Major Pension Cuts Being Proposed! Every single PBA Member is at risk! You must contact Legislators now!

This is not a drill. There are major efforts in the Florida Legislature to scuttle benefits in the Florida Retirement System and the Municipal Police Retirement Systems.  The Florida PBA has spent the majority of the time in Tallahassee lobbying against these measures, but a number of studies, bills, and reports have been authorized that require us to take a more aggressive approach.

Among the proposals being discussed:
 

State Retirement At Risk

•  Reducing the Special Risk Class in FRS back to the original membership of Law Enforcement Officers, Correctional Officers, and Firefighters. Removing Correctional Probation Officers.
•  Reducing the 3% Accrual Rates for Special Risk.
•  Increasing the high 5 years to the highest 8 years.
•  Capping your retirement payment at 70% not the current 100%.
•  Increasing Special Risk normal retirement age to age 60 or 30 years of service.
• Implementing an employee contribution for retirement of 1% of salary.

Municipal Retirement At Risk

• Capping your retirement payment at 70% not the current 100%.
• Changes the 185 premium tax law so extra money does not have to be spent on extra benefits.
• Increasing normal retirement age to age 60 or 30 years of service.
• Majority of members on the Board of Trustees could not be active or retired pension plan members.

There are a number of bills that enact some of these proposals, but the worst one of all is HB 1543 by Representative Juan Zapata.  His bill purges Correctional Probation Officers from the Special Risk Class, reduces the 3% accrual rate, raises the age limit to 60 and years of 30 years of service for both local and state officers, removes 185 extra benefits requirement from law, and caps the percentage of retirement at 70% for everyone. 

You can do something about it.

Please call and email ALL of the following Legislators to express your concerns:

Dial the PBA's toll-free number 1-800-733-3722. When you get the PBA greeting, dial the extension listed below to connect to the respective legislators. You will have to call back to the PBA for each legislator.