Donna Deegan won’t release FRS cost projections for Jax police, fire unions until mid-July

Donna Deegan signs a bill to keep storage units out of historic districts.

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan wants to put public safety workers into the Florida Retirement System in Fiscal Year 2028.

But how much that actually costs is still unknown, and will be for a few more weeks, offering a complication to City Council members who have an interest in the price tag and how it will affect budgeting.

Per spokesperson Phil Perry, the projections “were created for the collective bargaining negotiations.”

“We will release them to you after that process has completed i.e. when both unions have ratified their agreements, which should be by mid-July,” he said, referring to the Jacksonville Association of Fire Fighters and the local Fraternal Order of Police unions.

Perry invokes Florida Statute in justifying the obfuscation.

“Any documents created specifically for the purpose of collective bargaining, and any related internal communications are confidential and exempt from disclosure as a public record. Section 447.605(3), Florida Statutes, states ‘All work products developed by the public employer in preparation for negotiations, and during negotiations, shall be confidential and exempt from the provisions of s. 119.07(1).'”

The City Council returns from its break beginning July 15, and the first Finance meeting is the next day. Historically, the budget is introduced in July.

Costs are certain to escalate. One informed estimate is the cost per employee could be upwards of 40%, and the proposals also include pay increases over three years ranging from 22% to 30%.

With the city ready to fund a stadium renovation and with pressure building to construct a new jail that could cost a billion dollars according to some estimates, locals eagerly await hard numbers on these proposals.