Legislature meeting regarding Disband

[Unregistered]

The FHP leadership and legislature better get serious about the terrible pay or the FHP will continue in it's downward spin! I look at the pay scales and it seems the sgts, clps and troopers are the ones that really get screwed! I think I could make it on $80,000 a year as a capt or above!

[Unregistered]

Where few have tried, many have failed.

I guess Gualtieri, Gonzales, Judd and Cocoroach are counting their chickens b4 hatching. They are not getting the kickbacks they were expecting from this bill. Maybe next year they can try again, questions are starting to come up and there are too many unknowns that they can't explain. Get used to seeing black and tans in your counties Sheriff, it's called balance of powers, I love it. As I said b4, yawnnn, 30 years I've lived through this. The Senate knows the value of FHP and knows that this idea will cost way more $ instead of saving it. They also know that this serves the interest of the sheriff and their personal agenda against FHP, not the public . Hasta la Vista baby. I hope the study is conducted and everyone can see how poor this bill was.

Thanks Negron.








Legislative activity for week of March 20-24th
Week three of the session brought progress for several of our key issues.

- Body camera footage review legislation passes Senate Committee.
- Career development legislation will receive a hearing next Monday.

Please review the brief summaries of week three and the direction we are heading.

State Employee Pay Raises

Senator Jack Latvala has agreed to amendment our career development legislation SB 168 to allow the doubling of salary incentive dollars for participating officers. The concept was one of the issues that came out of our career development workgroup. The bill will be heard on Monday in the Senate Government Oversight & Accountability Committee.

We are still waiting for either chamber (the Senate or House) to release their budget proposal for pay raises.

Highway Patrol Pilot Program

HB 7061 was heard this week in the House Transportation & Tourism Appropriations Subcommittee. The legislation will create a pilot program removing the Highway Patrol from Pinellas and Polk Counties. The idea is not currently being discussed in the Senate, but Senator Jack Latvala has indicated that before any pilot program like this moves forward he will have a workgroup created to study all of the issues and concerns. If the study makes any recommendations those issues will be dealt with in next year's session.

There is still a lot time left in this year's session so this issue will no doubt linger.

The House leadership has set this legislation in motion and it will likely continue to move in that chamber. Most likely passing each committee and then the full body on a partisan vote.

From the PBA's perspective, the best place to defeat/slowdown/amend the bill is in the Senate. We have spoken to the House bill sponsor (Representative Julio Gonzalez) and the Sheriffs' Association indicating our opposition to the pilot program. They are fully aware that we will oppose the bill in the Senate and, if need be, we will agree to Latvala's study.

Local Pension Plans

PBA lobbyists continue to monitor the Tampa pension bill HB 533 by Representative Janet Cruz. It passed the House Oversight, Transparency & Administration Subcommittee on Monday.

Body Camera Footage Review

SB 624 by Senator Greg Steube received a hearing this week in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill will allow a law enforcement officer to review the footage from his or her camera prior to writing a report, or making a statement about an incident arising from his or her official duties. PBA Executive Director Matt Puckett testified in support of the legislation. The bill passed the committee unanimously.

HB 305 by Representative Shawn Harrison will be heard on the floor of the House of Representatives next Wednesday, March 29th.

Sheriffs Must Be Elected

HB 721 by Representative Jason Fischer was heard in the House Judiciary Committee. The bill will place a constitutional amendment on the 2018 General Election Ballot asking voters to approve the statewide requirement that all sheriffs must be elected. Currently, only Dade County has an appointed public safety director. PBA President John Rivera testified in support of the legislation. The bill passed the committee.

Autism Awareness Training

HB 39 by Representative Evan Jenne was also heard in the House Judiciary Committee. This legislation adds autism awareness training to FDLE's criminal justice training requirements. Gary Bradford testified in support of this legislation. The bill passed.


Please join me in thanking John Rivera, John Kazanjian, Ernie George, Pablo Lima, Lou Penque, Lizeth Barriel and Al Lopez for joining us in Tallahassee this week.

As always, please stay safe.

Sincerely,

Matt Puckett

[Unregistered]

Got it wrong Pussboy ... I am in Trooo C. I will reaffirm, you are full of $hit!

I'm here in Troop C also. You're not here. I know and the rest of us Troopers know that for a fact. Quit drinking the kool aid and taking it in the shorts and liking it. That wrapper you're wearing says Tally. Now go away Tally troll. We all know who you are!! How do I know you're in Tally . . .you can't even spell "Troop". You spelled it "Trooo". You're an idiot keyboard cowboy.

[Unregistered]

Where few have tried, many have failed.

I guess Gualtieri, Gonzales, Judd and Cocoroach are counting their chickens b4 hatching. They are not getting the kickbacks they were expecting from this bill. Maybe next year they can try again, questions are starting to come up and there are too many unknowns that they can't explain. Get used to seeing black and tans in your counties Sheriff, it's called balance of powers, I love it. As I said b4, yawnnn, 30 years I've lived through this. The Senate knows the value of FHP and knows that this idea will cost way more $ instead of saving it. They also know that this serves the interest of the sheriff and their personal agenda against FHP, not the public . Hasta la Vista baby. I hope the study is conducted and everyone can see how poor this bill was.

Thanks Negron.








Legislative activity for week of March 20-24th
Week three of the session brought progress for several of our key issues.

- Body camera footage review legislation passes Senate Committee.
- Career development legislation will receive a hearing next Monday.

Please review the brief summaries of week three and the direction we are heading.

State Employee Pay Raises

Senator Jack Latvala has agreed to amendment our career development legislation SB 168 to allow the doubling of salary incentive dollars for participating officers. The concept was one of the issues that came out of our career development workgroup. The bill will be heard on Monday in the Senate Government Oversight & Accountability Committee.

We are still waiting for either chamber (the Senate or House) to release their budget proposal for pay raises.

Highway Patrol Pilot Program

HB 7061 was heard this week in the House Transportation & Tourism Appropriations Subcommittee. The legislation will create a pilot program removing the Highway Patrol from Pinellas and Polk Counties. The idea is not currently being discussed in the Senate, but Senator Jack Latvala has indicated that before any pilot program like this moves forward he will have a workgroup created to study all of the issues and concerns. If the study makes any recommendations those issues will be dealt with in next year's session.

There is still a lot time left in this year's session so this issue will no doubt linger.

The House leadership has set this legislation in motion and it will likely continue to move in that chamber. Most likely passing each committee and then the full body on a partisan vote.

From the PBA's perspective, the best place to defeat/slowdown/amend the bill is in the Senate. We have spoken to the House bill sponsor (Representative Julio Gonzalez) and the Sheriffs' Association indicating our opposition to the pilot program. They are fully aware that we will oppose the bill in the Senate and, if need be, we will agree to Latvala's study.

Local Pension Plans

PBA lobbyists continue to monitor the Tampa pension bill HB 533 by Representative Janet Cruz. It passed the House Oversight, Transparency & Administration Subcommittee on Monday.

Body Camera Footage Review

SB 624 by Senator Greg Steube received a hearing this week in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill will allow a law enforcement officer to review the footage from his or her camera prior to writing a report, or making a statement about an incident arising from his or her official duties. PBA Executive Director Matt Puckett testified in support of the legislation. The bill passed the committee unanimously.

HB 305 by Representative Shawn Harrison will be heard on the floor of the House of Representatives next Wednesday, March 29th.

Sheriffs Must Be Elected

HB 721 by Representative Jason Fischer was heard in the House Judiciary Committee. The bill will place a constitutional amendment on the 2018 General Election Ballot asking voters to approve the statewide requirement that all sheriffs must be elected. Currently, only Dade County has an appointed public safety director. PBA President John Rivera testified in support of the legislation. The bill passed the committee.

Autism Awareness Training

HB 39 by Representative Evan Jenne was also heard in the House Judiciary Committee. This legislation adds autism awareness training to FDLE's criminal justice training requirements. Gary Bradford testified in support of this legislation. The bill passed.


Please join me in thanking John Rivera, John Kazanjian, Ernie George, Pablo Lima, Lou Penque, Lizeth Barriel and Al Lopez for joining us in Tallahassee this week.

As always, please stay safe.

Sincerely,

Matt Puckett

This post is straight out of the PBA email update they send every member. If PBA had the juice to actually do something this Bill would have never come up in the first place. Your typical FHP cavalier attitude that, "FHP and the Black and Tan" are untouchable is also another reason this came up.

A lot of you guys think you are, just like you said, some kind of balance of power within law enforcement. Nothing could be further from the truth. FHP never was and never will be a balance of law enforcement power. It was created in 1939 to provide a service to the citizens that at the time the mostly rural counties in Florida could not afford. It had and has nothing to do with balancing power or making FHP the kings of law enforcement in this state. Yet some of you knuckleheads actually believe you are out there to police the police. Just another reason FHP has been in decline for years and is treated like crap each legislative session.

If you think PBA is going to stop this bill you're probably the same guy who still thinks the pay raises they have been promising for the last 20 years are in the horizon. What a joke.

[Unregistered]

I'm here in Troop C also. You're not here. I know and the rest of us Troopers know that for a fact. Quit drinking the kool aid and taking it in the shorts and liking it. That wrapper you're wearing says Tally. Now go away Tally troll. We all know who you are!! How do I know you're in Tally . . .you can't even spell "Troop". You spelled it "Trooo". You're an idiot keyboard cowboy.

No way loser, I like it in TROOP C. You must be typing your mess sitting in front of a mirror when you refer to "the rest of us." It's also funny when you talk about someone else being a "keyboard cowboy." I really hope you are the Troll and I am not passing your sorry a$$ in the hallway!

[MOD 1]

I know which ones of you are the trolls and who isn't. I know who is posting from Troop C and who isn"t.

[Unregistered]

This post is straight out of the PBA email update they send every member. If PBA had the juice to actually do something this Bill would have never come up in the first place. Your typical FHP cavalier attitude that, "FHP and the Black and Tan" are untouchable is also another reason this came up.

A lot of you guys think you are, just like you said, some kind of balance of power within law enforcement. Nothing could be further from the truth. FHP never was and never will be a balance of law enforcement power. It was created in 1939 to provide a service to the citizens that at the time the mostly rural counties in Florida could not afford. It had and has nothing to do with balancing power or making FHP the kings of law enforcement in this state. Yet some of you knuckleheads actually believe you are out there to police the police. Just another reason FHP has been in decline for years and is treated like crap each legislative session.

If you think PBA is going to stop this bill you're probably the same guy who still thinks the pay raises they have been promising for the last 20 years are in the horizon. What a joke.

Whoa Cowboy!! All that pent up rage. You can probably seek assistance from MAP/EAP for that.

[Unregistered]

You need to learn to do your research prior to opening your mouth... Miami-Dade no longer has an elected Sheriff. They have an appointed position called Director who runs the Miami-Dade Police Department..

That year a long-standing controversy over the selection/election procedure for choosing a county sheriff was resolved by voter mandate. Subsequently, non-elected sheriffs were appointed by the county manager as "Director of the Public Safety Department and Sheriff of Metropolitan Dade County."

You previously stated that "Mayors appoint Sheriffs".. In my response, I simply stated a FACT.. A City Mayor can not appoint a County Official. Now in some counties, County MANAGERS can appoint Sheriffs, but not City(keyword) Mayors... You need to learn how to read and fully understand a CORRECT statement, before incorrectly responding "smart guy"..

[Unregistered]

You previously stated that "Mayors appoint Sheriffs".. In my response, I simply stated a FACT.. A City Mayor can not appoint a County Official. Now in some counties, County MANAGERS can appoint Sheriffs, but not City(keyword) Mayors... You need to learn how to read and fully understand a CORRECT statement, before incorrectly responding "smart guy"..

Ok here we go again..... Miami-Dade County has a MAYOR it is this MAYOR that appoints the Sheriff however they do not call the position a SHERIFF rather a "Director of Metropolitan Police". So yes a MAYOR does appoint the SHERIFF. No where did I ever say a CITY MAYOR. I said "The MAYOR of Miami-Dade appoints the sheriff"

So we come to a good teaching point yet again. "It is better for people to think your an idiot than for you to open your mouth and confirm them".

[Unregistered]

Ok here we go again..... Miami-Dade County has a MAYOR it is this MAYOR that appoints the Sheriff however they do not call the position a SHERIFF rather a "Director of Metropolitan Police". So yes a MAYOR does appoint the SHERIFF. No where did I ever say a CITY MAYOR. I said "The MAYOR of Miami-Dade appoints the sheriff"

So we come to a good teaching point yet again. "It is better for people to think your an idiot than for you to open your mouth and confirm them".

Miami-Dade has a Director, not a Sheriff. If you go to the Florida Sheriff's Association it says there are 67 counties, 66 Sheriffs, and 1 director. So, while Miami-Dade has someone who works in a job with similar functions of a Sheriff, they are NOT a Sheriff, he is a Director. Every other Sheriff has been elected to that position, not selected for it by a Mayor. So when you call him Sheriff it is completely and utterly incorrect because he is not one. It is like everyone on here calling it a Sheriff's department and when in actuality it is called a Sheriff's Office because it is an official elected position. Hence why Miami-Dade is called Miami-Dade Police Department because that position is not elected but selecred.