Pinellas Sheriff: No plans for layoffs

ST. PETERSBURG - Pinellas County Sheriff Jim Coats posted his first memo on a brand new web site late Tuesday night. He refuted rumors that he had a meeting with Hillsborough Sheriff David Gee about possible layoffs. Coats called the rumor "patently untrue" and writes, "there are no planned layoffs."

The new web site, available only to sheriff's office employees, is called Budget 4-1-1. It was set up to keep workers informed of the budget process and to minimize rumors. A news release outlining the latest cuts was posted earlier in the day. The cuts include a new "zero overtime" policy and the elimination of three paid holidays: Good Friday, Veterans Day and Martin Luther King Day.

Sgt. Jack Peterson is the newly elected president of the union representing deputies, sergeants and lieutenants. On another internal web site he equated the dollars cut from the budget to jobs. Peterson says eliminating $5-million in overtime preserved 62 deputy positions, the three paid holidays equals 14 positions.

"If its going to save positions, everybody's like okay, we'll do it for the common goal” Peterson said. However, he worries about further cuts.

"It comes to a point where a burnout factor is going to come into play here. And we've got to see some light at the end of the tunnel. We've got to have something as a positive given back to these people that are making these great sacrifices day in and day out," he said.