Levy County Sheriff's Office deputies are getting pay raises for the first time in awhile. The sheriff's office has a vacant Colonel position that the Sheriff says won't be filled. Instead, he'll take that $83,000 and divide it up among all of his employees. That equals a 3% raise. The sheriff's office hopes the raise will help keep deputies in Levy County. The starting salary for a Levy County deputy is $28,000 a year. Compare that with deputies in Alachua, Marion, Gilchrist, and Citrus counties who have starting salaries that range from just over $28,000 to more than $33,000.