Pay

Tampa, Florida - Once upon a time when "Sheriffin" was much simpler- like it was portrayed on the Andy Griffith Show on television. The deputy didn't carry a bullet in his pocket like Barney Fife but the High Sheriff didn't make much money and sometime had to even "brown bag it "for lunch.

Fast forward to 2009. Being a sheriff is a much more complicated job. Salaries, which in Florida are based on population, can run into six figures.

Take a look at three Sheriffs in our area: Polk County's Grady Judd makes $149 thousand a year. Both Hillsborough Sheriff David Gee and Pinellas County's Jim Coats make $158 thousand.

We told Pinellas Sheriff Jim Coats that six figures sounded like a lot of money but he disagreed. According to Coats, you have to look at the responsibility that goes along with the job.

However, in addition to their salaries, these sheriffs are also earning extra income. Both Coats and Judd are being paid from Florida's, Deferred Retirement Option Program or DROP, which is funded by state taxpayers.

Judd says he makes no apologies for 36 years of serving the people of Polk County. He adds he certainly appreciates the legislators who passed the DROP plan.

It's not surprising that Judd appreciates lawmakers who passed the plan. DROP gave him a lump sum payment of $361,416 when he retired in 2005. He also earns $71,479 extra each year. That means Judd gets a total of $221,075 from the taxpayers each year.

Judd says he is simply earning retirement for all of his years of work and public service. The Polk sheriff says after retirement he campaigned and was elected sheriff. Judd says with that election he began a second career in a new job, sheriff.

Coats who received a lump sum of $382,256 when he retired in 2003, is paid $107,383 from the Florida retirement system. That brings his yearly income to $266,314.

Sheriff Coats says there is nothing unusual about what he and Judd are doing.

We asked Coats if he is concerned about collecting retirement from Florida taxpayers, while he is actively working and collecting another check from Florida taxpayers. Coats said he is not concerned. The sheriff says it is not unusual in the public safety arena.

However, State Senator Mike Fasano says the DROP program is killing Florida taxpayers. Fasano says it is costing $300 million dollars for people who got into the program and then promised to retire.

Fasano says people in DROP got a lump sum of money and were supposed to retire, but many keep on working.

However, Coats says he is not being overpaid. The Pinellas Sheriff says he pays $80,000 in taxes every year. The sheriff adds that he also makes contributions to the community and charity.

He says, in his mind he is worth every penny he gets.

Judd and Coats are two of fourteen sheriffs statewide who are double dipping from the taxpayers, a term they don't like.

When we asked Coats to explain how what he is doing is not double dipping. That's when he asked us to explain double dipping, which is defined as receiving a retirement check funded by Florida taxpayers and receiving a salary from Florida taxpayers. Coats said when you put it that way, he guesses he is double dipping.

However, Judd says there is nothing wrong with it. The Polk sheriff says while he is in the same department, he retired and now has a new job.

Judd says he is getting the retirement he earned and a salary for his new job, so it is not costing Florida taxpayers one extra penny.

Then there is Hillsborough Sheriff, David Gee. Just like Coats and Judd, Gee was eligible to get into the DROP plan and get a substantial monthly retirement check. However Gee chose not to do that and he didn't get that one time lump sum payout from the Florida retirement system.

It could be because Gee doesn't have to because he has been on the board of directors of the Valrico State Bank. Gee says that is something he does aside from his duties as sheriff. Because of those duties, Gee was able to take advantage of stock option that netted him $371,819. It helped grow his income last year to $908,312.

We asked Gee if it is appropriate for a sheriff to be involved in other income earning activities outside the sheriff's office. Gee says there is nothing wrong, if it doesn't take away from his time at the office.

These three politicians who have spent a long time with their agencies, have also done very well. Judd's net worth is $883,571. Sheriff Coats net worth $1,057,534 and Sheriff Gee's net worth is $2,611,525.

Those salaries are something that Sheriff Andy Taylor would have whistled about.

I agree with Sheriff Gee. There IS nothing wrong with it if it doesn't take away time from his duties as sheriff.


Uhhhh... oops... Sorry sheriff can't help you on that one. I'm sure you'll see this post sometime in the next 7-10 months when you get around to looking into whats happening at HCSO.

First and foremost:

I don't care how much money Sheriff Grady Judd makes. If he makes $500,000 a year with his multiple income sources, more power to him.

Florida needs 67 sheriffs just like him.

Second:

It is stupid to complain that people who retired via DROP were subsequently able to attain elective office and get back on the Florida payroll. It's legal. Get over it.

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Tampa, Florida - Once upon a time when "Sheriffin" was much simpler- like it was portrayed on the Andy Griffith Show on television. The deputy didn't carry a bullet in his pocket like Barney Fife but the High Sheriff didn't make much money and sometime had to even "brown bag it "for lunch.

Your preamble, above, displays abysmal ignorance.

Tampa was like Mayberry? That's laughable.

Ed Blackburn was elected on a "reform" platform because previous sheriffs had reputations for rampant corruption --- that made them a lot of money. And even old Ed was said to have a "bag man" who made the rounds to collect "donations" from various locations.

Deputies owned their patrol cars and had to purchase high risk auto insurance. Where did they get it? Why from the insurance company owned by Ed's dad.

Beard defeated Blackburn on a platform of bringing Civil Service to the office. But he randomly hired and fired people based upon influence, favoritism and quirky impulsive decisions. Sound like Mayberry to you?

By the time we get to the Heinrich/Henderson era you surely don't think you can characterize that as a simpler time in which the sheriffs were "brown bagging" their lunches. Heinrich was a sophisticated, highly educated individual and Henderson was a world traveler who had once worked for a major intelligence agency.

And they didn't fall in the category of not making much money. By then the salary of a sheriff was based upon population in the county and they did quite well.

The simple life you fantasize about is quite simply --- fiction.

You don't like Sheriff Gee so you attack him for being able to develop a very good income. Here's a news flash for you: virtually all successful politicians, up to an especially including the President of the United States, leave office much more wealthy than when they entered.

Grow up and get over it.

The only mistake Gee made was his choice of Chief Deputy.

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WHO IS DAVID GEE? IS THAT WHO THE CURRENT SHERIFF OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY IS?
BEEN AT THE OFFICE FOR QUITE SOME TIME NOW AND THE LAST TIME I SAW HIM WAS DURING HIS FIRST ELECTION CAMPAIGN AND THE TIME WHEN HE WAS TRYING TO GET RID OF THE UNION. SO THAT MAKES TWO TIMES I HAVE SEEN HIM SINCE HE HAS BEEN SHERIFF. AS FAR AS THE CHIEF DEPUTY.........I HAVE SEEN HIM ONCE. THIS IS THE TRUTH AND IT HAS A HUGE IMPACT ON THE CURRENT LACK OF COMMUNICATION AND REASON SO MANY DEPUTIES ARE CONSIDERING REUNIONIZING.

Sheriff Gee will be at the Ranch Run on saturday morning. You can see him there and Im sure he would love to see you at the event.

Sheriff Gee will be at the Ranch Run on saturday morning. You can see him there and Im sure he would love to see you at the event.

No can do. I have to put bacon on the table. That means I have to work! Someone has to!

Maybe thats the problem, too much bacon and not enough exercise. Ha Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

I'd love to finish my 25 years on duty, collect my DROP money, then return to duty with my rank and pay grade, and double dip like the politicians and sheriffs. Good luck - ain't going to happen. Double dipping is reserved for the privileged few. It should be made available to all or none.

[Monster Garage]

I'd love to finish my 25 years on duty, collect my DROP money, then return to duty with my rank and pay grade, and double dip like the politicians and sheriffs. Good luck - ain't going to happen. Double dipping is reserved for the privileged few. It should be made available to all or none.

I sure hope you all understand the intent of the real article and look people’s responses to it. It goes right back to my point about how dangerous posting crap on here is. Look at the citizen responses and how some feel we are ALL overpaid and don’t have that dangerous of a job. People posting on here and complaining about any raise they get and how they will slow down on the job makes us look greedy and unprofessional even when it’s posted in jest. When they take away DROP it will affect us all and when they ruin FRS it will affect us all.
Anyone can retire and have a second career, even if it’s the same career as your first. It’s not illegal and done all over the country. Brad Culpepper was a NFL player and is now an attorney, what the big deal? I’m sure he made plenty on the football field but wants to do more, should we try to penalize him for that? This country is getting more and more socialistic every day, its scary.