Larry Griffin
Governor Rick Scott announced Thursday that he intended to propose a 5 percent pay raise for all state law enforcement, which would then be voted on early next year by legislature.
Standing with a host of local and state law enforcement officials outside the Florida Highway Patrol office in Orlando, Scott praised law enforcement for their work during an especially trying time – citing that 32 law enforcement officers had been killed so far this year.
He would know, he said, because he had been to all of their funerals.
The pay raise would be a ‘thank you’ to law enforcement for all they do – especially in Florida, what with responding to the Pulse nightclub shooting, Hurricane Matthew and more. There had also been a 45 percent reduction in crime this year as compared to previous years, Scott said.
“Being in law enforcement is only becoming harder,” Scott said. “They face danger each and every day. They are targeted sometimes just for the uniform they wear. I’m proposing a 5 percent pay raise for all state law enforcement officers. They need to be rewarded for their life-saving work. We need to show we appreciate their commitment to us.”
He told the story of Lt. Channing Taylor, who was shot while performing a routine traffic stop, praising Taylor and also awarding him the Governor’s Medal of Honor.
Taylor was honored by the award and excited for the raise.
“It was unexpected,” he told FloridaPolitics.com. “[Scott] really goes above and beyond. He’s a wonderful man.”
Scott will include the $11.7 million request in budget recommendations he’ll give state legislators early next year. The Florida Legislature will consider the pay raise during the regular session that starts in March.
Scott hasn’t made a final decision on whether to recommend pay raises for other state workers, according to The Associated Press.
But while Matt Puckett of the Police Benevolent Association appreciated the gesture, it was just a good starting point, so far as he was concerned.
The real problem, he said, was retention of state law enforcement, and implementing career development plans towards pay increases for them was the best answer he knew of.
“We’re in contract negotiations,” he said. “We proposed an eight percent raise across the board, but five is a good start. But it’s a second piece we’re more concerned with – a big problem is that it’s not hard to get officers on board, but keeping them there is another story.”
He said the problem came when a state officer was content staying in a position he or she liked – say, a Florida Highway Patrol trooper who enjoyed their job working a turnpike and had no plans to advance in the ranks or move up.
“The way it is now, that trooper would stay in that job with no pay increase for years,” Puckett said.
That leads some officers to leave for similar careers at local law enforcement levels. Puckett said the Police Benevolent Association is attempting to work career development plans into negotiations with the state.
“We’re trying to implement career development paths for state officers,” he said. “Where, if they do their job well, keep their noses clean, they can see an increase in pay after five to eight years or so. That’s the big difference between state and local law enforcement. So many state officers will say ‘I just can’t afford to raise a family or live my life.’ It’s the number one reason people leave.”
