Takenthemtothewoodshed

You are telling the truth, he just needs to STFU.

Lawmakers look at savings possible by slashing state worker benefits
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Capital Bureau

Florida taxpayers could save hundreds of millions by severely cutting pension and insurance benefits for state employees, the head of the Legislature's fiscal watchdog agency told House and Senate members Monday.

Taking another run at a pay cut — vetoed by Gov. Charlie Crist last year — or implementing furloughs for state workers were also among options aired in the first of what will undoubtedly be many discussions of personnel costs during the 2010 legislative session. Lawmakers convened a week ago, facing revenue shortages projected as high as $3.2 billion.

Gary Vanlandingham, director of the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, said he was not recommending any of the bitter solutions he outlined to the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee. The panel called him to its first meeting for a briefing on ways of changing the Florida Retirement System, personnel policies, insurance plans and other employment costs.

"Many states are doing furloughs," Vanlandingham said. He said cutting salaries and leave allowances would also lower operating costs, but would have an impact on services.

Bills have already been introduced to make a 5 percent pay cut for employees making more than $65,000 a year and to require all state workers pay for health insurance. Vanlandingham said eliminating the "banking" of sick leave and vacation time — a "use it or lose it" policy — would save money but could backfire on efficiency.

"If you have a 'use it or lose it' situation, a lot of people will tend to bank their sick leave throughout the year and then most people will be off the last couple weeks of the year, if they haven't gotten sick or haven't taken their vacations yet," he said. "So it's going to be tough to get things done in the last couple weeks of the year."

Eliminating stockpiles of vacation and sick leave would also hurt employees who are stricken by long, serious illnesses, he said.

"These are all bad ideas," said Rep. Dwayne Taylor, D-Daytona Beach. He noted that pruning some benefits would require renegotiation of some labor contracts.

Matt Puckett, deputy director of the Police Benevolent Association, said after Vanlandingham's presentation that correctional, police and probation offers will fight any bill or budget item to reduce the "special risk" pension credit from 3 percent for each year's service to 2 percent of average salary for each year.

"This is not something our members are going to want to hear, especially since employees haven't had a general pay raise for four years," said Puckett.

Vanlandingham said taxpayers could save $71.4 million by eliminating the Deferred Retirement Option Program, which allows employees to retire and keep on working for five years — eight, for school teachers — while their pensions earn interest toward the day they actually quit. He said restricting the special-risk retirement benefit to only cops, firefighters and prison officers — eliminating many other job classes that have been added over the years — would save $83 million.

If employees paid into their pensions, Vanlandingham said, each 1 percent contributed would generate $275 million. That wouldn't be all savings, though, because the money would belong to the employee and would be refunded to those who leave before "vesting" in the system after six years — as 70 percent of FRS employees do.

Folks need to stop all the whining about fellow officers and start worrying more about what this agency and state is trying to do to the working people. The below is outrageous and another attempt by the state to take the very last crumb that our families need to survive.

Instead of continually slashing and gouging at fellow officers and making yourself feel as if your a giant posting crap, try keeping up with whats going on this year!


TALLAHASSEE -- A proposal to allow property-insurance companies to raise homeowners rates without regulatory approval passed a first House committee Wednesday and was amended to include much of an insurance industry wish list.

Its supporters say the proposal would attract more insurance capital to the state and increase options for consumers. A less-ambitious version passed last year was vetoed by Gov. Charlie Crist, who says he's still against it.

Rep. Bill Proctor's current bill would allow companies to charge rates beyond those approved by regulators, with important exclusions. Florida's largest property insurer, state-run Citizens Property Insurance, is excluded, as are the policies private companies have taken over from Citizens. Also excluded from unregulated rate increases would be policies that don't cover wind damage.

"The question, really, in my mind remains, does this broaden consumer choice . . . (and) is it possible it might attract some additional surplus" investment in the state, Proctor said.

An entirely new version of Proctor's bill was offered to the House Insurance, Business & Financial Affairs Policy Committee, with the strike-all amendment published Tuesday. The new version eases into full rate deregulation with limits on rate increases at 5 percent in 2011, 10 percent in 2012 and 15 percent annual increases thereafter.

Insurance Consumer Advocate Sean Shaw said he understood a need to find a balance among the interests of consumers and the industry, though he said the bill goes too far.

"I think this bill is askew with that balancing act," Shaw said.

Shaw also said rate hikes could be even higher than the caps for individual policyholders if those limits apply to a statewide average.

"You might be seeing 15-, 20-, 30-percent rate increases in some areas," Shaw said.

Proctor said he'd try to address that.

"I think those are valid concerns and I think we can work on that language," Proctor said.

Republican members of the committee pounced on Shaw.

"I fear that you oppose this bill because you have a lack of faith in that free-market system," said Rep. Ritch Workman, a Melbourne Republican. "A private business will eventually learn when they have charged too much. From the consumer perspective, there are people that would like very much to spend more to get more."

Proctor's bill would also concentrate responsibility for paying back Citizens deficits on its own policyholders, up to a maximum 45 percent surcharge on top of premiums, before assessments would be charged to all private insurance consumers -- not just homeowners -- if Citizens deficits remain.

Hold your chin up. We work where we work and have the powers to do the job as long as its done correctly with the core mission kept priority!

570.073 Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, law enforcement officers.--

(1) The commissioner may create an Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement under the supervision of a senior manager exempt under s. 110.205 in the Senior Management Service. The commissioner may designate law enforcement officers, as necessary, to enforce any criminal law or conduct any criminal investigation or to enforce the provisions of any statute or any other laws of this state. Officers appointed under this section shall have the primary responsibility for enforcing laws relating to agriculture and consumer services, as outlined 1in this section, and 2have jurisdiction over violations of law which threaten the overall security and safety of this state's agriculture and consumer services. The primary responsibilities of officers appointed under this section include the enforcement of laws relating to:

(a) Domesticated animals, including livestock, poultry, aquaculture products, and other wild or domesticated animals or animal products.

(b) Farms, farm equipment, livery tack, citrus or citrus products, or horticultural products.

(c) Trespass, littering, forests, forest fires, and open burning.

(d) Damage to or theft of forest products.

(e) Enforcement of a marketing order.

(f) Protection of consumers.

(g) Civil traffic offenses as 3provided in state law.

(h) The use of alcohol or drugs which occurs on property owned, managed, or occupied by the department.

(i) Any emergency situation in which the life, limb, or property of any person is placed in immediate and serious danger.

(j) Any crime incidental to or related to paragraphs (a)-(i).

4(k) The responsibilities of the Commissioner of Agriculture.

(2) Each law enforcement officer shall meet the qualifications of law enforcement officers under s. 943.13 and shall be certified as a law enforcement officer by the Department of Law Enforcement under the provisions of chapter 943. Upon certification, each law enforcement officer is subject to and shall have the same arrest and other authority provided for law enforcement officers generally in chapter 901 and shall have statewide jurisdiction. Each officer shall also have arrest authority as provided for state law enforcement officers in s. 901.15. Such officers have full law enforcement powers granted to other peace officers of this state, including the authority to make arrests, carry firearms, serve court process, and seize contraband and the proceeds of illegal activities.

(3) The commissioner may also appoint part-time, reserve, or auxiliary law enforcement officers under chapter 943.

(4) All department law enforcement officers, upon certification under s. 943.1395, shall have the same right and authority to carry arms as do the sheriffs of this state.

(5) Each law enforcement officer in the state who is certified pursuant to chapter 943 has the same authority as law enforcement officers designated in this section to enforce the laws of this state as described in subsection (1).

Whats the difference in a Dept of Agriculture LEO that works the ramp and Wackenhut?


Wackenhut is just Wackenhut, Ag cops are Wackin in the hut