over the weekend, Senate budget chief Joe Negron, R-Stuart, added another $450,000 in the Senate’s “supplemental budget” list and his House counterpart Seth McKeel, R-Lakeland, added the same amount.

The proposal still needs the blessing of Gov. Rick Scott, who has a line-item veto authority.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw convinced state lawmakers that his “prevention intervention” plan is worth funding, at least for now.

The Florida House has included $100,000 for Bradshaw’s plan to identify potentially dangerous people before they cause harm. The state Senate has allocated $50,000 as the two chambers get to work on Florida’s $74 billion budget.

In either case, it’s just a fraction of the $3 million Bradshaw is seeking for a 15-person unit that would include five deputies, five mental health professionals and five caseworkers. He also wants to set up a 24-hour hotline so neighbors and friends can report on those they suspect may be dangerous.

“I believe very strongly this program will become a statewide model for violence prevention and intervention, and I am honored our state leaders in Tallahassee share our vision for this innovative approach to prevent violent acts and protect our citizens,” Bradshaw said in a statement.

Senate Criminal Justice Appropriations Chairman Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, said he put the $50,000 in his budget as a “place holder” but he still has some questions about Bradshaw’s plan.

It’s too soon to know whether the money will actually end up in the budget, or if it will grow.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw made a $3 million pitch for a violence prevention unit and hotline he believes could help avert tragedies like Sandy Hook and Aurora by identifying potentially violent citizens before they act out.

Bradshaw needs the money for a 15-person “prevention intervention” unit, including five deputies, five mental health professionals and five caseworkers and to fund a 24-hour hotline where citizens can report neighbors, friends or family members they fear may harm themselves or others. Bradshaw said his office can identify whether the person or the residence has a history of violence and wants to be able to send “low-key” teams out to determine if they need help.

“At least we can put this person on our radar screen,” Bradshaw said. “It’s not about arrest. We cannot arrest our way out of this. This is about prevention intervention.”

At least one committee member expressed concern about attaching a mental health stigma to individuals and about ensuring that, once identified, the individuals get follow-up care. The sheriff said local mental health agencies support his proposal. But the majority of the panel, including Palm Beach County Sens. Jeff Clemens of Lake Worth and Joseph Abruzzo of Wellington, praised Bradshaw.

Bradshaw pointed to several incidents in Palm Beach County he said may have been averted if his teams had been in place.

“A young man stabbed his mother to death. Three days before that, the deputies had been to that house. But the kid knew enough to say the right things…the deputies didn’t have enough to Baker Act him.
If that team of professionals had gone there with him, he couldn’t have talked long enough to talk his way out of it. We had a guy that guy fired from work, went home, killed his live-in boyfriend, shot himself. Two days before that, his coworkers knew that he’d bought a gun and was angry. If they’d had this system to call, we could have gone to that house, talked to that person and maybe we would have stopped that,” he said. “There’s all these people in the community that know things are going on. We’ve got to give them an avenue to get to us and feel comfortable about the fact that we’re going there to help these people.”

Bradshaw said he hopes his program will become a model for the state as did his gang prevention and pill mill units.

“The emphasis is to prevent these things from happening so I don’t have somebody go to a school and kill 25 people, I don’t have somebody go back to their workplace and shoot everybody there or I don’t have something happen that almost happened at the University of Central Florida,” he said. “The information is out there. This will work…This is a first of its kind. And I believe we have an opportunity here to make a difference in preventing violence.”

But committee Chairman Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, told Bradshaw that he supports his idea but made no promises about funding it.

“The purpose, as I expressed it, was to get this conversation started. I’m not sure we’re going to be able to fund this in this year’s budget,” Bradley said. “But because this is such an issue that is on the forefront of our citizens’ minds, on our minds, I think it’s imiportant that this committee address this issue.”

Bradshaw said later he intends to get the program off the ground with or without the Legislature’s help.

“We ask for the best, and if it’s less than that then we’ll scale it down. Instead of having it 24 hours a day, maybe we’ll have it 12 hours a day and they would be on call,” he said. “I’m pretty hopeful that I’m going to get some assistance. If it doesn’t work here, then we’ll try other sources. But I’m not going to give up.”

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, a registered Democrat whose office is nonpartisan, is endorsing Republican Sharon Merchant’s bid for a state Senate seat that’s expected to be a partisan battleground in November.

Bradshaw said his endorsement of Merchant is for both the GOP primary and for the general election if Merchant advances.

Former state Rep. Merchant faces a tough GOP primary against former Wellington Councilwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto for the seat of state Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres. Aronberg is leaving the seat to run (also with Bradshaw’s endorsement) for attorney general.

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Bob Butterworth, a Florida Democratic icon who served as attorney general, is backing Senate President Jeff Atwater’s statewide campaign for chief financial officer.

Atwater’s campaign sent out a press release about Butterworth and other Democratic supporters today, the same day Democrat Loranne Ausley, a former state representative, announced her candidacy.

Butterworth said there may have been some confusion about his endorsement of Atwater. When he wrote a $500 check to the campaign three months ago, Butterworth said, there wasn’t a Democrat in the race and he didn’t specify that it was for the primary.

“I probably should have been clearer with the aide. I don’t blame the campaign,” Butterworth said.

Back in 2002, Atwater, a relative unknown at the time, trounced Butterworth, then on the Cabinet as attorney general, in the election for Senate District 25.

Atwater, a North Palm Beach Republican, also nailed down endorsements from three other Democrats today – James Harold Thompson, Lee Moffitt and Hyatt Brown, all former House Speakers. Moffitt and Thompson are now lobbyists.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, also a Democrat, is also supporting Atwater.

Butterworth’s latest endeavor places him as the fix-it man for Florida Power & Light Co. The Juno Beach-based utility hired Butterworth to try to repair its image in the wake of reports that company executives, their wives and guests flew on the customer dime on corporate jets. The revelations about the flights and other corporate spending came out as FPL seeks a $1.2 billion rate hike that will be decided on tomorrow.

Atwater’s campaign issued a press release about the Democratic supporters the same day former state Rep. Loranne Ausley, a Tallahassee Democrat, announced she is jumping in the race.

Glades County Sheriff Stuart Whiddon is endorsing state Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, in the Democratic primary for Florida attorney general. Whiddon joins Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara in backing Aronberg, who faces state Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, in the primary for Florida’s top lawyer’s job.

Said Whiddon, in a statement released today by Aronberg’s campaign: “Dave fits the mold of an ideal Attorney General….previous experience already working in the office as assistant AG, a track record of getting consumer protection laws passed, even experience at the federal level fighting terrorism by going after money laundering operations…no one else can offer Floridians that kind of background and dedication to the job.“

State Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, has picked up the endorsement of St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara in Aronberg’s quest for the Democratic attorney general nomination. Aronberg, who’s running against state Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, in the primary, unveiled an endorsement from Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw a few weeks ago.

Says Mascara: “Dave Aronberg and I share the same commitment when it comes to law enforcement…zero tolerance for anyone who preys on any Floridian, young or old. We need someone in that office who wants to be Attorney General to protect the public from serious crimes including consumer fraud. “

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw will formally endorse state Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, for chief financial officer at an event Thursday, Atwater’s campaign says.

Bradshaw is one of the most influential Democratic elected officials in Palm Beach County, though his office is nonpartisan and he has never been much for red/blue distinctions. Atwater and state Rep. Pat Patterson, R-DeLand, are the only candidates in the CFO race so far.

Bradshaw’s statement: “Through his years of service, Jeff Atwater has been an effective leader and a strong voice for Florida’s Sheriffs. He has made certain the men and women of law enforcement have the tools they need to keep our communities safe. I am proud to be a supporter of his campaign and, more importantly, honored to call him my friend.”

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw endorsed state Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, for attorney general today, our Andrew Marra reports from the Port of Palm Beach.

Aronberg is trumpeting it as the first endorsement by a law enforcement official in the Democratic AG primary. But rival state Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, suggests he earned that distinction when he received the backing of former U.S. Attorney General and 2002 Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Janet Reno.